In Italy, Water Resources Reach Lowest Levels

Data released today, Friday, shows that "available water resources in Italy reached their lowest level ever in 2022, as rising temperatures combined with a lack of rainfall caused fresh water supplies to decline by half compared to the average over the past thirty years." The Italian National Institute of Statistics stated, "A drought struck the country last year, which also led to a decrease in Italian olive oil production to its lowest level since 1990." The institute added, "Severe droughts affected about 20% of the country in 2022, a percentage that has been steadily increasing over the last seventy years."