Rome 11 August : More than 200 significant Alpine glaciers have gone missing in Italy since the first record-keeping began in 1895 the country’s environmental lobby group Legambiente declared in an article. In the third “Caravan of the Glaciers” report, Legambiente said the latest results confirmed “the drastic decline of glaciers due to climate change”.
The group stated that Alpine temperatures are rising two times as fast as temperatures rise at sea level, and ground snow has decreased each year since 2012, says Xinhua news agency.
The report was created to provide information to the public about practices of sustainable development according to the Legambiente.
It was created by the group in collaboration with the Italian Glaciological Committee.
The phenomenon is believed to have a wide-ranging impact.
“The fast receding of glacial fronts does not only result in the loss of amazing landscapes and biodiversity and habitats, but also leads to the loss of significant fresh water reserves” the report stated.
The deficiency of fresh water from glacial reservoirs is a major cause of the drought that is affecting the majority of Italy and is likely to cut down on agricultural output in particular in northern Italy in northern Italy, where water from glaciers are a vital component of the ecosystem of the region according to the report.
Another major impact is on security of the public, as per the report.
In the month of October 11 hikers died as a glacier that was melting resulted in a major avalanche to the Marmolada in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains.
Experts and officials have attributing the tragedy to the scorching heat.
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