News

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.

Online the Atlas of Environmental Data. Edition 2024

Green and health are the future of our cities

On 27 September in Livorno, at the Maremma and Tirreno Chamber of Commerce, the management of urban green will be analyzed with particular attention to the changes introduced by the new public procurement code. There will be a dialogue between the institutions and those who work for the maintenance and creation of urban and extra-urban greenery, historic gardens, parks and landscape. The event is part of a series of events entitled "Green and health are the future of our cities" which started from Napoli, passing through Milan, Rome and Turin, and will continue in the coming months in Puglia and Sicily.

COPERNICUS4SNPA conference

The COPERNICUS4SNPA conference is scheduled for 10 and 11 October 2024 in Cagliari for the promotion and support in the knowledge, dissemination and use of monitoring methods and products from the Copernicus satellite (the European Earth Observation programme).

World Geodiversity Day

Excursion to discover the geology and geodiversity of Monte Vettore
The third "World Geodiversity Day" will be celebrated on Sunday 6 October, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2021. Geodiversity is also considered the "silent partner of biodiversity" as it is the set of geological-geomorphological characteristics and phenomena that accompany and sometimes, they influence the development of life on earth. Geodiversity Day is a global celebration aimed at promoting its many aspects and importance for society.

ISPRA program of environmental and sustainability education initiatives for schools for year 2024/2025

The "ISPRA program of environmental and sustainability education initiatives" aimed at schools for the year 2024/2025 is online. .

This year's educational offer includes 27 projects, distributed in the various territorial offices of ISPRA (Rome, Chioggia, Livorno, Palermo, Ozzano), each with a preferential scholastic target.
In addition to the initiatives there will be also the multimedia educational path "Passeggiando nell'ambiente", which can be used online on the Digital Education web platform.

Riverine floating macrolitter: the ISPRA national monitoring program for the Marine Strategy

On the occasion of World Rivers Day on 22 September 2024, ISPRA publishes the booklet Riverine floating macrolitter: the Italian national monitoring programme within the Marine Strategy carried out as part of the Operational Agreement for monitoring programs for the Marine Strategy between MASE and ISPRA.

Environmental crimes

The topic of "environmental crimes" will be addressed during a conference organized by the University of Naples "Parthenope" in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Campania (Arpac) and the Italian Biologists Foundation (Fib).
The event will provide the opportunity to delve into current issues such as the fight against eco-crimes, the "weight" of environmental violations (ecomafias), the management of landfills and reclamation, the relationships between organized crime and businesses, the eco-crime of the Sarno river and other topics.

Floods and hydrogeological instability: ISPRA's activities

Flood in Emilia Romagna

The rainfall in Emilia Romagna began on the morning of September 17th, continued uninterruptedly throughout the day of the 18th and, albeit with a progressive attenuation of its intensity, is also affecting the area today, September 19th.

The quantities of cumulative rainfall in the first 48 hours of the event were particularly intense, with cumulative values ​​between 150 and 300 mm. In this regard, we are publishing two maps of the cumulative rainfall in the first 48 hours of the event in Emilia-Romagna and the one with the cumulative rainfall in the regional river basins ( Date ARPAE Emilia-Romagna)

Among the institutional tasks of ISPRA 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.

The Institute prepares the national mosaics of the danger for landslides and floods, based on the Hydrogeological Structure Plans (PAI) and the Flood Risk Management Plans (PGRA), drawn up by the District Basin Authorities. The areas at risk from landslides include, in addition to landslides that have already occurred, also the areas of possible evolution of the phenomena and the areas potentially susceptible to new landslide phenomena.

Every three years ISPRA publishes the Report on hydrogeological instability in Italy which constitutes the official reference framework on the hydrogeological hazard and risk for our country.

94% of Italian municipalities are at risk from landslides, floods or coastal erosion, 1.3 million inhabitants are at risk of landslides and 6.8 million inhabitants at risk of floods (ISPRA Report, 2021). We are working on the 2024 edition which will be published early next year.

All data is published on the national IdroGEO platform, an easy tool to use, even with smartphones, to promote greater awareness of the risks affecting one's territory and informed decisions on where to buy one's home or locate new economic activities.

Ecomondo 2024

Ecomondo, the leading annual fair in the green and circular economy sectors, is the meeting and dialogue point between industries, stakeholders, policy makers, opinion leaders, local authorities, the world of research and institutions

It is the reference international event in Europe and the Mediterranean basin for technologies, services and industrial solutions in the green and circular economy sectors.

Research and innovation hub offers information, sharing and co-planning on the policies of the European Green Deal thanks to the creation of public-private partnerships used in national, European and international planning.

2,000 meters under the sea. ISPRA ready to discover the submerged mountains in the Mediterranean

The ship commissioned by ISPRA to investigate the sea depths along the Tyrrhenian ridge has set sail from Trapani for the Cimotoe submarine volcanic complex, off the coast of Pantelleria, with the aim of surveying 79 underwater mountains from 200 up to 2,000 meters deep, for a total planar surface of over 13,000 square kilometers. These are areas never monitored before, some almost completely unknown: an unprecedented technological and scientific undertaking in Italy, which falls within the scope of the MER (Marine Ecosystem Restoration) project financed by the PNRR and which involves the use of advanced instrumentation and of a multidisciplinary team of experts to study and protect marine habitats of extraordinary biodiversity.

Meetings on EIA - Points of view on environmental impact assessment

Episode n.2 Meeting with Paola Brambilla Coordinator VIA - MASE Subcommittee
The National EIA Commission is the great engine of the country's infrastructural development. It has the task of evaluating projects that can have a significant effect on the environment following the indications of the EU Directives on EIA, which have been applied for 40 years now. Lawyer Brambilla will talk to us about the work of the Commission and the EIA as a tool for discussion, participation and transparency aimed at protecting the environment and human health. We are talking about attention to biodiversity, one health dimension, project integration, circular route of the EIA,need for simplification.

ISPRA School of Specialization in Environmental Disciplines

The first settlement session of the Teaching Steering Committee of the ISPRA School of Specialization in Environmental Disciplines took place today, which was opened by a greeting from the lawyer Mario Antonio Scino, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.

The Committee, a collegial body chaired by the President of ISPRA, Stefano Laporta, is made up of the General Director, Maria Siclari, and three managers of the Institute, four managers of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, a designated member of the Council Scientific of ISPRA and by the Vice President of SNPA. The Committee has the task of approving the School's training plan and indicating the strategic lines for the development of advanced training courses on environmental protection issues.

The School, in fact, will activate specialist training courses in environmental matters to promote knowledge and professional skills in all sectors related to the protection, conservation and valorisation of ecosystems and the pursuit of the objectives of sustainable development and climate neutrality.

The priority recipients of the School's training activities will be the employees of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, of the National Network System for Environmental Protection (SNPA) and of other public administrations and bodies operating in the environmental sector, as well as of the Forces armed forces and police forces.

ISPRA participates in the NaturArte Festival

NaturArte is a green festival on wellbeing and sustainability, organized by the Sintonia and Initinere association with the patronage of the Lazio Region and the municipality of Trevignano Romano. On 21 and 22 September, workshops, laboratories, conferences, sports and initiatives will be held aimed at spreading natural well-being and a healthy and eco-sustainable lifestyle.

Environmental checks, controls and monitoring of the works subjected to Via. SNPA activity

As part of RemTech Expo, on 19 September the National System for Environmental Protection is organizing the conference "Environmental checks, controls and monitoring of works subjected to Via. SNPA activity".