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General states of the Green Economy 2024

The States General of the green economy are dedicated this year to the theme "The economy of tomorrow: the Green Deal at the start of the new European legislature", to start a discussion on that package of strategic initiatives that has put the EU on the path of the ecological transition, in the belief that the transition towards climate neutrality can offer significant opportunities for economic growth, new business models and markets, new jobs and technological development.

Published the "Environment in Italy: an overview. Environmental Data Yearbook 2023"

The statistical report, produced by ISPRA in collaboration with the agencies for the protection of the regional environment and the autonomous provinces within the National System for the Protection of the Environment (SNPA), describes the state of the environment in Italy through the core set of indicators of the environmental indicators database.
The topics covered are: Agriculture and forestry, Fisheries and aquaculture, Energy, Transport, Tourism, Industry, Atmosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Geosphere, Geological hazards, Waste, Economy and the environment, Non-ionizing radiation, Noise, Chemical agents, Environmental assessment and authorization, Environmental certification, Environmental planning tools, Promotion and dissemination of environmental culture, Environment and well-being.

The Report, in a more concise and informative form than the database, presents more than 300 indicators and consolidated information content collected in 21 thematic areas.

Each thematic area is organized with a brief introduction, a summary of the indicators identified to illustrate it and, for each of them, graphic representations and in-depth information.

Environment in Italy: an overview. Environmental Data Yearbook 2023

IdroGeo - The Italian platform on hydrogeological instability

The IdroGEO platform allows the consultation, download and sharing of data, maps, reports, documents from the Inventory of Landslide Phenomena in Italy - IFFI, national hazard maps for landslides and floods and risk indicators.

Manta River Project 2, final event

The final event of the "Manta River Project 2" project will be held on Friday 25 October 2024, which involves the presentation of the results of the studies for the evaluation of the quantities of microplastics in the Po river.
The presentation of the project results is organized by Adbpo, Arpae Emilia-Romagna and Sapienza University of Rome.

A round table will follow to discuss and bring to attention the problem of microplastic pollution in river water bodies, in the presence of ISPRA, ISS, Legambiente, Federchimica PlasticsEurope Italia, and Corepla.

Kick Off meeting of the AlpsLife Project Observe globally, act locally

The Kick Off meeting of the Interreg Alpine Space project AlpsLife: Protect Alpine Life by monitoring and managing Alpine biodiversity for the future was held on 7 and 8 October in Bolzano. “Observing globally, acting locally”. The project aims to develop a harmonized system for the monitoring and management of biodiversity on an Alpine scale with the aim of ensuring its effective protection in the long term.

ISPRA partecipates to the ARTEMIS project

ARTEMIS aims to promote the restoration and conservation of seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean, thanks to the development and implementation of innovative protocols and through the use of particular financial instruments to support such interventions, such as PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services).

Through four pilot projects in the EU-MED area, ARTEMIS aims to provide tangible results for the valorization of marine natural heritage, with initiatives ranging from the transplantation of seagrass beds in damaged areas to their protection, conservation and maintenance.

ISPRA will contribute to the project as a "scientific partner", making its skills and experience available to the consortium on the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows, on the evaluation of the ecosystem services provided by these meadows and on the synergies between best practices and governance models which will contribute to achieving the objectives of ARTEMIS.

Meeting on the V.I.A. - Episode nr. 4

Meeting with Margherita Latronico and Marilena Di Stefano from VESTAS

Wind farms are a fundamental asset in the production of renewable energy. Vestas tells us about which targets offshore wind energy production must reach. How do you go about designing a wind farm? Multi-year monitoring is needed to verify the impact on biodiversity, the landscape and the social context. We are talking about 200m high towers with new generation turbines, slow rotation and low noise emissions, with video camera and radar systems connected to acoustic deterrents for fauna. There is also talk of a circular economy, to have zero waste by 2040 in the wind power production chain (design, operations and recovery of materials) and give clean energy to families.

Video

Spotify

Critical raw materials: interview with the ISPRA General Director on Speciale TG1

On Speciale Tg1 on 15 October, ISPRA General Director Maria Siclari spoke about the importance of critical raw materials which have a strategic value for the economy of the world and Europe and are fundamental to guarantee the functioning of some industrial sectors.
In total there are 76 mines still active in Italy, 22 relating to materials that are included in the list of 34 critical raw materials of the EU. In 20 of these, feldspar is extracted, an essential mineral for the ceramic industry and in 2, fluorite is widely used in the steel, aluminium, glass, electronics and refrigeration industries.

