Information on national adaptation actions reported under the Governance Regulation
Reporting updated until: 2023-03-15
Item | Status | Links |
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National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) |
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National Adaptation Plan (NAP) |
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Meteorological observations |
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Climate projections and services |
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Adaptation portals and platforms |
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Monitoring, reporting and evaluation (MRE) indicators and methodologies |
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Key reports and publications | ||
National communication to the UNFCCC | ||
Governance regulation adaptation reporting |
• Alpine climate, dominant on Alps and northern and central Apennines, characterized by night and winter low temperatures and moist summer;
• Mediterranean climate, in the island and in the southern Italy, characterized by mild temperatures and moist winter;
• Peninsular climate, peculiar of the central part of the peninsula, characterized by mild temperatures along the coast and in the prompt hinterland (in the middle where the altitude is high there is an alpine climate), moist in spring and autumn;
• Po valley climate, with low temperatures in the winter, high in the summer, moist in spring and autumn.
Italy has a rich biological heritage of forest and several types of landscape, as our peninsula constitutes a bridge between the central European environmental settings, including those of the continental type, and the Mediterranean ones. The diversification can be observed, in terms of forestry resources. Italian land surface belonging to forest land category was about 7,590 kha in 1990; 8,369 kha in 2000; 9,032 kha in 2010; and 9,578 kha in 2020, equivalent to 32% of our national land surface. The Italian forested area is spreading due to the dismissal of agriculture practices, mostly in mountain zones, and to the natural conversion of cultivated lands and grazing into forests. However, forest expansion rate has been decreasing along the last decade: it was about 78 kha y-1 in 2000 and it was about 53.8 kha y-1 in from 2010 to 2020. The natural protected areas (established on various administrative levels: national, regional and local) include 30.5% of the total forested areas. The Italian forest area certified under international forest management certification schemes was 892,610 ha in 2021 under the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).
The reference is the Chapter 2 of the VIII National Comunication (https://unfccc.int/documents/624766 )
Concerning the Italian GDP per capita, in 2021 it was 30,150 € per capita, about 6.7% below the average EU27 value (32,389 € per capita) and about 8% higher than the value of the previous year (27,940 € per capita), which was strongly affected by the Covid pandemic.
The driving sector of the national economy is the service sector, which accounted for 68.4% of GVA in 1995, later increased up to 73.4% in 2009 and to 74.5% in 2014 and 2015. Since 2015 the share of service sector started to decrease and in 2018 it was 73.8% of GVA. In 2020 increased up to 74.2%, then in 2021 it felt to 72.9 %.
Italian energy asset is essentially dependent by import. The energy dependence of Italy from abroad is high compared with the EU27 average (73.5% in 2020 in Italy; 57.5% in 2015 in EU). Compared with other European countries, Italy’s energy consumption is characterized by a higher share of natural gas, a lower coal share, a structural electricity imports, and the absence of nuclear power. The share of renewable energy (which increased from 4.4% in 1990 to 20.7% in 2020) in Italy’s energy supply mix is higher than the EU27 average (17.9% in 2020). Energy end-uses total consumption in 2020 was of 103.1 Mtoe, of which 45.8% related to the civil sector (households, commercial and public services) and 28.1% to the transports. Industry accounts for 23.2%.
Concerning the power sector, the average electricity production provided by thermoelectric power plants was around 80.5% from 1990 to 2007, after such year the share has been decreasing up to the lowest value of 63% in 2014 in correspondence with the highest level of renewable share reached by the country (43.1% of electricity production). The weight of renewable resources, after a fall to 35.1% up to 2017, has kept growing in the latest years (41.7% in 2020). The capacity of renewable power plants has been constantly increased with an average rate of 6.9% per year from 2005 to 2020. The unpredictability of precipitation and related hydroelectric production make sense for the variability of renewable electricity production.
As for transport facilities, the Italian railroad network had in 2020 about 19,863.54 km (66.8% of which electrified), while the Italian road network had at the end of 2020 about 167,911 km, 12.4% more compared to the road extension in 1990. The extension of the Italian oil pipeline network in 2020 was 3,931 km, with a coefficient of use equal to 45.3%. The extension of the Italian gas pipeline network in 2020 was 32,683 km.
The reference is the Chapter 2 of the VIII National Comunication (https://unfccc.int/documents/624766 )
A non-exhaustive compendium of climate statistics and indicators, derived from available data originating from several networks operating on the national territory, is managed and yearly updated through the SCIA (Sistema nazionale per la raccolta e la diffusione di dati climatici di interesse ambientale) system. Time series have different characteristics in terms of continuity, completeness, spatial coverage. As the climatic data originate from heterogeneous sources, different quality levels are expected. Therefore, a set of automatic routines are applied to climate data in the SCIA database. Through the SCIA web site climate statistics and indicators at different time resolutions from a wide number of weather stations and for different meteorological variables are provided, along with secondary products like maps and climatological values. The climate indicators can be downloaded and displayed in the form of tables, diagrams and maps. Based on SCIA data, trends of mean temperature and total precipitation, as well as their extremes, are regularly updated and disseminated throught the web site and the annual report on climate state and variations over Italy, published by the National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Some regions have local initiatives on climate monitoring and trend evaluation, including dissemination of information via web sites and climate bulletins.
