"The Mediterranean environment is one of the most pleasant for humankind: vegetation reappears densely after the depletion of deserts and pre-deserts." (Eugenio Turri, Il paesaggio degli uomini)
Noah's Ark is not just a myth from the past, but a warning for the future: to be saved, we
must do it together
Water is the essential precondition for life, yet its uneven distribution does not always make life easy. Human action has often aimed to bring water where there was none- or to drain and redistribute it where it was in excess. Artesian wells, irrigation ditches, canals, watering holes, dams, and pumping stations have all contributed to creating oases in deserts, agricultural colonies, and zones of human, animal, and plant diversity.
Today, water lies at the heart of the climate change challenge. The Mediterranean is experiencing accelerated aridification, due to increasing temperatures (20% above the global average since 1980), and also due to the intensifying exploitation of soils.
Advanced climate models forecast a 10–30% decrease in rainfall by 2100, with increasingly extreme and concentrated weather events - worsening cycles of drought and flooding.
Humanity seems to have lost its balancing role. The biblical image of Noah’s Ark reminds us: only by saving the diversity of plants and animals around us can we save ourselves.
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