Italian officials and weather experts raised fears Monday that an exceptionally mild and dry winter will hurt agriculture. "We are developing medium-term scenarios in case of an absence of precipitation," said Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's civil protection service, after a meeting here.

December was the warmest in Italy since records began in 1860, though lower temperatures are predicted next week.

The absence of snow has already hurt the winter ski season, and the Italian Agriculture Confederation fears a drought similar to that of 2003, which caused some five billion euros (6.5 billion dollars) in losses, notably in the agricultural sector.

"We must act locally but think globally against climate change because it is a planetary phenomenon that requires a maximum of effort," said Franco Prodi, director of the National Research Center in Bologna.

"It is obvious that the weak precipitation is of concern," added Prodi, a brother of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.

Bertolaso said a cold wave would be disastrous for fruit trees that are already flowering.

earlier related report

2006 Warmest Year On Record In US, Sixth Warmest In World

Washington (AFP) Jan 09 – 2006 was the warmest year on record in the United States and the sixth warmest in all the world, the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) said Tuesday. The average temperature last year in the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii states, was 12.8 degrees Celsius (55 Farenheit) or 1.2 degrees C (2.2 F) above the 20th century yearly average. It was also 0.04 degrees C (0.07 F) higher than 1998, the previous hottest year in US history, the Data Center said.

The Center did not link December's unusually high temperatures in the United States to global warming, which most scientists blame on industry-generated greenhouse gas emissions that have been increasing over the past 30 years.

It also did not evaluate what impact last month's warming trend the El Nino phenomenon — a periodic shift in warm Pacific Ocean currents that affects climate worldwide — might have had.

December 2006 began with its normal chill in the United States, but temperatures rose in the second half, especially in the northern part of the country.

By the end the month became the fourth warmest December on record, and 2006 the warmest year on record.

Source: Agence France-Presse