In particular, EURO-CORDEX is the European branch of the CORDEX initiative. An ensemble of historical simulations and climate projections was performed at 0.11° resolution in a combined effort among several research groups. Hindcast simulations driven by ERA-Interim reanalysis were evaluated in terms of their ability to represent the basic patterns of the European climate for the period 1989–2008 against the E-OBS dataset. Climate projections of EURO-CORDEX models are available until 2100 through the Copernicus C3S service, based on different IPCC emission scenarios. Using an ensemble of EURO-CORDEX model simulations (outputs from 14 models), climate projections over Italy were selected and elaborated in terms of expected mean variations for the 2036-2065 period (centered on 2050) respect to 1981-2010 normal. The employment of this set of climate models made it possible to evaluate not only the average projected value (ensemble mean) but also the dispersion of model simulations around the mean value (uncertainty). To evaluate future climate variation in Italy simulations under three different IPCC scenarios were considered: RCP8.5 (Business-as-usual), RCP4.5 (intermediate scenario) and RCP2.6 (strong mitigation). The analysis was performed in terms of average and extreme values, using a set of climate indicators related to different climate hazards. Climate projections highlight a general warming expected in Italy by 2036-2065, especially under the RCP8.5 scenario, while a decrease in annual total precipitation for southern Italy is expected, under the RCP8.5 scenario. However, as precipitation patterns are subject to significant natural variations, the evaluation of future change in precipitation is more uncertain than in temperature.
In order to study the expected mid-21st century climate anomalies in sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH), climate simulations under RCP 8.5 scenario from the NEMO ocean model, applied to the Mediterranean Sea (resolution of 7 km), were considered. NEMO was forced with CMCC-CM climate model at ~80 km horizontal resolution. With reference to the Italian seas, an overall increase in SST is expected by 2036-2065, as well as an increase in SSH.
Hazard type | Acute/Chronic | Observed climate hazards |
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Water | Acute | Drought |
Flood | ||
Heavy precipitation | ||
Snow and ice load | ||
Chronic | Changing precipitation patterns and types | |
Saline intrusion | ||
Sea level rise | ||
Water scarcity | ||
Solid mass | Acute | Avalanche |
Landslide | ||
Subsidence | ||
Chronic | Coastal_erosion | |
Soil erosion | ||
Sol degradation | ||
Temperature | Acute | Cold wave frost |
Heat wave | ||
Wildfire | ||
Chronic | Changing temperature | |
Permafrost thawing | ||
Temperature variability | ||
Wind | Acute | Cyclone |
Storm | ||
Tornado | ||
Chronic |
Hazard type | Acute/Chronic | Future climate hazards | Qualitative trend |
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Water | Acute | Drought | significantly increasing |
Flood | significantly increasing | ||
Heavy precipitation | significantly increasing | ||
Snow and ice load | significantly decreasing | ||
Chronic | Changing precipitation patterns and types | evolution uncertain or unknown | |
Saline intrusion | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Sea level rise | significantly increasing | ||
Water scarcity | significantly increasing | ||
Solid mass | Acute | Avalanche Future | significantly increasing |
Landslide Future | significantly increasing | ||
Subsidence Future | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Chronic | Coastal erosion | evolution uncertain or unknown | |
Soil erosion | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Sol degradation | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Temperature | Acute | Cold wave frost | significantly decreasing |
Heat wave | significantly increasing | ||
Wildfire | significantly increasing | ||
Chronic | Changing temperature | significantly increasing | |
Permafrost thawing | significantly increasing | ||
Temperature variability | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Wind | Acute | Cyclone | evolution uncertain or unknown |
Storm | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Tornado | evolution uncertain or unknown | ||
Chronic | |||
The increase in localised precipitation phenomena plays an important role in aggravating the risk of geohydrological instability throughout all the peninsula. In this context, anthropogenic factors - such as soil consumption and sealing or occupation of river areas - combined with climate change hazards play a significant role in exacerbating risks. The expected rise in intense rainfall contributes to a further increase in the hydraulic risk for small basins, and amplifies the risk associated with surface landslides in areas with more permeable soils (such as urban areas). Urbanised areas are considered a climate ‘hot spot’ because of the complex system . The expected intensification of extreme weather phenomena, especially heat waves (and urban heat island phenomenon) and intense precipitation over the coming decades, is one of the main amplifiers of climate risks in cities. Due to temperature increases, there is also a significant real risk of a re-emergence of previously endemic agents, such as tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, Mediterranean spotted fever, and West Nile fever. Moreover the rise of temperatures have impacts on the mountain areas (Alps and Apennines) with glacial retreat and glacial mass loss, snow cover reduction at low altitude, a progressive warming of permafrost, on the terrestrial ecosystem with the variation of floristic composition, extension, pattern of spatial distribution of plant communities and on dynamism and species colonization processes and on marine ecosystem with the reduction of species with an affinity for cold-water conditions.
