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ISPRA, State of the Environment , 71/2016

ISBN 978-88-448-0836-5

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Graphic Design: Alessia Marinelli, Matteo Salomone - ISPRA

Cover Design: Sonia Poponessi, ISPRA

Editorial coordination: Daria Mazzella, ISPRA

Distribution: Michelina Porcarelli, ISPRA

Translation: Antonella Ceccarelli, Sandra Moscone - ISPRA

6 December 2016

On the occasion of the fourteenth edition of the Environmental Data Yearbook, starting fromthe same database at ISPRA disposal, some distinguished information products have beencreated with the aim of disseminating more punctual information to be addressed to a greatcommunity of users from policy-maker to research, from economic business to privatecitizen.

From the 2016 edition 6 products have been released:• Environmental Data Yearbook - full version, it presents the indicator sheets populatedduring 2016, organized by productive sectors, environmental conditions and answers. It isavailable in electronic format (PDF). • 2016 Environmental Data - it presents an accurate selection of Environmental DataYearbook indicators aimed at monitoring the Seventh Environmental Action Programme(7°EAP) main objectives. The document is organized around 5 sections or chaptersaccording to the first three priority objectives and sub-objectives 4a and 7a listed in the 7°EAP. Each chapter presents an introduction and a selection of Environmental Data Yearbookindicators identified on the basis of the European Environmental Agency correspondents tomonitor adequately the achieving of the goal. It is available in electronic format (PDF).• SummarisingÁ the environment – information brochure, it presents in a concise formatsome relevant environmental issues. It is available in electronic version (PDF). • Indicators Platform – tool for online consultation of the indicator sheets and the creation ofreports. The Platform allows to publish, manage and organize the contents related to thedifferent editions of the Yearbook and to create synthetic versions personalised according tothe cognitive needs of individual users (http://annuario.isprambiente.it).•Multimedia – it presents the 2016 edition of the Environmental Data Yearbook and showsbriefly some environmental issues which are considered a priority for the reference target.The 2016 edition of the Environmental Data Yearbook film is available at(http://annuario.isprambiente.it).• Comic strip: it is titled “Inspector SPRA investigation”, it periodically (yearly) deals with asingle environmental issue with the aim of disseminating information and the Yearbook datato a young audience of no expert people. For the 2016 edition the selected issue is “Water”(Watch out for Water!). It is available in electronic format (PDF).

Summarising... the environment describes concisely some environmental issues of priorityimportance or topical for citizens and policy-maker. In this edition are shown and highlightedalso some comparisons with european data. Information and statistic data on environmentalconditions are disseminated through a clear and accessible language, made particularlycommunicative also using a graphic layout, immediate and easy to read. The brochure contains a synoptic picture of the Yearbook indicators which are consideredmore significant for the description of the addressed issues and some infographics used torepresent data.The addressed issues are: Biodiversity; Climate: state and changes; Atmospheric Pollution;Inland water Quality; Sea and marine environment; Soil; Waste; Physical Agents; NaturalRisk; Chemical agents; Allergenic pollen index; Assessments, Authorizations andEnvironmental Certifications; Environmental Knowledge.

The brochure is distributed to institutions, international organisations, media and opinionleaders, it is available at: www.isprambiente.gov.it; http://annuario.isprambiente.it

The document has been prepared by the statistic coordinators in cooperation with thethematic coordinators (see general section Task Force Environmental Data Yearbook 2016).

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Italy is one of the richest countries inEurope in terms of biodiversity, includingover 58,000 species in its fauna and over6,700 species in its higher plants, 20.4%of which are endemic.

Regarding the fauna, although comparisonis limited to some animal groups for whichreliable species lists are available, it can beobserved as in Italy, among insects forexample, Ortopthera are about three timesthat of Poland, ten times that of GreatBritain and Norway, and 150 times that ofIceland; the number of species ofLepidoptera is more than double that ofBritain, while Coleoptera species areapprox. 12,000 compared to 6,000 in Poland,3,700 in Britain, 3,375 in Norway and 239 inIceland. As for the flora, even net ofnaturalized exotic species, the 6,700 speciesmentioned above make up about a half ofthe 12,500 species estimated for Europe.

The level of threat is however high, sinceabout 31% of vertebrates, 15% ofvascular plants and 22% of bryophytesand lichens are at risk of extinction.

Biodiversity is threatened mainly byhuman activities and the growingdemand for natural resources andecosystem services. The main threats toterrestrial vertebrates, except birds, arehabitat loss and degradation (about 120species) and pollution (about 80 species).

Fisheries also is an important impactfactor for the marine environment. Italy is

currently following a policy of limitingfishing effort, according to the EUCommon Fisheries Policy.

Fishing effort has been constantlydecreasing since 2004, except in 2008-2009 when it rose from 25.2 to 26.5, thenit started to decrease again in 2009-2014,reaching 21.1. Catch per unit effort(CPUE) value is 8.4 kg/die, showing aslight increase compared to 2013.

The introduction of potentially invasivealien species is also a threat forbiodiversity. In Italy there are currentlyabout 2,700 recorded non-native animaland plant species.

Italy is party to several internationalconventions and agreements aimed at theprotection of biodiversity, e.g. theConvention on Biological Diversity. TheNatura 2000 network includes SpecialProtection Areas (SPAs) and Sites ofCommunity Importance (SCIs) which, net ofoverlaps, amount to 2,589 sites covering anarea of 6,398,653 ha, of which 5,817,555 hainland. This represents 19.3% of the nationalterritory, a slightly higher average than theEuropean average (about 18%).In Italy there are 871 protected areas forbiodiversity conservation, covering a landsurface of more than 3 million ha, equal to10.5% of the national territory, as against anaverage of about 15% in Europe.

Protected marine surfaces in Italyinclude 27 Marine Protected Areas;

1. BIODIVERSITYThe level of threat to vertebrates, vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens isstill high and introductions of alien species are increasing.Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Sites of Community Importance (SCIs)are growing, while the number of terrestrial and marine protected areasand of wetlands is unchanged.

