Italy’s drought condition: Causes, state response and international stance
By Emmanuel Selva Royan

On 05 July, Italy declared a state of emergency in five northern regions. Which include Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto. The droughts in the Po River and eastern Alpine basins have triggered the announcement. The president of the Italian Meteorological Society, Luca Mercalli, stated: “This drought is unique in history due to the combination of two anomalies – the lack of rain, on top of the elevated temperature, which is directly linked to climate change.”

River Po and its drought condition
Italy’s longest river Po flows 650 kilometers from the snowy Alps in the northwest to the Po Delta in the east before pouring out into the Adriatic Sea. The large stream provides nourishment for northern Italy's vast, lush plains. These flat, crop-covered areas, known as Italy's breadbasket, provide almost 40 per cent of the country's GDP. However, most of the regions of this river have dried up. The water from the Po River is utilized to irrigate rice fields, and cow grazing lands, some of whose milk is used to produce the highly regarded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Half of the livestock in the Po Valley, where Parma ham is made, are in danger due to the drought. The drought has decreased hydroelectric power generation. Nearly 20 per cent of Italy's energy is produced by hydroelectric plants, the majority of which are found in the north. The saline waters of the Adriatic Sea have seeped 12 miles into the basin as there is no stream present to push it back into the ocean. The country is currently experiencing a severe heatwave, and there has been around 50 per cent less rain than 2021.

Causes of the draught
The primary cause of drought in Italy is claimed to be climate change. The previous winter temperatures experienced an anomaly of 2.1 degree Celsius and an average precipitation deficit of 65 per cent. Together with the mild winter temperatures, the lack of precipitation resulted in poor snow accumulation, low soil moisture, and low water levels in lakes and reservoirs. Researchers indicate that such a combination of mild and dry winter has not occurred in Lombardy, Piedmont and southern Switzerland in the past 30 years.

State response
The declaration of a state of emergency gives the government "extraordinary means and powers" to intervene to ensure public safety. The government had also released EUR 36.5 million to the affected regions in the north. The Po River District Basin authority reduced water withdrawals for agriculture by 20 per cent, and a hydroelectric power plant in Emilia Romagna region has been shut down since there is not enough water to produce electricity. At the municipal level, the local authorities have prohibited using water for activities such as washing vehicles, watering plants, and cleaning outdoor patio areas. In order to raise reservoir levels, Utilitalia, a union of water providers, have asked for the overnight suspension of drinking water supply in 125 towns in 100 Piedmont and Bergamo province in Lombardy.
 
Italy's stance in international climate goals
Italy’s recovery and resilience plan “Piano di Ripresa e Resilienza,” which is a five-year plan, does not align with the EU 2030 climate goals. Its national objective is to lower emissions 38 per cent, below 2005 levels by 2030.  Italy's score for adoption readiness in 2018 was just slightly below the G20 average. Although there are still difficulties with adaptation, Italy's energy mix remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. In 2020, 18 per cent of all primary energy consumption was made up of renewable energy, which has been steadily rising in recent years. However, the carbon intensity of the energy mix has barely altered during the past two decades, notwithstanding the rise in renewable energy.

References
“Drought emergency declared in northern Italy,” BBC News, 05 July 2022
“The longest river in Italy is drying up. What does this mean for those who rely on it for food?,” Euronews, 20 June 2022
“Drought in northern Italy - March 2022: GDO analytical report,” European Commission “Italy,Climate Transparency report: Comparing G20 climate action towards Net Zero,” Climate Transparency, 2021

War in Ukraine: Day 140
By Padmashree Anandhan
 
War on the Ground
On 13 July, defence ministries from Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and UN representative met for first time since march directly to discuss the exporting of grains through the Black Sea from Ukraine in Istanbul. According to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey: “ The four-way meeting between the military delegations of the defense ministries of Turkey, the Russian Federation and Ukraine with the delegation of the United Nations regarding the safe transportation by sea of grain and foodstuff waiting in Ukrainian ports has ended," So far there has no update on the reached agreements.
 
The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) along with Ukrainian Canadian Congress has urged the Government of Canada to put down the waiver given to Siemens Canada which acts as a way for the Nord Stream 1 turbines into Germany. According to President and CEO of the Ukrainian World Congress, Paul Grod, "Canada’s decision to break sanctions and send the Siemens’ turbine back to Russia is a grave mistake with dire consequences."
 