Key affected sectors
Key affected sector(s) | marine and fisheries |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Changes in thermal regimes, rainfall and their effects on the concentration of dissolved oxygen and salinity can have direct effects on reproduction, growth and survival of the species. The vulnerability of aquaculture to climate change is influenced by the localization of infrastructures used for production that cannot be moved in the case of exceptional climatic conditions. The most vulnerable areas in Italy are located in the North-East and along the Adriatic coast |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Climate change could increase risk for economic activities based on the collection of bivalve and gastropod mollusks or shellfish. The lagoons and the river delta are considered to be the most vulnerable to the effects associated to the increase of surface temperatures, the sea level rise, the water acidification, the increase in the extreme weather events and the water stress. The most vulnerable areas in Italy are located in the North-East and along the Adriatic coast |
Key affected sector(s) | water management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Climate change is already affecting the hydrological cycle, with observed consequences on soil moisture, runoff, groundwater recharge. The existing conditions of high stress on water resources and hydro-geologic disturbance in some Italian regions could be exacerbated by projected climate change, with the following effects: reduced water availability and quality and increases in frequency and intensity of droughts especially in summer; increases in frequency and severity of river summer flows reductions and annual river flow decline and limited groundwater recharge; increased seasonal water deficit due to significant pressure of summer tourism peaks in small Italian islands. All these pressures will reduce the capability regenerate reservoirs, increasing, especially in summer and in southern regions, the competition among the different water uses. The systems that have the highest risks are those that use water resources from alluvial aquifers that are characterized by a large storage capacity coupled with long recharging times. Systems dependent on small-sized karst aquifers are particularly vulnerable to possible deficits, requiring the use of alternative resources (usually alluvial aquifers), with the consequent risk of overexploitation in case of prolonged drought. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Prolonged periods of drought, extreme events as well as changes in rainfall patterns, constitute risks to the quality and availability of water resources in Italy. These risks are most evident in the summer months and in semi-arid areas. In the coming decades, the increase in average temperature, evapotranspiration and low rainfall will contribute to a 40% decrease in flow by 2080. A further reduction of 10-15% is also expected because of anthropogenic activities, such as increased water withdrawals. Strong competition for water resources between sectors - such as households, agriculture, industry, energy, tourism - is expected to be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, and will affect both water quality and quantity, especially during the summer season. Furthermore droughts, and the consequent reduction in flow rates, together with overexploitation of water resources, make watercourses and coastal land reserves more exposed to the action of sea level rise, with consequent saltwater intrusion and increased salinity in the freshwater reserve |
Key affected sector(s) | agriculture and food |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Desertification is the combined result of anthropic pressure and climate change effects. Regions with “higher sensitive areas” compared to the national average (30%) are: Basilicata, Marche, Molise, Sicilia, Sardegna, Puglia e Emilia-Romagna . Coastal areas of Sardegna, Sicilia and Puglia, like almost all the Italian coastal regions, are already affected by saltwater intrusion which is mainly due to a groundwater overexploitation and to the consequent decreasing ground levels. Water erosion already affects arable hilly areas of central Italy and the calanchian areas of Calabria and Basilicata that are likely to be also the most exposed to the climate change effects on soil erosion. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The gradual worsening of desertification trends, already observed in the whole country, can be accelerated by climate change as it increases the actions of erosion, salinization, loss of organic matter and drying up of soil. Severe indirect socio-economic impacts of this desertification process may follow, including: decline in agriculture and tourism productivity, growing unemployment in rural areas with consequent migration, conflicts over water uses, harm to properties and people, due to increased frequency of fires, overall biodiversity loss. |
Key affected sector(s) | civil protection and emergency management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Due to the conformation of the territory and its geographical location in Europe, Italy is an area strongly affected by geological, hydrological, and hydraulic instability phenomena, which represent a significant threat both in terms of expected damages and safety. An analysis of flood risk showed that around 4.0%, 8.1% and 10.6% of the Italian territory was prone to high (return period 1: 20–50 years), medium (return period 1: 100–200 years) and low risk (return period 1: 300–500 years), respectively. In Italy about 94% of the municipalities is actually affected by landslide, flooding and coastal erosion risk. It is estimated that about more than 8 million people (12,5% of the national population) is potentially exposed to high risk and buildings potentially involved are more than 2 million. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The increase in localised precipitation phenomena plays an important role in aggravating the risk of geohydrological instability throughout all the peninsula. In this context, anthropogenic factors - such as soil consumption and sealing or occupation of river areas - combined with climate change hazards play a significant role in exacerbating risks. The most affected areas in relation to this hazard are (and will be) on the Alps and on Apennines, both in terms of magnitude and seasonality of disturbances. Moreover, the expected rise in intense rainfall contributes to a further increase in the hydraulic risk for small basins, and amplifies the risk associated with surface landslides in areas with more permeable soils (such as urban areas). |
Key affected sector(s) | biodiversity (including ecosystembased approaches) |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The impacts of recent climate change have been so far more evident mainly in the Alpine region and in the Mediterranean area. Among the most significant impacts on species distribution in the alpine region are: the upward migration of alpine species, the upward migration of shrubs species, the rise of arboreal species, the variation of floristic composition, extension and pattern of spatial distribution of plant communities and finally the acceleration of the impacts of climate change on dynamism and species colonization processes. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | medium |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Mediterranean-type terrestrial ecosystems are likely to be affected by climate change with the following future effects: (i) advancing trends in plant phenology; (ii) changes in spatial distribution of flora and fauna; (iii) increased risk of extinction for several terrestrial species, changes in the structure of the biological community and biodiversity loss; (iv) loss of wetlands ecosystems; (v) reduction in forests extension and biodiversity loss, especially in the South and in the mountains; (vi) shift of plant and animal species towards higher elevations (with changes in the composition and structure of alpine and nival communities) |
Key affected sector(s) | energy |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The energy sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change, as a result mainly of the high sensitivity of production and consumption to temperature and extreme weather events. The hydropower production is already affected, and will be increasingly affected in the future, by meteo-climatic variations, which are responsible of a reduction of water availability and a more difficult water management. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The increase in energy demand for cooling in summertime could exceed the decreasing energy demand for heating in winter. Summer cooling needs might increase up to 50% Italy by 2080. Furthermore, the increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena will also affect the energy production and supply, both from fossil fuel power plants and form plants based on renewable sources. |
