Heat islands are urban areas where the temperature is significantly higher than the surrounding areas. In Milan, these islands occupy 80% of the urban surface, mainly due to the lack of green spaces. Materials such as asphalt, concrete and metal absorb solar heat, creating thermal hotspots with very high temperatures, up to 40-45 degrees in some areas. This phenomenon is exacerbated by climate change, which increases temperatures and extreme weather events. Watch the episode entire.

"There is also a probability significantly different from zero that our future life may be in danger" - Riccardo Valentini, April 2019, Linkiesta

Milan, August 2023: heat islands, a threat to our future.

MILAN OF FIRE: THE HEAT ISLANDS

The Vaia storm of 29 October 2018, which takes its name from Vaia Jakobs, manager of a German multinational, caused wind gusts of up to 190-200 km/h, destroying the spruce forests in the Triveneto area. Around 15 million trees fell in minutes, with clearing the trunks taking years. 10% of the trees still to be removed were attacked by the bark beetle, a beetle common due to tree damage. Watch the full episode .

"The landscape links man and nature through the composition of their respective manifestations. Cultural heritage characterizes the landscape like natural heritage in the territories they share and in which they interact. Therefore, the evaluation of the value of a landscape cannot ignore the consideration of the physical, natural and human components of value as a whole." - ISPRA - Charter of the naturalistic-cultural value of Italy

The Vaia storm of 29 October 2018 caused wind gusts of up to 190-200 km/h, destroying the spruce forests in the Triveneto area.

GO, A STORM TO REMEMBER

In Veneto, the invasion of the North American blue crab and the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica threatens biodiversity. The blue crabs, introduced 70 years ago, now dominate the Goro Lagoon, damaging the ecosystem. The Popillia japonica devastates crops, fought with harmful agrochemicals. Watch the whole episode.

"It's maybe premature to say the warming is accelerating, but it's not decreasing, for sure. We still have our foot on the gas" - Matthew Huber, July 2023, The Guardian

In Veneto, the invasion of the North American blue crab and the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica threatens biodiversity.

SILENT INVASION, BLUE CRAB AND ALIEN SPECIES

In Mortegliano, Udine, in July 2023, a devastating hailstorm occurred, which lasted 5 minutes and left damage still visible. A record-breaking hailstone of 19 cm surpassed the previous European record. The Po Valley is experiencing climate changes similar to America's Tornado Alley, suggesting a future of more extreme climate events in Italy. Watch the full episode.

"It's not a question of finding solutions, we have solutions. It's a question of identifying the solutions we already have, replicating them, and scaling them up" - Jane Lubchenco

In Mortegliano, Udine, in July 2023, a devastating hailstorm occurred, which lasted 5 minutes and left damage still visible.

EXTREME HAIL STONES, THE NEW NORMAL

The devastating flood that hit Emilia Romagna last summer left a tragic toll: 21 rivers flooded, 32,000 displaced people, 16 victims, over 1,000 landslides and damage amounting to 1.5 billion euros. The region, intensely reclaimed with canals and monocultures, its soil has been made impermeable, exacerbating the risk of flooding. Despite the risk, excessive land consumption continues, reducing the ability to prevent floods. Watch the full episode.

" The ongoing mass extinction of species, and with it the extinction of genes and ecosystems, ranks with pandemics, world war, and climate change as among the deadliest threats that humanity has imposed on itself." - Edward O. Wilson, Half-Earth : Our Planet's Fight for Life

The devastating flood that hit Emilia Romagna last summer left a tragic toll: 21 rivers flooded, 32,000 displaced people, 16 victims, over 1,000 landslides and damage amounting to 1.5 billion euros.

Episode 4 - EXTREME HAIL STONES, THE NEW NORMAL

Milan on Fire: Heat Islands

Vaia, A Storm to Remember

Silent Invasion, Blue Crab, and Alien Species

Emilia Underwater

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