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moreover there are 64 wetlands underthe Ramsar Convention.Italy has adopted a National BiodiversityStrategy, as part of its commitmentsunder the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD, Rio de Janeiro 1992).

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The European Union has been at theforefront in reaching a global climateagreement. After the lack of Agreementin Copenhagen, in 2009, EU contributedsignificantly to the successful outcomeof Paris Climate Change Conference(December 2015 – COP 21). TheAgreement sets out a global action planaimed at avoiding dangerous climatechanges, holding the increase in theglobal average temperature to well below2°C above pre-industrial levels andpursuing efforts to limit the temperatureincrease to 1.5°C above pre-industriallevels, recognizing that this wouldsignificantly reduce the risks and impactsof climate change. The Agreement hasbeen signed by 177 Countries includingthe European Union, which represent94.4% of global emissions.

Before and during Paris Conference,countries presented national climateaction plans (Intended NationallyDetermined Contributions, INDCs).Undertakings to reduce greenhouse gasemissions provided by national actionplans are not sufficient to keep globalwarming below 2°C, but the Agreementsets out the modalities to reach this goal. EU was the first major economy tosubmit its intended contribution in March2015, defining the implementationmodalities of the target objective toreduce emissions of at least 40% by 2030compared to 1990. On April 22nd 2016, the Agreement hasbeen opened to signature for one year

and it will enter into force thirty daysafter the date on which at least 55 Partiesto the Convention accounting in total forat least an estimated 55 % of the totalglobal greenhouse gas emissions havedeposited their instruments ofratification. According to the White House “At least 34Countries representing the 49% of thetotal global climate-altering greenhousegas emissions have ratified or declaredthat will ratify the agreement by 2016”.Recently USA and China announced theratification of the Agreement.

The increase of land surface averagetemperature observed during the lastthirty years in our Country was nearlyalways higher than the average globalone. 2015 was the hottest year on recordfor Italy (since 1961). The averagetemperature anomaly (+1.58 °C) wasgreater than the global one (+1.23 °C)and represents the 24th consecutivepositive value. The anomalies withrespect to the normal values wereparticularly high in July and in the lasttwo months of the year, when mildclimate was associated to a long periodof stable and dry weather almostthroughout the whole Country. Newtemperature records were registeredabove all in the northern areas and athigh altitude stations in the Alpine Arc.Also the indices of temperature extremescharacterized 2015 as one of thewarmest years of the last half century. Inparticular, in 2015 the average number of

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2. CLIMATE: STATE AND CHANGES Average temperature increases but total greenhouse gas emissions decrease.

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tropical nights, (when minimumtemperature exceeds 20°C), registeredthe second highest value of the wholeseries since 1961 (behind 2003), with ananomaly of about 26 nights above thenormal value. The Warm Spell DurationIndex (WSDI) indicated an anomaly of +28days with respect to 1961-1990 average.It is the 4th highest value on record (since1961).

The main response measures to climatechange are related to mitigation, whichrefers to emission reduction ofgreenhouse gases and to adaption whichaims at minimizing possible negativeconsequences and to prevent possibleclimate change-related damages. Suchmeasures are complementary.

In Italy, in 2014, total greenhouse gasemissions, expressed in CO2 equivalents,decreased by 4.6% compared to theprevious year and by 19.8% compared tothe base year (1990). Between 1990 and2014, all greenhouse gas emissionspassed from 522 to 419 millions of tonnesCO2 equivalent, a variation mainlyobtained thanks to CO2, emissionsreduction contributing 81.9% of the totaland proving to be in 2014 below 21.4%compared to 1990. The overall trend of greenhouse gas ismainly determined by the energy sectorwhich represents more than 81% of totalemissions. The reduction observedespecially from 2008 is a consequence ofthe energy consumptions and the

industrial productions as well as thegrowth of energy production fromrenewable sources and energy efficiencyimprovement.

Since 90’, EU28 shows a decoupling ofeconomic growth from GHG emissionsmore accentuated compared to nationalone. Only during the last years nationalemissions reduction shows a trendconvergent to European one. Howevernational emissions have felt the effects ofthe economic crisis to a greater extent thanEuropean ones.

In 2014, greenhouse gas emissions(except for LULUCF activities ) in theEU28 decreased by 24% compared to1990, with GDP (Gross Domestic Product)increase by 48% compared to the sameperiod. This decoupling was partly due tothe growing of renewable energy quotas,national dedicated support systems andsignificant cost reduction, low carbon fuelin the energy mix and energy efficiencyimprovement. The trend and decrease ofgreenhouse gas emissions and relativefuture evolution prove that 2020greenhouse gas reduction target will bereached in the long-term, the rhythm ofsuch reductions will be slow, driving EUemissions towards 27-30% below 1990levels by 2030. This will be not sufficientto achieve reduction target by 40% and itis considered that EU is not on the rightpath to achieve the EU’s 2050decarbonisation objective. Therefore theEuropean Commission on October 23rd

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2014 set out new objectives to reduce airemission to be achieve by 2030, with theaim of reducing greenhouse gasemissions at European level by 80% by2050 compared to 1990. These objectivesconsider a reduction of total emissions by40% compared to 1990, at least 27% ofrenewable energy in the finalconsumption and an indicative objectiveof about 27% of energy efficiency.

With regard to Adaptation, Italy accordingto the European requirements , approvedand adopted its National Strategy forClimate Change Adaptation (SNAC).

At present the Strategy represents themost important “national vision“document about how our Country intendsto address climate change impacts andminimize risks with the aim to safeguardpopulation health and well-being,preserve natural resources, enhancenatural, social and economic systemsadaptation ability and finally to benefitfrom potential future opportunitiesassociated to new climate conditions. The Strategy which is the outcome of abroad networking process between policymakers and the national scientificcommunity, as well as the result ofdifferent national stakeholdersconsultations achieved during two yearswork, identifies a set of actions anddirections to address climate changeimpacts both in the short (2020) and thelong term (beyond 2020) by providing anew national reference framework.

