This content was published on March 28, 2022 – 11:01 am March 28, 2022 – 11:01 am
Rome, March 28 (EFE).- The average temperature of the main Italian cities is getting higher and has increased significantly over the last two decades due to climate change and urbanization, with an increase of 2 degrees in the case of Rome and 1.9 in Milan (North), the National Institute of Statistics (Istat) reported today.
In 2020, the average temperature in the Italian regional capitals was 15.8 degrees Celsius, an increase of 1.2 degrees compared to the period between 1971, when climatological data began to be recorded, and 2000, when the average was 14 .6 degrees.
The main causes of rising temperatures are climate change and urbanization processes, which put great pressure on the environment “through the consumption of natural resources and the emission of polluting gases” and promote climate change itself, the agency explains in a report.
This situation has been exacerbated by falling rainfall, with 2020 being the wettest year in two decades with a total of 661mm, worrying experts.
“The impacts of climate change can amplify these pressures and increase the vulnerability of cities, posing a challenge for cities to consider adaptation and mitigation measures to increase resilience,” says Istat.
The increase in temperature is noticeable, especially in large cities, through the concentration of concrete, asphalt and metal structures that mark a thermal difference of between 1 and 3 degrees with the cities and outskirts.
The rise in temperature means more and more hot days with maximum temperatures above 25 degrees and tropical nights when the temperature does not fall below 20 degrees.
In Italy’s three largest cities, temperatures rose by 2 degrees in Rome, 1.9 in Milan (north) and 1.4 in Naples (south), while precipitation decreased.
Despite the fact that most cities have increased their green spaces, a natural solution to improve the city’s resilience and sustainability, Milan only has 13.8%, far below the 35.8% that Rome has. EFE
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