Environment and health risks from climate change and variability in Italy

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Italian Agency for Environmental Protection and Technical Services (Agenzia per la Protezione dell' Ambiente er per i servizi Technici, APAT) are collaborating in a project on climate change and health. This report is one of the results of that project.
Climate change is already having an effect in Italy, as elsewhere. The global effects of an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are reflected in the growing number of extreme weather events, such as heat-waves and intense rainfall. These have various consequences for the health of a population, both directly in terms of mortality and morbidity, and indirectly through changes in the ecosystem.
The aim is to assess the potential risks of climate change to human health in Italy, to see what adaptive and preventive measures are available and to suggest what may be additionally needed.