I personally love the cold. Staying at home, enjoying the cold breeze coming from the window, drinking hot chocolate (or coffee or tea), and just wrapping myself in a blanket and then proceed to sleep — these are just some of the things I love doing in the cold days. But not everybody enjoys the cold, especially the plants, as the cold weather damages them.
This is what happens right now in Italy. The abnormally cold weather damages the vineyards which could potentially be worth millions of Euros. To prevent the cold from coming to the plants, the farmers have created this simple, but effective method — lighting up torches. The result is a visually stunning image of lights that span for hectares. Unfortunately, the solution still does not prevent the plants from being damaged. But it does a little, at least.
While The Local reports that 300 torches can raise the temperature in one hectare by about three degrees Celcius—and while that difference can certainly mitigate some of the damage—the torches are unlikely to fully protect the agricultural industry. The farmers’ union Coldiretti, according to The Local, estimates that losses from the inclement weather will still add up to millions of euros.
(Image Credit: Abbazzia di Novacella/ Werner Waldboth)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smudge_pot