Climate change disrupts the 'blackbird days':Drought SOS

According to legend, these are the coldest days of the whole year

ROME - Record temperatures on blackbird days shock nature after a 2023 which recorded 14% less rainfall and a temperature 1.14 degrees higher than the historical average for the period 1991-2020.This is what emerges from an analysis by Coldiretti based on Isac Cnr data which highlights how climate change even contradicts the ancient proverbs about blackbird days. In fact, the tradition of blackbird days (January 29-30-31) has disappeared. which according to legend – recalls Coldiretti – are the coldest of the whole year and they seem to take their name from a white blackbird that took refuge inside a chimney to escape the frost.After three days she came out of the chimney, completely black.Since then all blackbirds have been black.

An anomaly which – underlines Coldiretti – is also worrying for the drought with the ssnow karst in various sectors of the Alpine arc and on a large part of the Apennine ridge and a situation of water stress that increases as you go southwards with its peak in the islands, which is certainly not normal in the month of January.In the reservoirs of the Sardinia region on January 1st there was 1/5 less water compared to the same period of the previous year while in those of Sicily in January 2024 they were 63 million cubic meters less (-13%) compared to the the previous year according to Coldiretti analyzes on data from the Regional Hydrographic Departments.Due to the lack of rain - Coldiretti specifies - there is a lack of hay in the pastures and difficulties in the development of vegetables but difficulties have been reported for oranges or salads which are unable to grow adequately due to the lack of water.

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High temperatures – continues Coldiretti – send nature into a tailspin and favor the development of all plants early awakening even with out-of-season blooms, as for the mimosas, a month earlier than the date of March 8, with the danger of exposing the crops to the damage of a predictable, subsequent, strong drop in temperatures with the consequent loss of crops.But with the heat – adds Coldiretti – populations of crop-damaging insects survive to attack crops later next spring.

The beginning of 2024 confirms the trend towards overheating also in Italy where last year was the hottest ever recorded along the Peninsula a temperature according to Coldiretti processing on Isac Cnr data which has recorded temperatures since 1800.The ranking of the hottest years for over two centuries is in fact concentrated in the last decade and includes in order after 2023, 2022, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2019 and 2020, according to Coldiretti calculations.

Climate change has been accompanied by a higher frequency of violent events, seasonal shifts, short and intense rainfall and the rapid transition from cold to heat, with significant temperature changes.Agriculture – concludes Coldiretti – is the economic activity that more than any other experiences the consequences of climate change on a daily basis with the damage caused by bad weather and drought which exceeded 6 billion euros last year.