Key affected sector(s) | marine and fisheries |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Biodiversity effects associated to the increasing sea surface temperature of the Mediterranean sea are already occurring and are documented by the high number of tropical alien species that are now settled in the basin. This phenomena, combined with the reduction of species with an affinity for cold-water conditions, are producing change in the structure of marine ecosystems and consequently in their functioning. In the Adriatic, over the last 20 years, the number of thermophilous species has increased significantly and several rare species are becoming abundant. In the last decades the increasing development of marine mucilage in Italian waters indicates altered environmental conditions for such aquatic system. This phenomenon might favor the spreading of pathogenic bacteria. A moderate rise in the Mediterranean mean surface temperature has been observed together with changes in the geographical and bathymetric distribution of animal and plant species, including the fish fauna. The influx of non-Mediterranean species has become progressively more rapid in recent times. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | medium |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Mediterranean marine organisms, communities and ecosystems might be further altered by climate change, including with spreading of invasive species driven by water warming, which would cause a general threat and possible decline of marine biodiversity. Many biological processes are expected to be negatively affected by climate change especially in summer (possible mass mortality of invertebrates); simulations of these conditions indicate a biomass loss higher than 35%. The following adverse climate change effects can be expected: (i) fish stock movements, inducing changes in the composition of biological communities in a given area also affecting the economic activities related to fishery; (ii) reduction in the resilience of many water ecosystems due to anthropogenic stress (e.g. from overfishing, pollution, tourism, fragmentation and loss of habitat); (iii) possible general reduction in the productivity of the fished species. |
Key affected sector(s) | water management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The most vulnerable inland and transition water ecosystems are marginal environments and groundwater dependent ecosystems, high altitude lakes, and the waterways of the Apennines and the major islands on which significant pressures are already insisting such as land and water resources exploitation. High vulnerability is projected also for lakes of central and southern Italy, due to a reduction of precipitations and an increase in temperature that, combined with an increase in water consumption, could accentuate the risk of deterioration of water quality |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Future scenarios for these ecosystems depict loss of habitats, as well as biotic components and processes. Higher temperatures might increase the risk of excessive growth of algae and cyanobacteria in the lakes and eventually of eutrophication processes in lake ecosystems, especially in late summer |
Key affected sector(s) | health |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The observed impacts are : (i) increased heat-related mortality and morbidity, related to summer heat waves; (ii) slight reduction of cold-related mortality, linked to expected milder winter temperatures; (iii) increased risk of injuries, morbidity and deaths, from floods, heavy precipitation and fires events; (iv) increased respiratory diseases and allergic disorders; (v) adverse consequences of potentially more frequent and prolonged extreme ozone events and increasing toxicity of pollutants particularly in summertime; (vi) possible increase of the cases of West Nile fever and leishmania, of risks for malaria and dengue fever and of the spreading of vector borne diseases |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Increase in injuries, morbidity and deaths due to climate-related events (heat waves, flooding, heavy precipitation, fire events). Due to temperature increases, there is a significant real risk of a re-emergence of previously endemic agents, such as tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, Mediterranean spotted fever, and West Nile fever. The health sector could be also affected in the short term by the arrival of communicable tropical diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Crimean-Congo fever or Rift Valley fever, and diseases occurring in animals, including bluetongue and oily skin disease. In addition, in the international context, Italy has the highest heat related effects on daily mortality considering overall summer temperatures. |
Key affected sector(s) | forestry |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The impact of climate change is causing changes in growth rates and productivity, changes in the composition of existing species ,altitudinal /latitudinal displacement of forest habitats, biodiversity loss , increased risk of fire and damages from insects and pathogens, as well as alteration of the water and carbon cycles |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | medium |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Existing studies show that climate change could induce overall changes in the composition of species and habitats of Italian forests, resulting in local losses of biodiversity. Potential impacts of climate change include: (i) northwards and altitudinal shift of the range of climatic and environmental conditions typical of the Mediterranean area; (ii) reduction of growth and productivity rates in central-Southern Italy; (iii) changes in the distribution of main tree forest species in central Italy mostly located in the central Apennines, over 1500 m, in 2080; (iv) higher risk of forest fires and droughts, with possible extension of burned areas, more ignitions and longer fire seasons (in particular in the Alpine area and in Calabria, Campania, Sicilia and Sardegna regions). Some possible positive impacts, such as an increase in forest productivity in the Alps in relation to the expansion of the growing season could be expected. |
Key affected sector(s) | agriculture and food |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The productive capacity of agricultural crops in the Mediterranean region is strongly conditioned by the amount of available water in the soil even more than by the temperatures. In Italy water shortages during specific crop development stages may reduce the productivity of most crops (e.g. corn, soybeans and wheat). The decline in agricultural productivity could especially concern wheat yield and fruit and vegetables production, as a consequence of water scarcity, pathogens species and soil degradation increase. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The risk posed by climate change to the agricultural sector in Italy is significant for both plant and animal production. Higher atmospheric concentrations of CO2 can promote photosynthetic activity and water use efficiency of crops, but at the same time can negatively affect the nutritional quality of products, reduce the protein content of cereals and the concentrations of iron and zinc, with significant consequences on nutritional values. The assessment of climate risk for irrigated agriculture due to climate change is strongly linked to the specific crop needs and climatic conditions of each geographical area. Specifically, the Regions that will be most negatively affected are the Southern Regions (e.g., Sicily, Sardinia, and Apulia), while some Central and Northern Regions could be positively affected. Regarding the negative impacts of climate change on the livestock, climate change will have repercussions on health, production, and reproduction. Increasing rising temperatures will subject the livestock to heat stress events (amplified in term of magnitude and frequency), with significant consequences for productivity in this sector. |