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In 2014, the annual limit value for PM10(40 µg/m3 as an annual average) was metin almost all stations (only 3 stations out of388 exceeded it). If compared with theWorld Health Organization (WHO)reference value, which is 20 µg/m3, 70% ofthe monitoring stations exceeded thistarget. Considering the daily limit value of50 µg/m3 (not to be exceeded more than 35times in a calendar year), the stations inexceedance were 29%, rising to 88% whenconsidering the WHO reference value,which provides for daily concentrationexceeding 50 µg/m3 only 3 times in a year,based on known short-term health effects.The highest values were mostly recordedin medium-large cities in Po valley, centraland southern Italy and Sicily.

In 2014, PM10 limit values were exceededin most of Europe, and 94% ofexceedances were recorded in urban andsuburban areas.

As for PM2.5, the limit value of 25 µg/m3

was met in almost all monitoring stations(166 out of 170), while the WHO referencevalue of 10 µg/m3 was exceeded in almostall of them (159 out of 170).

Like PM10, also PM2.5 limit is exceededin several EU countries, such as Bulgaria,Czech Republic and Poland besides Italy.

As for ozone, the Long Term Objective(LTO) for human health protection was

exceeded in most of the monitoringstations, and only 6% of them (17 out of288 stations) complied with the LTO.

In Europe, the highest ozone levels occurin the Mediterranean countries; in 2014ozone LTO was met only in 14% of thestations.

As for nitrogen dioxide, the hourly limitvalue of 200 µg/m3 (not to be exceed morethan 18 times in a calendar year) was metin all monitoring stations (barely 1 stationexceeded it) and only 19 stations (4%)exceeded the WHO reference value (whichno exceedances of 200 µg/m3). The annuallimit value for the protection of humanhealth and the WHO reference value, bothset at 40 µg/m3, were exceeded in 10% ofthe monitoring stations throughout thecountry. Almost all of exceedances wererecorded at traffic monitoring stationslocated in medium and large urban areas.

In Europe, during 2014 exceedances ofnitrogen dioxide annual limit valueoccurred in 27 of the 28 EU MemberStates, and 94% of exceedances wererecorded in traffic stations.

Italy’s PM10 emissions have reduced by34.5% from 1990 to 2014. Over the entireperiod the road transport sector, which in2014 contributed to PM10 total emissionswith a share of 13.1%, recorded areduction of 56.9%.

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3. AIR POLLUTIONIn Italy, as well as in Europe, there are significant signals of air qualityimprovement: main pollutant emissions continue to decline and theiratmospheric levels show decreasing trends. Despite these positive signs,however, air quality situation remains critical; in particular high levels are stillrecorded for atmospheric particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone, which too often exceed regulatory standards in extensive areas.Italy, with the Po valley, is one of the most critical areas in Europe.

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With reference to the chemical status ofgroundwater (index SCAS) on a total of794 water bodies identified referred to 15regions, 727 are classified water bodies,of which 65.3% falls into the “good”class, while the remaining 34.7% into the“poor” class. Taking into considerationthe totality of identified water bodies, the8.4% does not prove to be classified, the59.8% proves to be in a “good” status andthe 31.8% in a “poor” status.With reference to the quantitative statusof groundwater (Index SQUAS ), on 718water bodies identified referred to 13regions, 682 are classified water bodies,of which 84.2% falls into the “good”class, the remaining 15.8% in the “poor”class. Taking into consideration thetotality of identified water bodies, the 5%does not prove to be classified, the 79.9%proves to be in a “good” status and the15.1% in a “poor” status. At present these data are undercompletion; from a last national updateemerged that 1,053 groundwater bodieshave been identified , of which 59% fallsinto “good” class both for the chemicaland the quantitative status. Thetransposition of the Directives2000/60/EC and 2006/118/EC, from Leg.

Decree No. 152/06 and Leg. Decree.30/2009 respectively, has allowed todefine for groundwater the quality statusof water bodies and the criteria to assessthe good chemical status.

The first phase of monitoring programs isfixed over the period 2010-2015. Data oninland (rivers and lakes) surface waterquality, collected through thecollaboration of Regional and ProvincialEnvironmental Agencies, refer to the firstsix-year monitoring cycle (2010-2015) asindicated in Leg. Decree No. 152/06.

The quality status of rivers and lakes isrepresented by the ecological statusindices, considering the quality ofstructure and function of ecosystems andthe chemical status assessing if waterbodies meet environmental qualitystandards.

With regard to the ecological status ofrivers, the highest percentage of waterbodies meeting the quality objective isobserved in the Eastern Alps District,with the 56% of water bodies in good orhigh quality status, following the SardiniaDistrict (55%) and the Padano District

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4. INLAND WATER QUALITYAt hydrographic district level, the highest percentage of water bodies with anecological status achieving the quality objective is observed in the EasternAlps District, with 56% rivers and 34% lakes of good or high quality. With regardto the chemical conditions of rivers, the highest percentage of water bodiesachieving the quality objective is observed in the Padano District (88%) and inthe eastern Alps District (83%); with regard to lakes, the best situation isobserved in the Eastern Alps District (87%). National Synthesis Data (ReportingWISE 2016) highlights that for surface waters (7,494 river water bodies and 347lake water bodies) 43% of rivers achieves the quality objective for the ecologicalstatus and 75% for the chemical conditions; with regard to lakes, the qualityobjective is achieved by 21% of bodies for the ecological status and by 47% ofbodies for the chemical conditions.

with the 47%.With regard to lakes, the best situation isobserved always in the Eastern AlpsDistrict with the 34% of water bodiesachieving the quality objective, followedby the Padano District (30%). In theNorthern Apennines District and in theSouthern Apennines District, datareported related to rivers and lakes aregrouped by “surface waters” and showrespectively the 36% and the 38% ofwater bodies in quality falling within goodor high. In several districts the water bodies arenot monitored yet, with high percentagesin the District of Sicily (51.5% of riversand 84% of lakes), in the EasternApennines District (16% of rivers and43% of lakes ), and in the District ofSardinia (30% of rivers and 31% of lakes). As regards the chemical status of rivers,the Padano District shows the highestpercentage of water bodies in “good”status (88%), followed by the EasternAlps District (83%). As regards lakes, thebest situation is observed in the EasternAlps District with the 87% of water bodiesachieving the quality objective, followedby the Central Apennines District (72%).In the Northern Apennines District and inthe Southern Apennines District, datareported related to rivers and lakes aregrouped by “surface waters”, withrespectively the 77% and the 69% ofwater bodies in “good” status. A commondata in most of districts is the highpercentage of not yet monitored waterbodies higher than 80% for rivers and

lakes of the District of Sicily and of theDistrict of Sardinia.

