Is climate change threatening Italy’s cheese? Not exactly

By PBS NewsHour

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What are cheese banks and are they really under threat from climate change? Cheese banks are a local Italian financial system built to support farmers and the aging process of highly valuable cheese. Dairy producers give the cheese banks wheels of newly-made Parmagiano-Reggiano in exchange for loans. But since the delicacy takes between 12 to 40 months to mature in special climate-controlled vaults, dairy producers get financing from the Italian cheese banks to fund their operations while they wait until the cheese is ready to sell. Once sold, the farmers get their profits minus what they owe the cheese banks. But after Europe experienced multiple, deadly heatwaves over the summer, reports began spreading that climate change was threatening the cheese and the cheese banks. Experts agree that rising temperatures have caused cost increases for the cheese banks because more energy is needed to keep the special vaults at the right temperatures, but maintain they industry is not at risk

Tags: News, Italy, Italian cheese, Parmagiano-Reggiano, cheese banks, climate change, farming, pbs news hour, pbs news