Key affected sector(s) | coastal areas |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | The costal erosion phenomena are related to sea level rise, due to the melting of glaciers, the subsidence and the thermal expansion of the ocean masses because of climate change and the anthropogenic pressures that make them particularly vulnerable, with increased flood risk, instability and saline intrusions into coastal aquifers. Over 7.500 km of Italian coasts, 47% is represented by high or rocky shores and 53% are beaches. About 42% of the beaches is currently undergoing erosion processes. Saltwater intrusion in the coastal groundwater is already occurring in many coastal areas and will be aggravated by the sea level rise and the precipitation reduction, causing new potential problems to water supply. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The potential future impacts are: (i) increase in coastal erosion and instability; (ii) loss of coastal land and related economic activities, infrastructures, urban settlements, recreational areas and natural heritage sites; (iii) reduction and loss of biodiversity and ecosystems (especially wetlands), and decrease of marine life caused by the combined effect of climate change and anthropogenic stress; (iv) damages to coastal rural economy, due to saltwater intrusion; (v) negative impacts on tourism and possible displacement of tourist flows; (vi) possible threat to human health posed by flood events |
Key affected sector(s) | tourism |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | low |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Climate change impacts projections on the tourist sector show a decrease in the italian attractivity as an international destination which will mean a decrease in tourist flows. Those impacts will vary across regions: the most likely vulnerable regions are, in descending order, Sicily, Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available fot this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Without adaptation measures, according to the estimates of the Hamburg Tourism Model, Italy by the end of the century will lose significant market shares sliding from the current fifth to the thirteenth among the most popular international destinations. Climate change will particularly affect: 1) coastal summer, due to high temperatures and water scarcity, 2) winter mountain tourism, due to decreasing natural snow cover, 3) tourism in art cities. According to several studies, in the coming decades a snow cover will decrease and a rise of the snowfall limit will be observed. Winter tourism will be then strongly affected, in particular in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardia, Trentino Alto Adige and Piemonte. |
Key affected sector(s) | urban |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Urbanised areas are considered a climate ‘hot spot’ because of the complex system that characterises them, but also for the number of citizens that populates them. In Italy, urban centres host 56% of the population. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. The expected intensification of extreme weather phenomena, especially heat waves (and urban heat island phenomenon) and intense precipitation over the coming decades, is one of the main amplifiers of climate risks in cities also the climate risk related to flooding is projected to increase. |
Key affected sector(s) | tourism; urban |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Water plays a predominant role as a possible damage factor of cultural heritage: extreme events, floodings and storms, could cause structural damages to the roofs and ornamental elements of buildings. Humidity changes are responsible for the growth of microorganisms, especially on stone and wood materials, and the formation of salts that degrade surfaces and accelerate corrosion phenomena. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration, combined with rainfall, is expected to cause an increase up to 30% of the chemical dissolution of carbonate stone materials, respect to the present. Data show that Mediterranean regions including Sicily, particularly rich in monuments and archaeological sites in stone, will continue to experience a high level of thermal stress risk, with values sometimes over 200 events per year at the end of the century |
Key affected sector(s) | transport |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | In Italy, there is no currently a unique, specific and complete framework for the assessment of climate change impacts on transports. Extreme weather events already cause damages to infrastructure: • the increase in temperatures, which increases the vulnerability of road and rail infrastructure • the variation in precipitation, which adversely affects soil stability and consequently road and railway infrastructures located in unstable environments and increases the risk of flooding of underground infrastructures; • sea level variation, which poses risks for road and rail infrastructures located on coastal areas and port infrastructures; • floods, which have impacts on transport infrastructures located near watercourses |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Due to the future possible increase in extreme weather events, temperature rise, changing precipitation patterns, increased risk of floods, landslides and rock falls, possible deterioration, disruption or inaccessibility of the transport network will occur increasingly |
Key affected sector(s) | industry |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | medium |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | Over the last 20 years at least 20 NaTech events (events in which a natural disaster triggers one or more technological disaster) have taken place, involving refineries, chemical and petrochemical industries and gas pipelines |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Due to the future increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the impacts on infrastructure (i.e. gas pipelines, oil pipelines, pipelines carrying inflammable or toxic substances) and hazardous industrial activities (i.e. plants at risk of major accident and other productive activities using hazardous chemical substances) will be increasingly significant |
Key affected sector(s) | water management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | The climate change impacts on mountain areas (Alps and Apennines) mainly concern glacial retreat , glacial mass loss, snow cover reduction at low altitude and progressive warming of permafrost. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. In the coming decades the impacts of climate change so far observed in the mountain systems will increase their magnitude. The decrease in summer rainfall and the increase in winter precipitation - increasingly in terms of rain - together with the acceleration of the cryosphere melting, will result in significant changes in the mountainous hydrological regime. An increase in glacial risk is also expected, as substantially stable areas will become more subject to collapses and landslides. |
Key affected sector(s) | water management |
Rating of the observed impacts of key hazards, including changes in frequency and magnitude | high |
Different rating of the observed impacts of key hazards | |
Assessment | The river Po district is the most important in Italy in terms of geographical, economic, social and political conditions, despite the abundance of water resources is extremely vulnerable to changes induced by climate change. Since 2003, the Po basin has been characterized by frequent water scarcity conditions compared to the demand, as a consequence of the more arid climate on one side and the variations in demand related to new factors on the other side. In particular, summer energy needs have increased in addition to water irrigation needs arising from agricultural drought. |
Rating of the key hazards' likelihood of occurrence and exposure to them under future climate | not applicable |
Different rating of the likelihood of the occurrence of key hazards and exposure to them under future climate | |
Rating of the vulnerability, including adaptive capacity | not applicable |
Different rating of the vulnerability and/or adaptive capacity | |
Assessment | Assessment not available for this sector |
Rating for the risk of potential future impacts | high |
Different rating of the risk of potential future impacts | |
Assessment | Qualitative assessment. Due to climate variations and to the reduction of the area and the volume of the alpine glaciers, large variations of water outflows will likely occur and will be only partially compensated by the existing artificial hydraulic works. |
Overview of institutional arrangements and governance at the national level
- establishing national governance on adaptation;
- improving and systematizing the knowledge framework on climate change impacts, vulnerability and risks;
- defining ways to include adaptation principles, actions and measures in national, regional and local Plans and Programs:
- definition of sectoral and cross-sectoral tools for implementing actions.