The monitoring aimed at the assessmentof the chemical status of groundwaterconcerned 727 water bodies on a total of794 water bodies (coverage of 91.6%)observing that 65.3% shows a “good”chemical status. The SCAS Index hasbeen elaborated also in terms of surfaceto consider the dimensions of theclassified water bodies from whichemerges that 57.9 % of groundwater is in“good” status and the remaining 42.1% in“poor” status. In order to assess the quantitative statusof the groundwater resources, in terms ofhydrogeological balance equilibrium ( thecapacity to support water extraction onthe long-term in relation with rechargefactors ), the quantitative status index ofgroundwater has been elaborated(SQUAS). In terms of surface, dataanalysis shows that 84.2% ofgroundwater bodies is in “good” classwhile the remaining 15.8% in “poor”class, in terms of surface, while the90.7% of groundwater is in “good” status.

The safeguard of waters represents avery important field of action in which theprinciples of cooperation, solidarity andcommon good must be recognized as keyvalues by national and internationalpolicies. In 2014, the compliance of collectingsystems with the Urban WastewaterTreatment Directive achieved 100% in 15

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regions and in the autonomous provincesof Trento and Bolzano, while achievedbetween 92% and 97% in the otherregions. The organic load produced byagglomerations on the national territory(with potentiality greater than or equal to2,000 p.e.) is 79,383,763 p.e., while theportion of the organic load treated.

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A regular monitoring of natural coastalevolution and of impacts from humanactivities constitutes the necessaryknowledge base for devising anyprotection, management and interventionmeasure.

During the 2011-2014 monitoring period,quality status of coastal bathing waterswith regard to sanitation parameters(faecal bacteria) was for 90.0% excellent,for 4.8% good, for 1.8% sufficient and for2.2% poor. For about 1.2% of bathingwaters it was not possible to carry outthe classification, due in most cases toirregularities in the monitoringfrequencies.

Italy’s coastal bathing waters represent 33%of all monitored costal bathing waters inEurope. The percentage of Italian bathingwaters classified as “excellent” is higherthan the European average which is 85.5%.

In 2015, microalgae Ostreopsis cf. ovatawas detected in 10 coastal regions, whileit was always absent in samples collectedalong the coasts of Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions.

An important goal of the EU WaterFramework Directive is to achieve the"good" status of water bodies by 2015 (or,in the event of an extension, by 2027). Thechemical and ecological classification ofcoastal and transitional waters, hereafterpresented, refers to management plans(update #1) of the eight river basins

identified by Italy.

The ecological quality of coastal andtransition waters is assessed by meansof Biological Quality Elements (BQE)classification in comparison to thenatural or near natural classificationvalues, i.e. the reference values.

Based on the river basins’ ManagementPlans, for coastal marine waters in thePo Delta, Northern Apennines and Apulia(Southern Apennines) basins we find a"moderate" ecological status inrespectively 100% and 50% of waterbodies. In the Eastern Alps basin, the"good" status is found in over 90% ofwater bodies, like in Campania (82%) andin the Central Apennines basin (79%).The Sardinia basin stands out with 64% ofwater bodies in "good" status and as theonly Region with 5% of water bodies in"high” status.With regard to transition waters, inalmost all river basins we have an highpercentage of water bodies not reachingthe “moderate” status class: inparticular, for Po Delta and Apulia(Southern Apennines) basins, 100% and67% respectively of water bodies are in"poor" and "bad" status.

The chemical quality status of waterbodies refers to the measurement ofpriority and priority hazardoussubstances in water bodies, sediment orbiota, compared against their relatedEnvironmental Quality Standard (EQS)

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5. SEA AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENTIn the last decades significant geomorphological changes have beenobserved along Italy’s coasts, due to both natural processes and humanactivities. Microalgae Ostreopsis cf. ovata was detected in 10 coastalregions, while 90% of coastal bathing waters are classified as excellent.

which must not be exceeded to achieve“good chemical status” classification.Highly critical cases are observed in thePo basin, northern Apennines, andCampania and Apulia Regions (SouthernApennines basin), in all of which morethan 50% of marine coastal water bodiesare in “not good” chemical status (exactly50% for the Po basin). Conversely, in theEastern Alps and Sardinia basins, 62%and 53% respectively of water bodies arein “good” status.

As for transition waters, 75% of Po deltacoastal lagoons and 53% of water bodiesof Eastern Alps basin are in a “good”chemical status. In contrast, 80% ofwater bodies of northern Apenninesbasin, 75% of Apulia and 100% ofCampania (Southern Apennines basin),and 55% of Sardinia basin are in a “notgood” chemical status.The process causing the increase of algalprimary production and biomass inwaters is called eutrophication. It alsocauses the consequent accumulation oforganic matter that can lead tohypoxia/anoxia of bottom waters,suffering of benthic communities and fishkills. Eutrophication can have seriouslynegative impacts on the health of marineecosystems and the sustainable use ofresources and services. It is one of the 11descriptors of the EU Marine StrategyFramework Directive (2008/56/EC) forwhich Italy has performed an initialassessment in 2012 in accordance withart. 8 of the Directive.

The processing of available data, inparticular of data regardingconcentration levels of nutrients andchlorophyll 'a' indicators, made itpossible to highlight how the NorthernAdriatic, especially the areas facing thePo delta and the Emilia-Romagna regioncoast, is the area most at risk ofeutrophication. Despite the overallpicture of the last 10 years shows adecrease in the Northern Adriatic trophiclevel, there are still events of intensealgal blooms, triggered and sustainedmainly by nutrients supply from the Pobasin, and dystrophic events withhypoxia/anoxia in bottom waters.

