Lake Garda recedes as global warming and extreme weather wreak havoc

An aerial view taken on August 16, 2022 shows the peninsula of Sirmione on Lake Garda, northern Italy, as the lake's waters recede due to severe drought.

Global warming and extreme weather is leading to severe drought, scarred landscapes, and dwindling water levels in Europe - with the likes of Italy's famed Lake Garda seeing rocks where there was water just a year ago.

Startling satellite imagery from Europe's Earth observation programme, Copernicus EU, shows a comparison of the Lake Garda coast in August 2021 and 2022, revealing a new beach has appeared. Similarly, Copernicus EU satellite data show starkly dwindling water supplies in Catalonia's Sau Reservoir.