Interview at the minute 0:36:40

The Cop16 on biodiversity

In Cali, Colombia, from 21 October to 1 November, the first UN international conference on biodiversity after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal global framework.

World leaders and scientists will come together to define the future of our planet's ecosystems.
COP16 aims to consolidate the commitments made in 2022 during COP15 (Kunming-Montreal), in which 196 governments from around the world approved the "Global Biodiversity Framework" (GBF): a path whose objective is to arrest and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2050.
The conference will focus on assessing progress made by countries in implementing the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which include conserving 30% of the world's lands and oceans by 2030, reducing pollution and promoting sustainable use of natural resources.

One of the central themes of the COP will be the financial resources needed to achieve the ambitious goals set out in the Global Biodiversity Framework and where and from whom to obtain these resources.

Another important area of ​​negotiation will concern mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on progress towards biodiversity targets. Furthermore, the conference will address issues related to access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use, a principle known as Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS).

"Exe Flegrei 2024" ISPRA participates in the national exercise on volcanic risk

From 9 to 12 October, "Exe Flegrei 2024" will take place in Campania, the national exercise on volcanic risk organized by the Department of Civil Protection and the Campania Region, in collaboration with the Municipalities of the red zone, the Prefecture of Naples, the operational structures and competence centers of the Department.

ISPRA participates in the CIRAN Project

Is there a sustainable mining activity? A lot of work is being done in Europe to make this possible and ISPRA has also been participating in this effort since 2023 with the CIRAN project (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas - HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILIENCE-01-03).

Coordinated by INTRAW (International Raw Materials Observatory) in collaboration with the European Geological Services, CIRAN is working to find solutions between low impact environmental alternatives, sustainability strategies and social acceptability in order to identify protocols and guidelines that make the cultivation of those rare and strategic materials indispensable for Europe to complete the energy transition and to deal with the supply problems resulting from the current geopolitical situation.

Mining landscapes of medieval Italy

In the first part of the conference, starting from the Tuscan case, the Italian regional frameworks relating to the study of the exploitation of mineral resources in the Middle Ages will be presented and discussed.
The second part of the conference will be dedicated, however, to a comparison of the best strategies for the protection and valorisation of Tuscan mining landscapes.

Publication of RETICULA n. 36/2024

Special Issue - Ecological networks in Italy: new experiences and perspectives from national to local level

The number 36 of RETICULA technical journal is now available online.
This issue marks the beginning of the updating of the APAT Guidelines for the Management of functional ecological connection areas (2003), an activity introduced and described in the editorials by the Director of the General Directorate for the Protection of Biodiversity and the Sea of MASE, Francesco Tomas, and the Director of the Department for the Monitoring and Protection of the Environment and for the Conservation of Biodiversity of ISPRA, Luigi Ricci. 

ISPRA and SNPA President awarded at the Pianeta Mare Film Festival for his commitment of sea protection

The award ceremony of the President of ISPRA and SNPA Stefano Laporta was held on 8 October in Naples as part of the Pianeta Mare Film Festival event.
"I would like to share this award with my colleagues from ISPRA and the National System for Environmental Protection, who are the beating heart of our activities" declared the ISPRA President.
"It is a particularly welcome award because, having been born in a seaside city like Lecce, I feel the marine environment is mine and represents for me the very essence of life, but also because I receive it in an equally splendid city linked to the sea which it's Naples" said Laporta.
"The Pianeta Mare International Film Festival of Naples is an initiative that makes interaction with the young generations its standard-bearer, and in doing so uses different communication channels and different artistic forms, decisive for carrying forward the theme of the defense of sea ​​and our coasts" concluded the President.

International Day for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction

The International Day for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction, known worldwide as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, is celebrated on October 13.
The day was born at the behest of the United Nations General Assembly in 1989.
The objective of establishing this day is to send an important signal to the Governments of all the countries of the world as well as to international organizations and the global population, to reflect on the increasing frequency and consistency with which natural disasters occur.