ISPRA monitors the physical state of thesea and performs systematicmeasurements of marine and maritimeclimate parameters. From the analysis ofwave parameters (Hs significant waveheight, direction, T period), as for 2015 itis evident the seasonal nature of storms,although in winter months a lowernumber of storm surges was recordedcompared to the average of previousyears. In particular, the month ofDecember is marked by the absence ofstorm surges in correspondence of themonitoring points.

In the last decades Italy’s coastline hasshown a significant geomorphologicalevolutions, due both to natural processesand man's interventions: from 1950 to1999, 46% of low coasts have undergone

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changes of more than 25 meters;between 2000 and 2007, 37% of thecoastline has undergone changes ofmore than 5 meters, and the stretches ofcoast under erosion (895 km) are stillmore than those in progradation (849km).Despite many conservation andrestoration interventions, between 1999and 2007 Italy’s beaches have lost about16 km2, compared to 15.2 km2 of areas inprogradation. Moreover, their surfacedecreased of further 600,000 m2.

675 km of Italy’s coasts, approximately8.2% of the entire national coastline, areartificialised, in particular with: shore-connected defence works, occupying 414km of the coastline (62% of the totalartificialised coastline); port works,occupying 252 km of the coastline (37%of the total); replenishments for theremaining 9 km (1%). Between 2000-2007, additional 14.2 km of coastlinewere artificialised, mainly for theconstruction of new port facilities for 12.1km (+5.7% compared to 2000), and fordefence works for 2.1 km (+0.5%).

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In Italy soil consumption shows no sign ofdecreasing, we passed from 2.7% ofconsumed soil in the 50’s, to 7% in 2015.Although transformation time of soil hasrecently decreased (after having raised 8m2/sec in 2000 we passed to 4 m2/sec oflast two years 2013-2015) at 2015 about21,000 square Kilometres have beenirreversibly consumed.

Estimates recently updated by Eurostatare substantially in line with nationalmonitoring ones and the portion ofterritory with artificial covering in Italy isestimated, for 2012, equal to 7.0% of thenational total, against the 4.1% of EUaverage. Italy ranks fifth afterNetherlands (12.3%), Belgium (12.1%),Luxembourg (10.1%) and Germany (7.2%)(Eurostat, 2016).

With regard to geographic distribution,the highest percentage values ofconsumed soil are observed in the Northof Italy, in particular in the North-West(2015). At provincial level, the highestpercentage of consumed soil, respect tothe administrative territory, is observedin Monza Brianza Province with morethan 40% in 2015.Among municipalities, the highest valueof sealed soil (85%) has been observed inthe municipality of Casavatore (NA). Soil consumption in coastal area showsvalues definitely higher than in the rest ofthe national territory. Soil consumption incoastal area within 300 m is equal to22.9%, while between 300 m and 1,000 m

is equal to 19.3%. The highest values,more than 45% of consumed soil within300 m from the sea, are observed inLiguria Region and in the Marche Region.

Different areas of the national territoryare prone to soil loss by water erosion.Re-naturalization of different desertedagricultural areas indicates a reductionof the phenomena in the mountain areas,while the increase of mechanization inhilly agricultural areas and the spread offires suggests an increase of thephenomena.Soil loss by water erosion and thedecrease of organic carbon of soils arestrictly related and are two of the maincauses which contribute to loss of soilfunctions and to activate desertificationprocesses.

Mountain areas most affected bydesertification phenomena are in thesouthern regions although in thenorthern regions some critical issues canbe also observed.

According to recent estimates made atEuropean level, Italy ranks first for soilloss by water erosion with values higherthan 8 t/ha*yr against a Europeanaverage of about 2.5 t/ha*yr (RUSLE,2015).

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6. SOILSoil consumption does not stop in Italy.

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In 2015, municipal waste generationreached nearly 30 million tonnes,remaining almost stable compared to2014 (-0.4%). The national per capita MWgeneration confirms this trend, passingfrom 488 kg/inh. in 2014 to 487 kg/inh.in2015.In 2015 per capita MW generation bymacroarea continued to be uneven, with494 kg/inh. in northern Italy, 543 kg/inh.in central Italy and 444 kg/inh. insouthern Italy.

At European level (EU 28), municipalwaste generation for 2013 decreased by1.2% compared to 2012 (from about 246.1million tons to around 243.2 million tons),confirming the decreasing trend startedin the previous years (between 2011 and2012 the decrease was 1.9%).The figure for per capita MW generationconfirms this decreasing trend ofmunicipal waste generation, whichpassed from 488 to 481 kg/inh. per year(-1.4%).

In 2015, separate collection amounted to47.5% of municipal waste totalgeneration, marking a furtherimprovement, though still not enough toreach either the target set for 2011 (60%)or that for 2012 (65%). In northern Italyseparate collection totalled 8 milliontons, in central Italy 2.9 million tons, andin southern Italy 3.1 million tons,corresponding to 58.6%, 43.8% and 33.6%respectively.The analysis of management data shows

that, in 2014, 31.5% of municipal wastewas still disposed of in landfills. Landfillsare, therefore, the most widespreadmanagement model, although no moreprevalent; on the whole, in fact, recycling,treatment and other types of disposalaccount for over a half of the annualwaste generated (68.5%).

In 2014 the percentage of municipalwaste preparation for reuse and recyclingwas 44.6%. Over a third of the recycledquantities (39%) consists of organicfraction, and 27% of paper andcardboard.Despite a gradual increase in rates ofpreparation for reuse and recycling, afurther increase is still required toachieve the target set by regulations.

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7. WASTEMunicipal waste (MW) generation in Italy is almost stable.The separate collection amounts to 47.5% of total production, still not enough toachieve the target of 65% set for 2012.Preparation rates for reuse and recycling of municipal waste have increased,but the target set by regulations for 2020 is not reached yet.

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Nuclear activities: most of radioactivewaste, in terms of activity, can be foundin Piemonte Region (73.8%). FollowCampania Region with 11.9% andBasilicata Region with 8.9%. The regionaldistribution of radioactive waste, in termsof volume, shows a greater concentrationin Lazio Region with 27.6%, followed byPiemonte Region (19%) and LombardyRegion (15.8%).Environmental radioactivity: in absenceof relevant nuclear accidents, radonrepresents the main source of exposureto radioactivity.In Lazio Region and Lombardy Region isobserved a high concentration of radon(Rn-222). This discrepancy with the otherregions is due to the differentconcentration of uranium in rocks andsoils and to their different permeability.