The draft NAP is currently subject to public consultation under the Strategic Environmental Assessment. At the end of the procedure the Plan will be formally approved and within three months of its approval the governance structure will be established.
Also in 2023, the activities of the CReIAMO PA project – Line 5 "Strengthening of administrative capacity for climate change adaptation" (financed on EU funds) continue with supporting regions and municipalities in applying methodologies for developing adaptation strategies and plans.
As a result, the number of administrations that have produced acts and documents on adaptation in their territories is increased in the last two years and it is expected to increase further.
In June 2021, a funding Program for urban adaptation was launched. It is aimed at increasing the resilience of cities to the risks of climate change, particularly to heat waves, extreme rainfall and drought phenomena. This is the first initiative to set these objectives at the national level, for now intended for municipalities with a population over 60.000 inhabitants. The Programme allocates around 80 million euro for the implementation of mainly green and blue actions, but also, to a lesser extent, grey actions. In addition, it includes a series of adaptive capacity building measures. As of December 2022, 80 municipalities have been eligible for funding and have started interventions.
- Structural works for at-risk areas and damaged buildings: structural measures aimed at ensuring safety against landslides or reducing the risk of flooding are complemented by non-structural measures included in water and flood risk management plans, focusing on land maintenance, rehabilitation, tracking and prevention. In areas hit by disasters, damaged public structures and infrastructure will be restored, as well as reducing the residual risk to protect public and private safety.
- Measures to protect existing green areas and create new urban forests and forests in the outskirts, planting over 6.6 million trees. Biodiversity will be preserved and enhanced, protecting the ecological processes linked to the full functionality of ecosystems.
- Restore the course of the River Po to promote the recovery of original natural habitats;
- Increased protection for marine habitats through the use of new technology
- Increased digitalisation of national parks and marine reserves to better protect the local area and natural habitats
- More resilient water infrastructure throughout Italy: finance 25 projects for enhancement, completion and extraordinary maintenance of the primary infrastructures for source, stocking and water supply in the entire Country, so as to improve the quality of the water and guarantee the continuity of supply to the important urban areas and large irrigated areas.
Selection of actions and (programmes of) measures
Description |
The Programme is aimed at increasing the resilience of urban centres to risks generated by climate change, with particular reference to heat waves and extreme rainfall and drought phenomena
|
Status |
being implemented
|
Key type measure (KTM) |
D: Nature based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches
|
Sub-KTM |
D1: Green options
|
A subset of 20 national indicators and 30 regional case studies have been elaborated. These indicators belong to various vulnerable sectors according with the NAS and for each one the report specifies climate factors, frequency of data collection, temporal and spatial coverage, and limitations, as well as overall future trends. The indicators have heterogeneous characteristics in terms of data, consistency and length of the historical series.
For some indicators, that have a long time series data, clear and significant trend has been identified. It is important to highlight how the phenomena observed through these indicators present a mostly high cause-effect relationship with climate change. The indicators related to the mountain enviroment have the most concern. The trend of indicators related to socio-ecomonic sectors as average temperature of commercial catches, transpiration deficit and also ones with indirect connections show that phenomena of species distribution, increase in agricultural drought and water stress of natural vegetation are already in progress. The indicators showing trends in progress, although not yet statistically significant, already seem to be consistent with the expected future scenario. Only after the continuous observation and monitoring of the phenomena, the statistical and validation of data the current evidence can be confirmed.
Good practices and lessons learnt
Cooperation and experience
Overview of institutional arrangements and governance at the sub-national level (where “sub-national” refers to local and regional)
- with ISPRA, i.e. for the recent implementation of the National Platform on adaptation.
- inside the MASE, through inter-departmental working groups.
- with other national authorities to fulfil commitments established in national, EU and international law.
- in the context of the Plan for Ecological Transition approved by CITE (act no. 1/2022).
- following the entry into force in 2022 of the National Agency for Meteorology and Climatology (ItaliaMeteo) (according to Law 205/2017).
A) REGIONS AND AUTONOMOUS PROVINCES
I) Some local authorities have long since prepared their own Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and/or Plans.
Ia) Lombardia Region adopted, with the support of the Fondazione Lombardia per l'Ambiente (FLA):
- in 2012 the Guidelines for a Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PACC).
- in 2013-2014 the Regional Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change - SRACC (DGR 2907/2014).
- in 2016 a Regional Action Document on Climate Change Adaptation (DGR 628/2016), in order to identify the priority areas in which to intervene by responding to the needs of sector programming.
Ib) Emilia-Romagna Region:
- in 2015 approved the Pathway towards an integrated strategy to combat climate change (DGr 2200/2015)
- in 2018 adopted the Regional Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy that provides a reference framework for the different territorial areas and regional sectors affected by climate change (DGR 187/2018)
Ic) Sardinia Region in 2019 adopted its own Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy that provides a framework document for sectoral and territorial adaptation policies (DGR 6-50/2019)
Id) Valle d'Aosta Region adopted its Regional Adaptation Strategy in 2021 (DGR 1557/2021).
Ie) Piedmont Region approved a first draft of its Regional Climate Change Strategy in 2022 (DGR no. 23-4671/2022).