Among the institutional tasks of ISPRA there is the collection, processing and dissemination of maps and data on hydrogeological instability referring to the entire national territory, making them available to the country for risk prevention and mitigation.
In particular, ISPRA in collaboration with the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, creates the Inventory of Landslide Phenomena in Italy, in which, to date, over 634,000 landslides have been recorded, representing 2/3 of those in Europe.

DigitAP Project: At the school of the "rebel" habitats of the Pantelleria Park

On 15 and 17 October the Pantelleria Park will be an open-air laboratory for students from the island's schools. Students will be able to participate in field activities organized as part of the Digitalization of National Parks and Marine Protected Areas project - DiIgitAP - of the specific measure of the PNRR "Ecological transition and green revolution" owned by the Ministry of Environment and Security Energy

Photo contest "Land consumption in Italy 2024"

A shot to tell the story of the change

On the occasion of the presentation of the 2024 edition of the report "Land consumption, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services" ISPRA wants to involve professionals and amateurs from the world of landscape photography and street photography to witness the effect of land consumption on the territory, of such as new construction sites, buildings, new infrastructures and industrial warehouses, logistics and large-scale retail trade, have changed and continue to profoundly change the layout of the landscape.

Thirty years since the 1994 Piemonte flood: a look at the past, the present, the future

On the night between 5 and 6 November 1994, a terrible flood hit the provinces of Cuneo, Asti and Alessandria, on the Tanaro, and the area of ​​Vercelli on the Po. Following this event, an important research activity was started in Piedmont between public bodies responsible for land management, the academic world and professionals to define guidelines for geological studies and to produce rules for the prevention of geo-hydrological risk. The conference is organized by the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Turin, by ARPA Piemonte, by the Italian Society of Environmental Geology (SIGEA) -APS, by CNR IRPI of Turin and by the Regional Order of Geologists of Pemontet and will see the contribution from the Piemonte Region, ISPRA and the Po River Basin Authority with the patronage of the CNG and the various local administrations.

The Hydrographic Units in support of the PNRR-MER projects

In the field of marine protection of the seabed and the restoration of maritime and coastal ecosystems, the Navy has always been a protagonist and continues to demonstrate great presence and commitment. With the new collaboration agreement signed between the Italian Navy (MMI) - Istituto Idrografico della Marina (IIM) and ISPRA, a massive large-scale bathymetric mapping intervention is now underway along the entire Italian coasts. There are many objectives pursued within the project.
Among the most ambitious are the mapping and monitoring of coastal habitats, the updating of the national tide gauge network and the creation of a national network of offshore buoys for the observation of wave motion and marine currents, the restoration of Posidonia meadows oceanica and the use of innovative topographic and bathymetric mapping systems capable of reducing acquisition times and therefore creating new study and work opportunities.

Mining activities in the Mediterranean basin: State of the Art

The Sardegna Mining Association, in collaboration with the Order of Engineers of the Province of Cagliari, the Order of Geologists of Sardegna and the Order of Industrial Experts of Cagliari, is organizing the symposium "Mining activities in the Mediterranean basin: State of the Art". The new European legislation on critical raw materials, recently implemented by the Italian government and parliament.

Sinkholes and Underground Cavities in the municipality of Ardea

The project, led by ISPRA in collaboration with the University of Tuscia and the “Sotterranei di Roma” Association, aims to carry out a census of the underground cavities present in the urban subsoil, with the aim of mitigating the risk associated to sinkholes (sudden chasms on the surface).
During the meeting, the details of the activities already started were illustrated, including investigations in the area and collaborations with local associations and scholars in the sector.

Tor Caldara Regional Nature Reserve. Geodiversity, biodiversity and history

The reportage on the Tor Caldara Nature Reserve created by ISPRA highlights the relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity. Minerals, rocks, fossils, soils, sediments, landforms, as well as the geological and morphogenetic processes that occur on Earth and the hydrological elements that characterize it, such as rivers and lakes, constitute in fact not only the characterizing elements of landscapes, but also the basis on which biodiversity can thrive.