On 13 July, Ukraine government has called Lithuania to involve their businesses to restore Ukraine economy. So far 614 investment projects have been promised to upscale larger reconstruction projects in Ukraine. This is mainly to help stabilize Ukraine's economy in the post-war period.

The Moscow View
Claims by Russia 
On 13 July, Russia reported on shelling southern port city of Mykolaiv. It claimed for killing dozens of soldiers and success in the Donetsk region. It also confirmed on entering two towns of Soledar and Siversk, to the north of Bakhmut.

On 13 July, RT reported that Russia had agreed for cooperation to support the grain exports in Turkey. According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar: “An agreement has been reached on technical issues such as joint controls at the destination points and the safety of navigation on the transfer routes,” Akar told journalists. Russian and Ukrainian delegations “should meet again in Turkey next week.”

The West View
Responses from the US and Europe  
On 13 July, the German government revealed a list of weapons and equipment systems which have been supplied to Ukraine till now. In the report released: "In 2022 Germany has increased its funds for security capacity building to 2 billion Euros. These additional funds are primarily dedicated to Ukraine as well as German contributions to the European Peace Facility, from which the cost of military support measures for Ukraine can be reimbursed to EU member states." The weapon systems included M113 armored personnel carriers, COBRA radar systems, and MARS multiple rocket launchers.
 
On 13 July, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak visited Irpin town in Ukraine where mass killing have been recorded and in the statement he said that the brutal post-war scenario was brutal and shocking. He said: "These are the bloody crimes of the Russians who must be punished. I am proud of Ukrainian defenders who liberated Irpin and, in general, of all military personnel who are currently defending Ukraine.”
 
On 13 July, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to stop its infiltration operations in the eastern Ukraine. As per the recent report from Blinken, close to 1.6 million people were forcibly deported into Russia and were put through torture and evidences have been found on the same. Although Russia has rejected the report, Blinken termed them as war crimes for transferring people illegally, breaching the fourth Geneva Convention.

The Global Fallouts
Implications of the Ukraine war
On 12 July, Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected the accusations by the US on selling drones to Russia. The ministry released a statement confirmed that the drone cooperation between Russia and Iran has been persisting before the start of Ukraine war.

North Korea’s foreign minister Choe Son-hui announced the government decision to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). According to Choe: “expressed the intention of the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to develop the state-to-state relations with the countries in accordance with the idea of independence, peace, and friendship.” North Korea will be the third country followed by Russia and Syria to recognize the regions. In response the Ukraine government have announced to cut their diplomatic relations with North Korea.
 
References
“If we manage to remove the Russian threat to navigation in the Black Sea, it will remove the severity of the world food crisis - address by the President of Ukraine,” president.gov.ua, 13 July 2022
“Russia-Ukraine grain talks outcome revealed,” RT, 13 July 2022
“Military support for Ukraine,” bundesregierung.de, 13 July 2022
Ji Da-gyum, "N.Korea recognizes two Russian-backed breakaway regions in Ukraine: state media," Koreanherald, 14 July 2022
Paul Kirby “Ukraine round-up: Claims of forced deportations and grain talks take place,” BBC, 13 July 2022
“Polish defense minister visits Irpin,” Ukrinform, 13 July 2022
“Iranian foreign ministry spokesman reacts to claims by US national security advisor,” Islamic Republic of Iran, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2022

IN BRIEF
By Rishma Banerjee and Emmanuel Selva Royan

FRANCE
Paris celebrates La fête nationale
On 14 July, Paris celebrates Bastille day commemorating the beginning of the French republic. It also coincides with the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, which housed prisoners who had rebelled against the monarch or queen over socioeconomic reasons. However, the French do not call it the Bastille Day, because the date marks the beginning of the Federation of France in 1790, one year following the fall of the Bastille. As stated in the national anthem La Marseillaise, it is a day when the French celebrate liberté, fraternité, and égalité. For them, the day coinciding with the storming of the Bastille prison is a coincidence. The storming of the Bastille, a French prison, on 14 July 1789, gave rise to the term Bastille Day. This prison was well-known in Paris and represented royal power. An important development in the French Revolution was the decision to storm it. The official name of Bastille Day in France is La fête nationale, however Le quatorze juillet is more often used by them. (Amy Willis, “How to say ‘Happy Bastille Day’ in French and the history of the holiday,” metro.uk, 14 July 2022)

