Environmental Disparities At Regional Level: The Evidence Of Namea In Italy

The object of this paper is to present an introductory quantitative analysis system on the relationship between the economy and the environment of the different economic sectors. The aim is to quantify the environmental pressures caused by the economy as a comprehensive tool to complement conventional economic indicators (such us GDP) therefore enabling comparisons of sustainable development. This study develops an empirical analysis using Namea (National Accounting including Environmental Accounts), which is a statistical information system allowing the investigation of the pressures placed on the environment by production activities and combines the economic aggregates with related environmental components. The intention is to show the extent to which Namea is a sound basis for understanding economic-environment relationships and for that reason is an aid for policy making. In the first part of the paper, macro-sector environmental impact indicators and environmental efficiencies are compared with the Italian regional average and used as a benchmark for the regions of the Northern Italy that traditionally Piedmont is compared. This is to draw attention to which sectors are more or less eco-efficient. The externalities chosen are those that are more significant for the socio-economic environment (green house effect, acid rain, ozone, lead and dust particles). In addition, the Namea data has been employed for Italy and Piedmont region for 13 sector branches and 5 categories of emission for the year 2005, the only year that both regional and national level data are available. In referring to a regional framework, the analysis is very significant since it allows the investigation to focus on structural and idiosyncratic features compared with national averages. In the last part of the paper there is a complementary analysis for the years 2005-2008 which reconstructs the trend of the economic sectors at a regional level illustrating the relative and absolute de-linking in relation to each emission. In conclusion the paper provides new empirical evidence on regional-national disparities in environmental efficiency in Italy and demonstrates how an analytical exploitation of Namea offers a rich array of insights for regional policy making. Environmental, industrial and sector oriented policy making can derive valuable information from the evidence provided in this study. The paper also expresses the concept of how Namea dataset can be used for decision-making purposes with strategies that follow a sustainable growth path. In order to fulfil this objective, the development and use of integrated economic-environmental indicators are proven to be a valuable resource

Exploring the formal development of regional policies and their potential to drive local change: Insights on climate change adaptation in Italy.

The growing impacts of climate change are urging effective countermeasures in terms of adaptation, particularly through appropriate policy tools integrated across levels of governance. Local governments, often at the forefront of climate action, play a critical role. The regional level can become a key element in the adaptation chain, connecting higher-level perspectives to local implementation. The present study aimed to investigate, first, the formal development of regional adaptation policies and, second, their potential to drive local change, focusing on the case study of Italian regions. This study proposed a twofold, qualitative-quantitative assessment methodology based on the European Regional Adaptation Support Tool framework and a novel approach built on six main factors. Our analysis revealed the underdevelopment of regional adaptation policies, highlighting a critical interruption in the adaptation chain interconnecting European, national and local levels. Furthermore, even when formally issued, regional policies exhibited several significant weaknesses, severely hampering their potential to foster local change. This was especially evident in the generally limited efforts to engage internal and external climate agents through structured mechanisms. In this context, it would be beneficial for regions to embrace the role of coordinating local efforts and actions. Providing actionable solutions, along with related monitoring and evaluation tools, could enhance local climate action and inform the revision of policies across governance levels. Adaptation policies should envisage actions that progressively involve and promote change comprehensively across the territory. We conclude that further efforts should focus on strengthening local climate resilience, not only by developing formal adaptation policies but also by fostering local change

The Relation Between Coastal Flood Risk and Ecosystem Services Affecting Coastal Tourism: A Review of Recent Assessments

It is widely accepted by the scientific community that coastal cities are considered the most vulnerable urban areas. Future climate change scenarios and impacts are expected to exacerbate coastal flood risk with ecological and economic influence on the ecosystem services and human activities as coastal tourism. In this context, the aim of this chapter, reviewing recent research, is to explore the state of the art on the vulnerability of coastal zones, mainly due to the risk of “great floods”, and the potential adaptation of coastal tourism to address this issue in the face of climate change. The perspective of this review analysis is to deepen the interrelations among climate change and flood risk related to coastal ecosystem services and their impacts on coastal tourism. Particularly, by conducting a systematic review focused on Australian and European regions, the present study examines the emergent themes about these topics while addressing the need to deal with an integrated approach. We searched two academic literary databases and identified 16 studies that met the selection criteria for this review. Findings highlighted that relatively few studies had analysed the interrelationships between these issues, showing a research gap both from a regional geographic coverage and from a strategy perspective. Emergent themes of the recent studies reviewed here could help to discover critical features and future research axes for more resilient coastal urban communities

