A glacier collapsed on the highest peak in the range, Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites, at 300 kilometres an hour, killing at least seven people. Another 14 people remain missing.
Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Monday linked the collapse to climate change.
The collapse of the glacier was “without doubt linked to the deterioration of the environment and the climate situation.”
Massimo Frezzotti, a science professor at Roma Tre University, told AFP the collapse was caused by unusually warm weather linked to global warming. Last winter was very dry, with precipitation down 40 to 50 per cent.
Glacier specialist Renato Colucci said the phenomenon was“bound to repeat itself” because“for weeks the temperatures at altitude in the Alps have been well above normal values”. The recent warm temperatures had generated a large quantity of water from the melting glacier. It had accumulated at the bottom of the block of ice and caused it to collapse, he explained.
Italy Blames Climate Change For Glacier Collapse, 7 Dead | MENAFN.COM
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