Electromagnetic pollution: in Italy thetotal power of plants (SRB) is equal to7293.30 kW and it is slightly lower thanthe one of RTV plants which is equal to7974.73 kW. It is observed that thenumber of cases of exceeding theregulatory limits with regard to RTVplants (equal to 483) is 7,6 time higherthan that of SRB plants (equal to 63). InJuly 2016, cleaned up exceeding casesrelated to RTV plants prove to be 76% ofthe total while those related to SRBplants 92% of the total. Concerning RTVplants is observed a gradual decrease ofsites (equal to 4% from 2013 to 2014 andto about 5% from 2014 to 2015) and avariation on the plants with a decrease of

about 2% from 2013 to 2014 and a slightincrease equal to 4% from 2014 to 2015.Instead, as regards SRB plants from 2013is observed a stationarity of sites(variation percentages below 1%) and animportant increase of services equal to14% from 2013 to 2014 and to 13% from2014 to 2015.

From 2014 to July 2016 the cases ofexceeding the regulatory limits related toRTV plants have been constant (346)while those related to SRB haveremained almost unchanged movingfrom 51 to 54.

As regards experimental checks, for RTVa variable trend is observed which in anycase from 2010 to 2015 led to a decreaseequal to 40% of the number of checkscarried out; however for SRB except for2012, the number of checks remainedunchanged attesting around 1,100 annualchecks. For 2015, from experimentalchecks carried out on SRB plants 36%proves to be carried out at the request ofcitizens; while for RTV plants checkscarried out at the request of citizensprove to be 40% of the total experimentalchecks.However, the percentages highlight theattention of population to this issue. Noise: in 2015, the 45.9% of noisesources controlled by ARPA-APPAshowed at least an exceedance of theregulatory limits, highlighting a noiseproblem.The most controlled sources proved to be

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8. PHYSICAL AGENTSCitizens keep on maintaining the focus on the issue of electromagnetic fields.High noise levels can affect our well-being; the negative effects of noise onhuman health include stress, decreased psychological well-being, sleepdisturbance as well as cardiovascular disease. According to the World HealthOrganization (WHO) most of Italian people is day-time and night-time exposedto serious noise levels. The main noise source is road traffic.

also for 2015, the service andcommercial activities (54.5%) followed byproduct activities (29.2%).The percentage of Italian municipalitiesapproving noise classification plan isequal to 59% (31 December 2015).Regions with the highest percentages ofzoned municipalities are Valle d’Aosta(100%), Tuscany (99%), Marche (97%),Lombardy (95%), Veneto (91%), Liguria(rises to 85%), Province of Trento (76%),Piemonte (74%), Emilia Romagna (71%);while the regions registering percentagesbelow 15% are: Province of Bolzano(14%), Apulia (12%), Abruzzo (10%) andSicily (2%). At present in the Regions ofFriuli-Venezia Giulia, Basilicata andMolise the Noise Classification Plandoesn’t prove to be a tool used formunicipality planning. Instead, asregards Calabria Region information isnot available.

Consistent increases in the number ofzoned municipalities compared to theprevious year are not observed neitherthe percentage of people living inmunicipalities with approved noiseclassification plan, which is equal to 66%of total population (+2% comparing to2014), nor the percentage of zonedsurface equal to 50% of the wholenational surface (unchanged compared to2014).

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Italy is particularly prone to naturalhazards for its distinctive geological andgeomorphological structure.Natural events potentially hazardous topeople are divided in two maincategories, based on their geneticmechanism: endogenous events (e.g.earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) whichare related to processes from within theEarth, and exogenous events (e.g. floods,landslides, avalanches) which occur onthe Earth surface.The study of earthquakes, surfacefaulting and volcanic eruptions is veryimportant in a country like Italy, wherethe hazards from such events oftenaffects densely populated and industrialareas. Hydrogeological instability hasalso become (since the second postwarperiod) a problem of great social andeconomic importance, precisely for theinteractions between natural processesand human activities.A fact-finding analysis of hazardconditions is therefore important for aneffective land use management, whichmust be supported by a policy of bothprediction and prevention.

In 2015, unlike 2016 (see supplementaryinformation box), there were nodamaging earthquakes in Italy.Earthquakes with magnitude equal orgreater than 2 were 1,963, as recorded by

the Italian National Seismic Networkoperated by INGV. The two most intenseearthquakes, with magnitudes 4.7 and4.5, had very deep hypocenters (deeperthan 200 km) and thus they were notdamaging.

In Italy there is a large number of capablefaults, that is active faults able toproduce surface or near-surface ruptureor significant deformation during anearthquake.Surface faulting is a part of seismichazard that focuses on potential surfacerupture/tectonic deformation during aseismic event.The intense urbanization of the lastdecades has widely affected even areasnear capable faults, and currently thereare no regulatory measures to curb thistrend. The surface faulting index revealsthe most critical areas to be in theTyrrhenian side of Calabria, as well as ineastern Sicily, central-southernApennines and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Seismic hazard poses a risk also to thevaluable cultural assets of Italy: heritageassets located in municipalities classifiedas seismic zone 1 (dangerous areaswhere very strong earthquakes mayoccur) are 10,297, i.e. 5.4% on a total of190,931.During 2015, the Mount Etna registered

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9. NATURAL HAZARDSIn 2015 there were no damaging earthquakes in Italy. Earthquakes withmagnitude equal or greater than 2 were 1,963, as recorded by the ItalianNational Seismic Network operated by INGV. The two most intenseearthquakes, with magnitudes 4.7 and 4.5, had very deep hypocenters andthus they were not damaging. The surface faulting index reveals the most critical areas to be in theTyrrhenian side of Calabria, as well as in eastern Sicily, central-southernApennines and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. 217 landslides caused 12 victims and damages to the road and rail networks.

three critical eruptional events, whichforced the partial closure of the nearbyCatania airport because of the ash bothdeposited on airstrips and dispersed inthe atmosphere. Italy’s heritage assetsare exposed to volcanic hazard as well:those located in high hazard areas are3,064, corresponding to 1.6%.With regards to weather, in 2015 therewere numerous events of heavy rainfalling in a short amount of time, whichwere followed by flash floods.

