Οι επιπτώσεις της κλιματικής αλλαγής στον αμπελοοινικό τομέα

Abstract

The subject of this thesis is the effects that climate change has caused or may cause on the wine industry. The human activity is the main cause of the acceleration of climate change, and especially of global warming. The uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels, for transportation, heating, energy production, operation of industrial units, is the main factor that contributes to the increase of the concentration of greenhouse gases and therefore for the strengthening of the greenhouse effect. Agricultural activities, and therefore viticulture, are significantly affected by climate change. The increase of temperature and the lack of available water has led or will lead in the coming decades, to a shift in the areas where the vineyard is grown in areas closer to the poles, both in the northern and southern hemispheres. Problems in viticulture are likely to be caused by rising sea levels, which threaten the extinction of part of the arable land. Also, climate change has caused a change in the chemical composition of grapes, thus affecting the organoleptic nature of wines, which is favorable for some areas and negative for others, especially for traditional wine production areas. The grape plant also faces diseases and insects that can withstand high temperatures. Dealing with these problems requires viticulturists and oenologists to demonstrate readiness, adaptability and know-how towards new data. The adaptive strategies they need to implement include moves such as replacing old varieties with new ones, moving the crop to a higher altitude, and adopting new winemaking techniques.