If) Molise Region approved its Regional Adaptation Strategy in 2022 (DGR 444/2022).
Ig) The Liguria Region approved its Regional Adaptation Strategy at the beginning of 2023 (DGR 18)/2023).
II) Other Regions (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Piedmont, Apulia, Sicily, Abruzzo, and the Autonomous Province of Trento) have started paths, differentiated and with various levels of progress, aimed at preparing a Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy:
IIa) Abruzzo Region with an approved Programmatic Document of 2015 started a path directed to the drafting of a Climate Change Adaptation Plan (DGR 308/2015)
IIb) Marche Region, Apulia Region, Umbria Region and Lazio Region aim at including adaptation strategies in the Regional Sustainable Development Strategies, collecting climate data, analysis and information and defining the governance structure. Following the approval of the Regional Sustainable Development Strategy, the Apulia Region in 2021 and the Marche Region in 2022, started the Climate Profile as a knowledge base for the elaboration of an Adaptation Plan.
IIc) In 2021, the Autonomous Province of Trento approved the 'Trentino Clima 2021-2023' work programme to draft its own Provincial Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy (DGP 1306/2021).
III) Some Regions (Basilicata, Tuscany, Friuli Venezia Giulia) adopted Regional Laws dealing with adaptation:
IIIa) by LR 32/2018, Basilicata Region sets as fundamental and characterising objectives of its sectoral policies the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and the reduction of territorial vulnerability and risks related to climate change (adaptation). With a view to maintaining and increasing the adaptive capacity of natural, social and economic systems.
IIIb) by LR 35/2022, the Region of Tuscany established the Regional Plan for the Ecological Transition as a planning tool, which focuses on sustainable development and the fight against climate change, both in terms of emission reduction and adaptation, as well as setting up a Scientific Technical Committee (composed of experts from ARPAT and other regional research institutes) to support planning.
IIIc) by LR 4/2023, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region adopted a planning instrument outlining the pathway towards the adoption of various acts, including the Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy and the Mitigation and Adaptation Plan, establishing a governance structure for their adoption that is headed by a steering committee, which makes use of technical-scientific support mainly from public structures.
B) PROVINCES
The Province of Potenza, by means of Presidential Decree No. 76 of 31 July 2015, has adopted a 'Strategic Policy Framework to tackle climate change in the Province of Potenza and consequent actions' that sets out energy-environmental matrix objectives to be pursued in the sphere of territorial planning, which include the promotion of resilience for the aspects pertaining to adaptation.
C) METROPOLITAN CITIES (CM)
Some of the 15 Metropolitan Cities (CM), such as CM Milan, are very active on adaptation planning and implementation paths.
D) MUNICIPALITIES
As far as Municipalities are concerned, Ancona was the first Italian city to adopt a Local Adaptation Plan in 2013, thanks to its participation in the European project LIFE ACT - Adapting to Climate change in Time. Through its participation in the European LIFE+ project BLUEAP (Bologna Local Urban Adaptation Plan for a resilient city), Bologna also implemented its own Adaptation Plan in 2015. In 2018, the Municipality of Bologna signed the new Covenant of Mayors for Energy and Climate: in this new framework, the update of the Adaptation Plan merged into the drafting of the Action Plan for Energy and Climate (PAESC) containing: a new climate profile with the reworking of scenarios to 2050, a summary of adaptive capacity factors and vulnerability analysis linked to three areas of contrast such as heat waves in urban areas, extreme events and hydrogeological risk, drought and water shortage.
Milan and Rome are the first Italian cities participating in the '100 Resilient Cities' project initiated by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC). The Programme promotes the resilience of cities through the appointment of a Chief Resilience Officer, the creation of a Resilience Strategy and the sharing of knowledge and case studies through the global network of partner cities. In 2018, Rome published its Resilience Strategy. Milan approved its Air and Climate Plan (CAP) in 2022, which aims to: fall within the air quality limit values; reduce CO2 emissions and become Carbon Neutral by 2050; and contribute to containing the local temperature increase within 2°C through urban cooling actions and heat island reduction.
In July 2020, Turin's Climate Resilience Plan was approved, outlining an articulated local adaptation strategy to ensure health, liveability of the city, and continuity of services. As part of the Plan, attached are the Open Space Design Guidelines for Climate Resilience (LGRC) edited by the municipality's environment area, with the technical-scientific support of ARPA Piemonte, University of Turin, SMAT SpA, and the Piedmont Region.
At the end of 2019, the Municipality of Genoa equipped itself with a 'Lightouse Genoa flagship city' strategy, identifying priorities and tools to prevent and adapt to the main expected trends of change, including climate change. Addresses and paths to translate these inputs were specified in 2021, in the document Genoa 2050: action plan for a Lighthouse City, based on 12 priority measures, to put the overall design into practice.
The Adaptation Strategy of the city of Reggio Emilia in 2021 (Life Urban Proof Project 'Climate Proofing Urban Municipalities') was developed as part of the Action Plans that municipalities submit as signatories of the Covenant of Mayors, identifying the main vulnerabilities of the territory and a series of short and long-term adaptation measures to reduce the impacts of heat waves and flooding, focusing on open space design addresses and regulations to combat soil consumption.
Within the Adapt Project (Interreg Italy-France Maritime Programme 2014-2020), the Municipality of Livorno coordinated the elaboration of the Local Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change and Floods; together with Livorno, other centres in the Tyrrhenian area such as Alghero, Sassari, Oristano, La Spezia, and Savona have drafted risk analyses and local plans of action to counter flooding.
In its own path towards adapting to climate change, the city of Padua also drew up Guidelines for the construction of the Climate Change Adaptation Plan in 2016.
