Climate Change Intensifies Droughts in Sicily and Sardinia, Study Reveals

Climate change is intensifying the severe droughts currently gripping Sicily and Sardinia, making them 1.5 times more likely to occur, according to a study released Wednesday by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group. The study highlights how human-induced climate change is exacerbating water shortages and agricultural losses on the Italian islands.

While hot and dry summers are not uncommon in Sicily and Sardinia, the past 12 months have seen exceptionally low rainfall and persistently high temperatures, leading to devastating droughts. Rivers have dried up, crops have withered, and drinking water has been rationed in these regions, where agriculture and tourism are vital to the local economy. As a result, both Sicily and Sardinia have declared states of emergency.

The WWA, a network of scientists specializing in assessing the role of climate change in extreme weather events, investigated the droughts following the emergency declarations. Their study found that human-caused climate change has increased the likelihood of these droughts by 50 percent.

The second half of 2023 in Sicily was marked by “an unprecedented dry spell, being the most arid period in over a century,” according to the study. However, the study noted that the main driver of the drought was not just the lack of rainfall but also the persistently high temperatures, which have remained stifling even at night.

“We conclude that this increase in drought severity is primarily driven by the very strong increase in extreme temperatures due to human-induced climate change,” the study stated. The prolonged heatwaves have caused more frequent evaporation of water from soils, plants, and reservoirs, further depleting water resources on the islands.

“Sardinia and Sicily are becoming increasingly arid with climate change,” said Mariam Zachariah, a researcher at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London. “For the farmers and the towns that have endured months of water restrictions, this study is confirmation — climate change is intensifying the droughts.”

The study also pointed to ageing infrastructure as a factor worsening water shortages and called for better water management to mitigate the impact of future droughts.