Record heat, the nightmare of fires returns

In 2024, more than 10,000 hectares of land have already burned down in Italy, of which more than 8,000 in the last month alone.The temperatures these days make us fear the worst

ROME – The record heat with the red dot in many cities also pushes the fires with over 10,000 hectares of land burned in 2024, of which almost 8,400 in the last month alone, favored by the drought that is besieging Southern Italy in particular.This is what emerges from an analysis by Coldiretti on Effis data with theanticyclone Charon and the temperatures over 40 degrees which create the ideal conditions for the spread of fire, especially in those areas where it has not rained for many weeks and the vegetation is now reduced to scrub.

The effect, especially in the South, of a 2024 which in Italy has so far been the hottest ever recorded on the national territory with a temperature 1.47 degrees higher than the historical average, according to a Coldiretti analysis of Isac Cnr data relating to the first six months of the year.

THE COST OF FIRES

Each fire - estimates Coldiretti - weighs on the pockets of Italians for over ten thousand euros per hectare considering the immediate costs for shutdown and cleanup and long-term ones on the reconstitution of the environmental and economic systems of the devastated areas.
In the areas burned by the fires – underlines Coldiretti – all traditional human activities and the discovery of the territory by enthusiasts will be prevented but an important green lung will also be missing, without forgetting the dramatic effects on tourism.

NOT JUST HOT:THERE ARE ALSO INATTENTION AND MALICIOUS BURNS

To the problems caused by the anomalous climate with high temperatures, drought and wind, moreover - Coldiretti recalls - are added carelessness and fraud, with 60% of fires estimated to be caused deliberately.
Precisely to guarantee a control and monitoring function against arsonists, it is important to enhance the role of sentinels of the territory played by agricultural companies - concludes Coldiretti - giving fair recognition to those who guarantee a constant presence, especially in the more internal areas, which acts as a barrier also to hydrogeological instability.