In this edition of Lapilli, we focus on land and how it is deeply affected by war and the climate crisis — extreme weather, water scarcity and global warming. We then take a closer look at agriculture and its double-edge relationship with climate change: a source of emissions on the one hand and a victim of its impacts on the other. We also highlight initiatives that show a different approach, one that could help restore a more harmonious connection with the planet and its inhabitants. Lastly, we share a couple of recent monk seal sightings in Sicily — a small preview of the topic we will explore in the next issue of Lapilli+.
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A devastated Gaza. As the future of the Gaza Strip is being decided, a Yale E360 story from early February illustrates just how severe the environmental crisis unfolding in Gaza is after 15 months of war.
Satellite images taken after the recent ceasefire reveal the scale of destruction: an 80 percent tree loss, severe damage to wetlands, sand dunes, coastal waters and the region’s only significant river, the Wadi Gaza. The United Nations Environment Programme warns that the widespread destruction of trees, shrubs and crops has so severely degraded the soil in Gaza that the region now faces the risk of long-term desertification.
In addition to crippling water supply and sewage treatment infrastructure, the war has also damaged or destroyed more than two-thirds of Gaza’s farmland, including wells, greenhouses and olive cultivated areas. Meanwhile, displaced Palestinians have turned to mud in an effort to construct more stable shelters for their families (The New Arab via Egab).
Swiss farmers sue the government over climate inaction. A recent story in Nature highlights how a group of farmers has sued the Swiss government for failing to take sufficient action on climate change. In March of last year, nine farmers and five farmers' associations submitted evidence showing losses of 10 to 40 percent of their annual turnover over the past three years due to drought, heat, storms, hail and other climate-related impacts. Those who took the initiative argue that the government’s inaction is putting their livelihoods and food security at risk. Switzerland’s average temperatures in fact have already warmed up 2.8 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial times. And while many farmers have pushed back against recent Swiss and EU climate policies, others — like those in this lawsuit — are calling for bolder actions to protect their future.
Desert locusts devour Libyan dates. According to a report in El País (via Egab), Libya’s eastern, southern and western regions have been ravaged by swarms of desert locusts in recent months. The pest has hit one of the country’s most commercially valuable crops, date palms, particularly hard. An expert interviewed in the story linked the outbreak to the torrential rains that flooded the Sahara Desert last fall, creating lakes and pools that served as ideal breeding grounds for locusts. He also said that a single swarm can consume more food in one day than 2,000 people, as each locust eats approximately two grams (0.07 ounces) of vegetation daily.
The guardians of seed biodiversity. Since the 1900s, 75 percent of plant genetic diversity has been lost globally as farmers have shifted to high-yield seeds, which are mostly controlled by a few multinational corporations. In Europe, seed festivals like the one in Peliti, Greece, and banks such as the Plant Genetic Resource Bank in Buzău, Romania, have helped preserve and exchange crop varieties selected by peasants over centuries. These seeds connect to the past but could also be key to a more resilient future — if bureaucracy and EU regulations don’t stifle such practices first (Unbias the News).
A new generation of female shepherds. We dedicated the latest Lapilli+ to forestry, selecting excerpts from a recent book on the Italian mountains. Here, we want to highlight another inspiring story we came across last month in Internazionale, featuring young women who have chosen to become shepherds and embrace life in the Italian mountains. As we noted in a past edition of Lapilli, this trend isn’t limited to Italy — many will remember photographer Paroma Basu’s powerful work on female shepherds in Spain, published in The Guardian last year. For the shepherdesses interviewed in Internazionale, the main motivation behind their choice is a deep sense of freedom. As reported in the story, the number of applications to a shepherd school in the Italian Apennines seems to suggest that interest in this way of life is quite high.
Vanishing glaciers. According to a recent study published in Nature, between 2000 and 2023 central Europe’s glaciers lost 39 percent of their volume. The research shows that in the same timeframe the world’s glaciers collectively lost 6.542 trillion metric tons of ice, about 5 percent of their volumes, causing an 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) rise in global sea levels (The Guardian; RSI).
Water scarcity could also affect marine life. Another study in Nature Communications warns instead that a 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer climate could reduce the amount of freshwater flowing into the Mediterranean by 41 percent. This could lead to a 10 percent drop in marine productivity and a 6 percent decrease in fish biomass, causing 4.7 billion euros in annual losses for the fishing industry and severe impacts on coastal communities. According to the study, the Adriatic and Aegean Seas, two of the most heavily fished areas, could be the hardest hit.
Missed deadlines. Only three countries connected to the Mediterranean basin have met the deadline to submit their climate pledges for 2035: Switzerland, Andorra and Montenegro. The region’s biggest carbon emitters, like most of the world’s nations, have missed the opportunity to demonstrate progress toward the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Under the agreement, countries must submit updated nationally determined contributions every five years, outlining their commitments to reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts.
A flooded island. On February 13, a powerful storm struck central Italy, hitting parts of Tuscany particularly hard. Heavy downpours battered Portoferraio, the island’s main town, flooding especially low-lying areas (Il Tirreno). In the province of Grosseto, floodwaters cut off roads between Orbetello and Albinia, leaving many homes isolated (La Nazione). The storm also caused significant sediment runoff, with large amounts of debris flowing into the Mediterranean Sea from regional rivers, as clearly visible in a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite image of the Tuscan and Lazio coasts, captured on February 16, 2025.
Rare sightings. We say goodbye with two noteworthy sightings. The first occurred in late February off the coast of Taranto, Italy, where researchers from Jonian Dolphin Conservation filmed a specimen of a fin whale, an animal that hadn't been seen in those waters for about 16 years. Two sightings of monk seals in Palermo and Catania were also shared on social media last month. You will learn more about this rare and long-threatened Mediterranean species in the upcoming Lapilli+, featuring excerpts from a stunning photo book by The Wild Line, a collective of nature photographers. In the newsletter, you will read why monk seals have long been on the brink of extinction and why experts are now more hopeful about their comeback. Stay tuned! And if you haven’t yet, make sure to add Lapilli+ to your subscription and switch to the Lapilli Premium plan (or sign up for an interview with us to get a free year of Premium access).
Cover image: Adapted from “Date Palm Plantation” by Tomas Tarvainis.
GUIA BAGGI
As an independent journalist, she writes about the environment, as well as the relationship between humans and their surroundings. In recent years, she has been focusing on the impacts of climate change and other environmental crises on the Mediterranean region. Building on this experience, she co-founded Magma.That's it for this month. Thank you for reading this far. See you in April or earlier with Lapilli+.
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Lapilli is the newsletter that collects monthly news and insights on the environment and the Mediterranean, seen in the media and selected by Magma.
