Prioritize climate crisis scientists tell parties before Italy's election

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 3 - Italy's leading climate scientists signed an open letter published in Wednesday's edition of La Repubblica calling on the nation's political leaders and parties to prioritize action to address the climate emergency ahead of the September 25 general election.
    Nobel Prize-winning physicist Giorgio Parisi publicly backed the appeal in an interview in the daily newspaper.
    The open letter highlighted how the effects of global heating were already manifest in the Mediterranean area with heat waves, droughts like the severe one Italy is currently suffering, the melting of glaciers and extreme bouts of rainfall.
    It called for structural measures to adapt to the changes taking place and action to prevent the emergency getting even worse by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonising the economy and making it circular and "accelerating the path towards a true energy and ecological transition.
    "We strongly call on the political world to consider the climate crisis a priority problem to address, because it undermines our whole future at the foundation," it continued.
    "We hope for manifestos that address these issues in depth and for rapid action by the next government on the climate crisis and its impacts".
    Parisi said voters should prioritize the climate emergency too.
    "It is important that the parties clearly put their projects for the fight against climate change in their manifestos," Parisi told La Repubblica.
    "But it is equally important that the electors decide on who to vote for on the basis of which of these projects they find most convincing". (ANSA).