Ground effects, such as failure ofembankments, floodings, erosion-depositional events, landslides, coastalinstability, were significant. In 2015 theannual accumulated rainfall wasdecidedly lower than in 2014, with theexception of Sicily and Calabria regionswhich were instead affected by severalevents, with higher values than previousyears. In these regions, the recurrence ofevents of similar intensity in the sameareas amplified the ground effects andthe damages.

In Italy, the population living in flood riskareas equals to: 1,915,236 inhabitants(3.2%) for the “high hazard” scenario P3(return period between 20 and 50 years);5,922,922 inhabitants (10%) for the“medium hazard” scenario P2 (returnperiod between 100 to 200 years);9,039,990 inhabitants (15.2%) for the “lowhazard” scenario P1 (low probability offloods or extreme events).Heritage assets at risk from flooding are

29,005 as for the “medium hazard”scenario P2, and 40,454 as for the “lowhazard” scenario P1.

In 2015 there were 217 major landslidesin Italy, which caused 12 victims anddamages to the road and rail networks.These events occurred throughoutalmost the entire country, in particular inSicily, province of Bolzano, Abruzzi,Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, and includethe rapid flow along the stream Ru Seccoin San Vito di Cadore (BL) on 08/04/2015,which caused 3 deaths, and the landslidein Calatabiano (ME) on 24/10/2015triggered by intense rainfalls, whichdamaged the Fiumefreddo pipe, causingthe interruption of the water supply in thecity of Messina for several days.

Overall, the population at risk oflandslides in Italy is equal to: 503,282inhabitants living in “very high hazard”areas P4; 744,397 inhabitants living in“high hazard” areas P3; 1,587,177inhabitants living in “medium hazard”areas P2; 2,132,393 inhabitants living in“moderate hazard” areas P1, and 680,197inhabitants living in areas of attention.Considering the 2 most hazardousclasses (P3 and P4), the population atrisk equals to 1,247,679 inhabitants,representing 2.1% of the total.The Italian regions with the largestnumber of inhabitants living in landslidehazard areas classified as P3 and P4 are:Campania, Tuscany, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna.

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As for the heritage assets, 34,651 are atrisk from landslides, including 10,335which are located in areas of high andvery high hazard class.

Italy is one of the European countries mostthreatened by all types of natural hazards,including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,landslides, and floods.With regards to seismicity and capablefaults, in Europe only Greece has a greaterhazard than Italy. In Europe, 16% of theUNESCO heritage sites fall in highseismicity areas, while 62% of the sites arelocated in low seismicity places. For Italy,however, the scenario is reversed, with 28%of UNESCO sites in high seismicity areasand only 16% in low seismicity areas.Furthermore, because of its geological andmorphological features (75% of the territoryis mountainous-hilly), Italy is the Europeancountry most affected by landslides. Of thealmost 900,000 landslides surveyed inEurope, more than 600,000 occurred in Italy(EuroGeoSurveys survey, to be published).Concerning flood hazard following heavy orexceptional rainfalls, Europe’s mostexposed areas are in Great Britain andnearby the main mountain ranges.Therefore, central-northern Italy has thesame high flood hazard found in the Alpsand Pyrenees regions and in great riverplains of France, Germany, Austria, CzechRepublic, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Balkanarea.In addition, flood hazard in Italy isparticularly high for its important culturalassets.

In Italy there are 6 volcanoes that, in case oferuption, pose a risk to the UNESCOcultural and natural heritage sites, on atotal of 10 volcanoes in Europe considereddangerous for the UNESCO sites. Inparticular, at Italy’s level, the buffer zones ofthe Vesuvius and Phlegraean Fieldsvolcanoes reach UNESCO cultural sites,while the buffer zones of the other 4volcanoes involve only UNESCO naturalsites. At Europe’s level, the buffer zone ofthe Methana volcano (Greece) involve thecultural site of Epidaurus, while the other 3volcanoes reach only UNESCO natural sites.

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CENTRAL ITALY EARTHQUAKE OF 24 AUGUST 2016 (UPDATED TO SEPTEMBER 2016)

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struckcentral Italy on 24 Aug. 2016 at 03:36 a.m.The epicenter was few kilometers northof the town of Accumoli (RI), in the Lazioregion, near the borders with the Marche,Umbria and Abruzzo regions. About anhour later a second earthquake ofmagnitude 5,4 occurred, few kilometerseast of Norcia (PG). The two mainearthquakes were followed by thousandsof aftershocks, and the seismic sequenceis still ongoing (Fig. 1).

The focal mechanisms of the twoearthquakes show an almost purenormal motion from NE to SW, occurredalong a tectonic structure (possiblysegmented) showing Apenninicorientation (NW-SE). The 2016 seismicsequence is typical of the centralApennines and especially of the affectedarea, where earthquakes of even greater

magnitude occurred in historical times.In particular, the two known mostdestructive historical precedents in thearea are the Monti della Laga earthquakein 1639 (estimated magnitude 6.2), whichreached a MCS intensity IX-X in Amatriceand VIII-IX in Accumoli, and the Valnerinaearthquake in 1703 (estimated magnitude6.9), which reached a MCS intensity X inAccumoli and IX in Amatrice.

The earthquake sequence of August-September 2016 caused severe damageand the death toll was very high due tothe great vulnerability of buildings,mostly masonry structures lackingearthquake-resistant design criteria. Inaddition, the local building stone,consisting of sandstone, does not havegood geotechnical properties because of

Figure 1: Update at 23Sept. 2016 of theseismic sequencestarted with the 6.0-magnitude earthquakeof 24 Aug. 2016 Source: www.ingv.it

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its high degradation and erodibility. Thedeath toll was high also because theearthquake unfortunately occurred at theend of August, a busy summer periodwhen the populations of the villages inthe area are swelled by holidaymakers(mostly second home owners from biggercities). The "site effects" also contributedto building damage, due to the localgeological and geomorphologicalconditions of the built environment.

