THE GREAT MELTDOWN | Climate Change

E1 - Over-exploitation of resources

Almost all of the 3015 active mining sites in the country since 1870 have been disused or abandoned, of which 794 involve the extraction of metalliferous minerals. Most of these sites have been managed with little attention to prevention and containment of their environmental impact, with reckless abandonment of large quantities of mining waste. These, in turn, cause the release of toxic elements into the environment, heavy metals in the tailings ponds and possible sludge releases. Our environmental impact, subsidised by an economic model that has reached its limits, necessitates changes in production and consumption systems for food, housing and mobility. Pollinators are fundamental to the resilience of ecosystems to imbalances of various kinds. If the very existence of pollinators is at risk, so are the ecosystem services from which humans and the environment benefit. Watch the episode here.

"The recovery and valorisation of this memory can represent a development opportunity for territories orphaned, and often battered, by mining activities" - ISPRA ambiente

E3 - Soil and groundwater pollution

Europe's largest illegal poison dump is in Bussi sul Tirino. Dioxins, chemicals and heavy metals have been spilled into the ground for years. Now the soil is polluted and rain has carried the toxic substances into the groundwater. The Tirino river, just a few metres away, has carried them into the Pescara and then into the sea. We have exceeded the legal limits for many carcinogenic and mutagenic substances by more than 1,000 times. Analyses on dioxins, copper, mercury, boron, lead, some PAHs and hydrocarbons showed unprecedented levels of pollution.Watch the episode here.

"The consequences fall on everyone, from microorganisms, to fish, to man. We got goose bumps." - 3Bee

E5 - Monocropping

Among the causes of the decline in pollinators and animal biodiversity is the simplification and impoverishment of the landscape. This results in the scarcity of food resources in the flight range of pollinators. Such situations are typical of extensive agricultural areas, such as cereal or sugar beet production. This results in a scarcity of food resources in the flight range of pollinators. Such situations are typical of extensive and monoculture agricultural areas, such as cereal or sugar beet production. Can you imagine a bee travelling dozens of miles just to find a flower from which to extract nectar or pollen? This is exactly the situation that has been going on for years in the areas of the Po Valley or the Abruzzi Plain.

"In Italy, the results of the third national report on the Habitats Directive shows that of the 132 habitats of community interest, 67% are in 'unfavourable' conservation status (27% 'bad' - 40% 'inadequate')" - ISPRA ambiente

The cryosphere (the portion of land covered by ice) is constantly shrinking. Since 1976 we have lost 87,000 square kilometres of frozen water worldwide. Shrinking glaciers and melting permafrost have already unsettled mountain slopes, and in recent decades there has been an increase in: ice avalanches (the last one near us La Marmolada), landslides and floods. These will become an increasing problem in the coming years. Glaciers are our source of fresh water, the supply of water for biodiversity, and are the most sensitive climate indicators as well as the first to clearly show a changing world. We cannot tolerate this.

"A current global loss during the last decade, from both ice sheets, of around 372Gt per year, which roughly translates to eight times the volume of Lake Garda, in Italy" - Copernicus