Resumption of gas extraction threatens Polesine, Italy

Polesine, a biodiversity-rich region in north-east Italy, faces renewed environmental risk as the Italian government plans to resume gas extraction after a 60-year hiatus. The area, nestled between the Po delta and the Adriatic Sea, has long suffered from subsidence, exacerbated by previous gas drilling activities, leading to the disappearance of Batteria island and causing significant flooding in the 1950s. Despite the ban on gas extraction in 1961, the area continues to experience the long-term effects of subsidence. The recent government decision, influenced by the war in Ukraine and the need to reduce dependence on Russian gas, has ignited protests from residents, environmentalists, and local politicians, who fear further environmental degradation and economic damage to fishing and tourism. The plan to drill new wells off the Polesine coast, despite expert warnings and historical lessons, underscores the conflict between energy security and environmental sustainability in Italy's fragile delta regions. (The Guardian)