THE UK
Rishi Sunak tops first vote for prime minister race
On 13 July, the UK conducted their first round of voting to select Boris Johnson’s successor as the leader of the conservative party and the prime minister. Eight candidates were shortlisted before the vote. However, two candidates, Finance minister Nadhim Zahawi and former cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt were eliminated from the race. Former finance minister, Rishi Sunak received the most votes in the first round with 88 votes. He was followed by junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt on 67 and foreign Secretary Liz Truss who got 50 votes. The next round will be conducted on 14 July, and again next week, if required. (Jill Lawless, “UK Conservatives cast votes in 1st round of leadership race,” AP News, 13 July 2022; “Rishi Sunak tops first round of voting in UK leadership contest,” Reuters, 13 July 2022)

REGIONAL
European Commission’s annual report criticises Poland and Hungary
On 13 July, the European Commission released their annual report, which said that Poland and Hungary have failed to improve the rule of law situation in their countries. The EU recently approved Warsaw’s pandemic recovery plan to catalyse changes, but the issues have not been addressed to EU’s liking. Poland now faces a daily fine of EUR one million as imposed by the European Court of Justice. The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders however said that the goal is not the fine, but rather the implementation of the requirements of the Court of Justice. Hungary too was criticised in the report. Corruption, lack of press freedom and excessive emergency powers of the Orbán government remain major concerns for Brussels. (Aida Sanchez Alonso, Poland & Hungary in European Commission's rule of law spotlight again, Euronews, 13 July 2022)

For the first time in 2 decades, euro values at less than the dollar
On 13 July it was reported that the Euro fell below the dollar in valuation for the first time in 20 years. One euro bought USD 0.998 on foreign exchange market, which was down by 0.4 per cent in the day’s trading. The falling currency might lead to higher inflation in the Eurozone, which in June was already at 8.6 per cent. With the latest tumble, the Euro has fallen 12 per cent against the dollar since the beginning of 2022. Fears about Russia stopping Europe’s energy supply has exacerbated the chances of recession in the Eurozone, and has further weakened the Euro. (Ben King, “Euro falls below dollar for first time in 20 years,” BBC News, 13 July 2022)

Nordic countries dominate gender parity list by World Economic Fourm
On 13 July, the World Economic Forum released their Global Gender Gap Report 2022. It states that to reach gender parity the world will need 132 years, as only 68 per cent of the gap has been closed so far. For the 12^th year in a row, Iceland has been named the most gender equal country out of the 146 economies, where 90 per cent of the gap has been closed. The other Nordic countries Finland, Norway and Sweden dominate the top five, and Ireland stands at the 9th position. Only four countries in the top 10 are outside Europe: New Zealand (4th), Rwanda (6th), Nicaragua (7th) and Namibia (8th). (“Gender gap: These are the world’s most gender-equal countries,” World Economic Forum, 13 July 2022)

CLIMATE
Firefighters struggle to curb wildfires across Europe
On 13 July, several wildfires were reported across Europe, especially in Portugal, Spain and France. This is the result of a continuous heatwave that has been prevailing over parts of Europe. More than 20 blazes raged on in Portugal and western Spain. 2841 firefighters and 860 vehicles were on ground in Portugal, where the most important highway connecting Lisbon to Porto was blocked due to a blaze. In southwest France, hundreds of firefighters, along with six water-bomber aircrafts helped to evacuate thousands of campers and control two wildfires in the Gironde region. (Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira, “Scorching heat wave sparks wildfires in Europe,” Reuters, 14 July 2022)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ESA launches its first Vega-C rocket into space to deliver satellites
On 13 July, the European Space Agency’s Vega-C rocket was lifted up to space from the French Guiana launch pad to deliver seven satellites to the orbit. Vega-C is a single body rocket that is 35 meters tall and weighs 210 tonnes. It has the capacity to launch around 2200 kilograms into a 700 kilometer polar orbit. The director general of the ESA, Josef Aschbacher "The launch demand in Europe in the next couple of years and beyond is going to be high, and Vega-C and Ariane-6 are going to be our workhorses." Vega-C will be able to carry a variety of payloads, from several small satellites weighing as little as one kilogramme up to a single huge payload, using a new range of payload carriers. Vega- C's capabilities will be expanded by incorporating in-orbit operations and return missions using the fully integrated Space Rider vehicle. (Jonathan Amos, “Successful debut flight for Europe's Vega-C rocket,” BBC news, 13 July 2022)