Italy is in 'permanent state of climate calamity' - WWF

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 1 - The WWF said Monday that Italy is in a "permanent state of climate calamity" after the latest in a long series of waves of extreme weather caused massive damage in northern Italy at the weekend.
    The Italian branch of the NGO said a group of young people taking part in a summer camp it organized in Cogne were among the people who had to be evacuated via helicopter after mudslides caused by flooding and torrential rain blocked the regional highway to the Aosta Valley town on the slopes of the Gran Paradiso mountain and knocked out water supplies.
    "It's increasingly clear that we are experiencing a new 'permanent state of climate calamity', where the climate crisis is the greatest risk to citizen's safety, with record temperatures and extreme heat alternating with violent rainfall and devastating floods," the WWF said.
    "What happened in Cogne is caused by climate change, which is causing extreme events that were once very rare to multiply, making them almost daily, but it also highlights all of our country's delays in tackling, predicting and mitigating it".
    Scientists say the climate crisis is caused by human greenhouse gas emissions.
    Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge profits for the world's energy giants.
    The WWF called on the Italian government to approve a climate law and implement the national climate change adaptation plan approved in December.
    (see related story). (ANSA).