Climate change spurs early blooms in Bulgaria's rose industry

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🗞️ Driving the news: Bulgarian farmers are harvesting rose petals for oil production about a month earlier than usual due to climate change
• This shift is attributed to warmer and more humid springs in Bulgaria's central Rose Valley, a top global producer of rose oil

🔭 The context: Bulgaria has been cultivating roses for oil since ancient times, with the first oil factory established in 1820
• The quality of rose oil, requiring over 1,000 petals for a single gram, depends heavily on specific weather conditions

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Climate change is altering agricultural cycles, affecting both traditional farming practices and the ecosystems that support them
• This early blooming phenomenon underscores the broader impacts of global warming on biodiversity and crop productivity

⏭️ What's next: Farmers and scientists must adapt to these changes by developing new technologies and potentially redistributing crops to different geographical zones to mitigate climate impacts

💬 One quote: "We have roses today that start blooming a month earlier," said Valentin Kazandjiev, an agro-meteorologist at the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology in Sofia

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