Sistemi locali territoriali e sostenibilità ambientale

Contributi di ricerca ; n.177/2003- Indice #5- Introduzione #7- Categoria locale-globale ecosistemi in rete #13- Categoria passivo-attivo: ecosistemi e ruolo #19- Verso indicatori appropriati al ruolo attivo degli ecosistemi #23- Relazioni socio-economiche e sostenibilità ambientale #31- Sostenibilità ambientale e qualità dell'ambiente locale #41- Verso uno slot ambientalmente sostenibile #47- Slot e sostenibilità ambientale: il calcolo dell'impronta ecologica della Val Chisone #53- Conclusioni #63- Bibliografia #6

A global deforestation footprint from production and consumption of primary goods

Forests make over 30% of global land and perform functions of vital importance for the well-being of humans on Earth. Yet, forest cover is declining due to deforestation that mainly affect tropical biomes, due to land use changes for agricultural, mining, and urban use to satisfy growing global demands. Globalization of markets and development have in fact raised the pressure on environmental resources by humans, and at least 30% of global deforestation is linked to the production of exported goods. We propose here a method to quantify the impact of global trade on forest cover, by assessing the deforestation embodied in the production, trade, and consumption of forest-risk agricultural products and by-products. from 2000 to 2020. We provide the first estimate of a country-based deforestation footprint, an indicator of the pressure on forest cover by countries that consume goods produced on land previously occupied by forests.This is a first attempt to systematically and critically address the issue taking into account responsibilities of both exporting and importing countries. Our methods and first assessment can support domestic and international policies aiming at reducing deforestation through a correct assessment of a country's impact on global forests and their services

Irescenari. Secondo rapporto triennale sugli scenari evolutivi del Piemonte 2004/13. Piemonte e ambiente. Dotazione di capitale naturale, utilizzi di servizi ecologici e impatti ambientali del sistema socioeconomico regionale

Irescenari ; 2004/13- Indice #5- Presentazione #7- Introduzione #9- Quali chiavi di lettura per analizzare la componente ambientale? #11- Natura e biodiversità : la dotazione di natura del Piemonte #16- Le ricadute ambientali a scala locale: la qualità dell'ambiente in Piemonte #26- La qualità dell'ambiente a scala globale: stabilità e cambiamento del clima #35- Uso sostenibile e gestione delle risorse natuali #42- La sfida del futuro #59- Bibliografia #6

Is there an Animal Food Kuznets Curve, and does it matter?

Proteins from animal sources, including meat, and plant-based foods are essential for a healthy human diet. However, animal-based proteins have significantly higher environmental impacts (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water usage) and health risks (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes, kidney stones and cardiovascular diseases) compared to plant-based proteins. The consumption patterns of these pro-teins are strongly influenced by income levels. This study introduces the concept of an Animal Food Kuznets Curve by systematically analyzing the relationship between income and animal-based protein consumption. Utilizing a novel panel dataset span-ning 28 years and covering 79 countries, we uncover an inverted U-shaped relation-ship between income and the consumption of animal-based and meat proteins. Our findings indicate that the turning points occur around 43,000-45,000 US$, correspond-ing to the 90th and 95th percentiles of the per capita income distribution in the sam-ple. At these income levels, protein consumption is estimated at approximately 25 g/day for meat and 52 g/day for animal-based proteins, as compared to recommended total protein intake of 45-56 g/day. These insights highlight the critical need for tar-geted policy interventions, such as taxes, nudges, and informational campaigns to pro-mote sustainable dietary choices across all income levels. Our study provides empiri-cal evidence for the importance of integrating economic and environmental policies to enhance global food sustainability