Besides the above mentioned initiatives, many other of the approximately 7,900 Italian Municipalities already adopted a Local Adaptation Plan (or a Local Mitigation and Adaptation Plan) or a SECAP (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan), or are concluding its adoption. Among the latter is the Municipality of L'Aquila, which is pursuing a well-structured pathway on adaptation planning.
E) As to efforts on adaptation, it may also be pointed out that 14 sub-national Italian authorities are signatories of the Horizon Europe Adaptation Mission Charter (8 Regions, 2 Provinces, 3 Municipalities and 1 Mountain Community)".
Several European projects (Interreg, Life, H2020, UIA, ESPON, etc.) have helped over the years to activate local adaptation partnerships made up of students, researchers, experts, young professionals involved in drafting risk analyses, addresses to raise awareness among citizens and stakeholders, as well as making available data and decision-support tools that can be used by public administrations to plan services for the most vulnerable.
Examples are:
- The Life Metro Adapt project, concluded in 2020, which led to the drafting of guidelines for climate analysis, vulnerability management and planning in regional areas (Sardinia, Lombardy) and metropolitan aggregations of municipalities (North Milan, Metropolitan City of Venice, North Salento)
- Life Veneto Adapt, which ended in 2021, focused on the impact of climate in large areas (network of cities in central Veneto) with a special focus on combating floods and heat islands.
- Several cross-border cooperation projects (Interreg Adapt, SECAP, Joint, AdriaClim, etc.) have given rise to urban and local partnerships, as well as to online participative platforms, supporting the development of adaptation plans for the Adriatic or Tyrrhenian coastal strip.
- The initiatives taken by networks of Regions, Cities and local authorities, concerning very fragile territorial areas exposed to the impacts of climate change, such as:
a) the "Budoia Charter for Adaptation in the Alps" (June 2017), which sees the participation of municipalities belonging to 7 states in the Alpine arc.
b) the "Charter of the Apennines" (May 2018) presented in Camerino, which sees the participation of municipalities in the Apennines.
c) the path towards the adoption of a "Charter of the Minor Islands of the Mediterranean for Adaptation to Climate Change", the process of which was undertaken on the occasion of the Workshop entitled "Adaptation to Climate Change in the Minor Islands" organised in 2022 by Line 5 of the CReIAMO PA Project (PON Governance and Institutional Capacity 2014-2020).
d) the development of collaborative networks at an interregional and Po river basin scale (e.g. Life ClimaxPo Project).
Some Regions also took initiatives to localise adaptation actions in particular areas of their context. One example is the collaboration project between the Central Italian Regions affected by the 2016-17 earthquake (Abruzzo, Marche and Umbria), which set up a coordination table with the aim of tackling the reconstruction and management aspects of risks that are not only anthropic, but also environmental and climatic, acting in a multi-level perspective capable of strengthening the area's degree of resilience. Such table, promoted by Line 5 of the CReIAMO PA Project, was also attended by the Lazio Region and the Central Apennine District Basin Authority to discuss planning processes at the basin scale.
The Municipality of Milan has also initiated a process of public consultation and listening to citizens during both the adoption and implementation phases of the Air and Climate Plan. The process in the adoption phase involved stakeholders, civil society organisations, professional associations and economic subjects. For the implementation phase of the Plan's actions, a Permanent Citizens' Climate Assembly was set up, made up of 90 citizens drawn by lot, who could discuss, debate and deepen their thoughts on the Plan.
Other relevant initiatives are the thematic and/or territorial forums implemented by several regional administrations within the definition process of the Regional Sustainable Development Strategies: specific discussion activities on climate change adaptation issues took place in 2021 and 2022, particularly in Marche and Lazio. The Abruzzo Region in 2021, within the Joint-Secap project (Interreg Italy-Croatia) carried out several thematic meetings with coastal municipalities, SMEs and Universities located in Abruzzo, to illustrate the Climate Change Adaptation Guidelines by the task force for the drafting of the Adaptation Plan.
Important dialogue paths with business stakeholders, the research world and local civil society actors have been developed in continuity with the processes supported by the MASE for the definition of Metropolitan Sustainable Development Agendas. Particular research activities have involved the metropolitan cities of Milan, Rome Capital, Venice and Genoa on adaptation issues related to metropolitan spatial and strategic planning. Among these, it is worth mentioning the adaptive redevelopment path 'productive areas pro adaptive areas (ap+a)', launched in 2021, consisting of co-design meetings and living labs with the actors of the productive and commercial districts of the metropolitan city of Milan.
On a municipal scale, the city of Bologna initiated the 'urban green areas pact' (GAIA) based on a public-private partnership model that uses financial compensation for the carbon footprint of companies to purchase plants and maintain trees throughout the city. Developed in several project phases (Life Programme), various tools and guidelines prepared by the municipality detail the steps to ensure the proper implementation of the initiative.
Still on the subject of urban forestation, in 2021 the municipality of Florence signed an operating agreement with the Consorzio di Bonifica for the management and maintenance of Mensola Park (north-east of the city) in order to adapt it to the growing risks of flooding, assigning to the Consorzio the realisation of hydraulic works, while the municipality will be responsible for complementary works for the evacuation and use of the park such as: a cycle-pedestrian connection path, signage, recreational areas, surveillance.
- Risk Analysis. Climate change in six Italian cities
- Methodologies for establishing regional climate change adaptation strategies and plans
- Methodologies for establishing regional climate change adaptation strategies and plans
- Urban planning and urban climate. Handbook for the reduction of urban heat island phenomena.
- PAESC Guideline - A guide for municipal climate planning.
- Guidelines for regional climate change adaptation strategies