Weather is always a major topic of interest and discussion. Right now, in Northern Italy and in Milan, where I live, we are preparing for an Atlantic-derived cyclone. It’s only October 9th, but it feels like December. Experts are saying this is the coldest autumn in Milan in the last thirty years. Even the heating systems, which contribute to energy expenses and pollution, will be turned on earlier than usual, on October 15th. But what’s going on?
Weren’t these the same experts who predicted a tropical summer with the abnormal persistence of the African anticyclone over Southern Europe for more than two months, contrary to centuries-old traditions? They said it was the effect of climate change. Now, we’re left with two possibilities: either the forecasting technology is completely off, or the weather itself has become so erratic that it defies prediction, which would be even more proof that the climate is indeed out of control. Or maybe our criteria for interpreting it are what’s flawed.
Perhaps, after endless debates between environmental doomsayers and deniers, Mother Earth has grown tired of it all and decided to rebalance our seasons in her own way. Or maybe, who knows, there’s inequality between Northern and Southern Italy even when it comes to the rain falling from the sky. We might need to have a chat with those who are drafting plans for differentiated autonomy…
