Abnormal heat and early spring from Trento to Palermo, but Italy is without water:it's alarm

Unseasonal spring temperatures were recorded over the weekend from Trento to Palermo and this could have consequences for crops.Meanwhile, Italy is already without water and Coldiretti is raising the drought alarm

ROME – The boiling winter sends nature into a tailspin 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 Coldiretti states in underlining the anomaly with the mercury column which rises higher during the sunniest hours of the weekend spring values ​​from Trento to Palermo.

READ ALSO: Copernicus:“2023 is the hottest year on record”

OUT OF SEASON HEAT IS NOT GOOD

The unseasonably warm – underlines Coldiretti – favors early awakening in all plants, including early flowering as for mimosas more than a month early compared to the date of March 8, with the danger of exposing crops to the damage of a foreseeable, subsequent, strong drop in temperatures with the consequent loss of crops.What is also worrying – continues Coldiretti – is drought which puts at risk the sowing of cereals, legumes, vegetables but also the fodder in the pastures which is in sharp decline.

NO WATER

There lack of water it also causes repercussions on the costs for companies which have also increased due to the rise in fodder prices while in Puglia drought and sirocco winds with high humidity rates they also reduced the production of artichokes by 60% while in Sicily and Sardinia there are difficulty in the development of fruit and vegetables with oranges or salads that cannot grow adequately due to lack of water.

THE SNOW THAT ISN'T THERE

There is – specifies Coldiretti – scarcity of snow in various sectors of the Alpine arc and on a large part of the Apennine ridge and a situation of water stress which increases but as you go southwards with its peak in the islands, which is certainly not normal in the month of January.

RIVERS AND LAKES WITHOUT WATER

In the invasions of the Sardinia region there was January 1st 21% less water compared to the same period of the previous year while in those of Sicily in January 2024 the deficit is 13% compared to the previous year according to Coldiretti analyzes on data from the Regional Hydrographic Departments.And the situation in the basins of Puglia and beyond is also worrying 119 million cubic meters less compared to last year according to the Anbi which also highlights critical issues in central Italy. From Abruzzo where there is no snow to Lazio where the lakes remain in critical conditions just as the condition of the Tiber river is serious, from Umbria where Lake Trasimeno remains 18 centimeters lower than the minimum "vital" level to the Marche the levels of the Potenza, Esino, Sentino, Tronto and Nera rivers drop and there is no snow on the mountains but - Coldiretti points out - the condition of the rivers in Tuscany is also worsening according to the Anbi Observatory.

A CHALLENGE FOR AGRICULTURE

Italian agriculture is the economic activity that more than any other experiences the consequences of climate change on a daily basis but it is also the sector most committed to combating it" states Coldiretti in underlining that "Climate change imposes a new challenge for agricultural businesses who must interpret the news reported by meteorology and the effects on crop cycles, water management and land safety".An objective that requires a commitment from the institutions to accompany innovation fromagriculture 4.0 with drones, robots and satellites until the new one green genetics no GMO but we also need - concludes Coldiretti - investments for the maintenance, saving, recovery and regulation of water with a widespread system of small reservoirs that can collect excess water and then distribute it when needed.