Kick off meeting of the MONALISA project

The Kick off meeting of the MONALISA project against land degradation and desertification will be held on 1 October in Sassari, led by the Desertification Research Unit of the University of Sassari.
The project MONALISA - MONitoring and Assessing prevention and restoration soLutIons to combat deSertificAtion s financed by the Horizon Europe program (MISS-2023-SOIL-01-04) with approximately 7.4 million euros and involves a large international consortium made up of 20 partners, 2 associated partners and 1 affiliated entity, coming from 9 EU and non-EU countries: Italy, Spain, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Palestine.

ISPRA joins WaterWiseEU

Communication campaign launched by the European Commission to spread awareness of water-related problems and possible solutions
According to ISPRA studies, a negative trend in the natural availability of water resources is observed in Italy.
Future scenarios outline a reduction in the volume of annual precipitation and an increase in average temperature. In 2022, our country reached an all-time low in annual water resource availability with 67 billion cubic meters of water, 50% less than the annual average for the period 1951-2023.
In 2023, the reduction in annual water resources compared to the same historical average was 18.4%. The deficit was more contained also due to the intense rainfall in May 2023 which caused the flood events in Emilia-Romagna.

Conference "A change in the water: the fate of seas and oceans under climate and pollution"

ISPRA is participating at the conference "A change in the water: the fate of seas and oceans under climate and pollution" that will be held in Paris. In this occasion ISPRA will present the project PNRR MER and two exhibitions “20,000 nets under the sea” and “Carrie, a brave turtle in a changing world” will be set up. The topics addressed are the impact of plastics and microplastics on the marine environment.

3rd RaStEM Workshop: a support tool for the design of hydrogeological risk mitigation interventions

RaStEM - Standardized Representation of Mitigation Effects - is a web gis tool developed by ISPRA with the dual purpose of guiding designers to a clear and homogeneous representation of the significant elements of a hydrogeological risk mitigation intervention and supporting them in the drafting of projects consistent with the criteria established by current legislation (DPCM 09/27/2021) for their financing by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE).

Planet Earth Festival

Natural communities

For the third year Lucca is the theater of the Planet Earth Festival, directed by Stefano Mancuso, conceived, designed and organized by Editori Laterza.
With over 90 meetings and more than 100 guests - scientists, anthropologists, philosophers, economists, writers, artists and innovators - the event takes place from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 October 2024, in some of the most evocative places in the city.
For the second year ISPRA has granted its patronage and participates in the event with 2 interactive lessons held by our researchers.

Energy efficiency and decarbonisation: in Italy the energy requirement per unit of GDP reduced by 23.4% since 2005

Energy efficiency and decarbonisation: in Italy the energy requirement per unit of GDP reduced by 23.4% since 2005

The ISPRA Report “Efficiency and decarbonization indicators in Italy and in the biggest European countries” 2024 Edition is online
The energy and economic efficiency and progressive decarbonisation of the national economy are growing from 2005 to 2022. In Italy, the energy requirement per unit of GDP is reduced by 23.4%, while greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP are decreasing reduce by 32%. Similarly, greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy consumed in all the main production sectors have decreased since 2005: -7.8% for agriculture, -10.4% for industry and -22.6% for services.

On the renewable sources front, Italy is second only to Sweden among the main European countries, in terms of share of gross domestic consumption of energy from renewable sources. The national share of renewable energy compared to gross domestic consumption is equal to 19% in 2022, while the European average is equal to 18.4%. On the other hand, the objective of renewable sources, calculated on final consumption, sees Italy at 19.1% compared to the European average of 23%.

This is what emerges from the energy and economic indicators in relation to greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in the 2024 edition of the ISPRA Report "Efficiency and decarbonization indicators in Italy and in the biggest European countries", available online.

New Study Investigates Spatial Risk Exposure of Floating Marine Litter to Cetaceans and Sea Turtles

Marine debris has become a constant threat to marine species, with ingestion or entanglement being among the main threath for cetaceans and sea turtles. Understanding promptly where and when this threat is most severe is essential for identifying priorities and focusing conservation and mitigation efforts.

Workshop POLLnet 2024

An in-depth day on important topics in the aerobiology field will be held on November 21st. Speakers from Italian and foreign universities and research centers and environmental protection agencies will discuss the quality and valorisation of aerobiological data. We will talk, among other things, about innovation in aerobiological monitoring based on real-time technologies and the allergenic potential of urban greenery.