In the most affected villages, seismicmicro-zoning studies are underway toprecisely characterise from this point ofview the ground on which those townsstand.Immediately after the quake of August24, several teams of geologists fromItalian academic and researchinstitutions performed surveys in theepicentral area to locate and map theearthquake environmental effects, themain of which were landslides andsurface faulting. The gravitational effectsresulting from ground shaking (20%fractures and 80% landslides) aredistributed over an area of 3,000 km2.More than 86% of the landslides occurredwithin 15 km from the epicentre. Most

landslides consists of rock falls (72%),and of rotational and translationalmovements (28%). The collapses (withblocks up to 15 m3) mainly affected theroad network, causing the temporaryclosure of important roads, butsometimes they also damaged homes(Figure 2). The co-seismic activation ofpre-existing landslides amplified theseismic shaking impact in many villages.For example, in Pescara del Tronto andAccumoli, very steep slopes havecollapsed even due to the collapse ofretaining walls, consistently contributingto the damage.Figure 3 shows the trace of the surfacerupture observed for at least 4.5kilometers along the western side of theMonte Vettore massif. This featurecertainly has clear tectonic-structuralorigin, but also a gravitational componentthat is accentuated in the fracturesobserved along the slope south of theSP34 road to the Forca di Presta pass.

Figure 2: Left: Collapse of blocks that interrupted the road between the Salaria and the village of Tufo (AP); Center: Block collapsed on a road sign at the entrance of Tufo; Right: Wall of a house in Capodacqua (AP) damaged by a block rolled from the overlying slopeSource: ISPRA

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Figure 3: Left: Trace of surface ruptures observed along the western slopes of the Vettore andVettoretto; mounts. Right: surface rupture with a throw of about 15 cm towards SW. Source: ISPRA

Figure 4:Interferogram ofSentinel-1 imagesacquired fromascending orbitsbefore and after theearthquakes of24.08.2016(comet.nerc.ac.uk/)with faults (redlines) taken fromthe ITHACA catalogof the active andcapable faults. Source:sgi.isprambiente.it/GMV2/index.html

Thanks to the analysis of satellite radarimages through the InSAR technique(Interferometry Synthetic ApertureRadar), it was possible to define earth'ssurface deformation in the area affectedby the earthquake. The results ofSentinel-1, COSMO-Sky-Med and ALOS-2images analysis show a double-spoondeformation (due to the movementsassociated with the two main quakes),with a maximum ground subsidence of

approximately 20 cm in the Accumoliarea. Furthermore, the horizontaldeformation along the direction E-W,which affected an even greater area thanthat affected by vertical movements, hada maximum displacement of 16 cmtowards West (Figures 4 and 5).

Figure 5: Above: Maps ofcoseismicdeformation (alongthe radar Line ofSight) obtained fromascending anddescending orbits(IREA- CNR andINGV), using theDifferential SARinterferometrytechnique, startingfrom Sentinel-1A and1B radar dataacquired on15.08.2016 and21.08.2016 (pre-eventimages) and on27.08.2016 (post-event images); Below:Maps of the verticaland east-westdisplacement ofground, obtained byjointly exploiting theascending (South-North) anddescending (North-South) orbits. Theblue line representsthe ground trace ofthe fault.Source:www.irea.cnr.it/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=755:terremoto-di-amatrice

The chemical agents are potentiallydangerous substances for man and theenvironment. Their use is spread in allproductive sectors and are incorporatedin most objects of common use. Theiruse is essential in daily life contributingto economic wellbeing also in terms ofemployment. It is not possible to give a simpleresponse to risk issue, as it varies withthe substance, the time and the exposuremodality. As reported in the EU WhitePaper “Strategy for a future Chemicalspolicy”, the incidence of diseases, evenvery serious ones and allergies, hassignificantly increased in the lastdecades. A not yet adequate knowledgeon the consequences for human healthand the environment contributes toarouse worries. The 7th EAP – The newgeneral Union Environment ActionProgramme to 2020, ”Live well, withinthe limits of our planet” has set theobjective to produce and use thechemical substances to limit possibleharmful effects.

The European Union has updatedlegislation on chemical substances andhas issued REACH Regulation(Registration, Evaluation, Authorizationand Restriction of Chemicals),establishing an integrated system ofregistration, assessment, authorizationand restriction of chemical substances.The aim is to improve the security level in

the management of the substances,maintaining competitiveness andstimulating innovation in the chemicalindustry. Simultaneously CLP Regulationhas been issued with the aim ofharmonizing and making information onchemical products risk more effective.The companies which produce, import oruse chemical substances are firstresponsible for security in themanagement.

The European Agency for chemicalsubstances (ECHA) and the qualifiedauthorities for the Member States carryout a control activity on theaccomplishments by enterprises and canintervene with specific measures in casethe risk of substances is not adequatelycontrolled.

The main objective of REACH is toimprove knowledge of hazards and risksoriginating from chemical productsalready existing (those produced on themarket before 1981) and new (afterSeptember 1981) and, at the same time,to maintain and improve competitivenessand innovative capability of the Europeanchemical industry.

With REACH Regulation have beenstarted evaluations of 222 prioritysubstances. The process of restrictionshas been made more efficient comparedto the previous legislation. As a matter of

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10. CHEMICAL AGENTSSince 1930 the global production of chemical substances has increased from1 million of tonnes to several hundreds of millions of tonnes. EU is the world’ssecond largest producer after China and about 100,000 chemical substancesare estimated on the European market. Italy is the third producer afterGermany and France in Europe, and the tenth in the world. The chemicalenterprises operating in Italy are 2,740 and they employ about 109,000workers, but the use of chemical products concerns all productive sectors.

fact before REACH, were adoptedaveragely two restrictions per year; nowthe average has increased of 50%. At theend of 2015 the number of restrictionproposals for substances revealingunacceptable risks in specific conditionsof use was equal to 30. Finally, with theauthorization process have beenidentified about 180 substances “of veryhigh concern” channeled in a substitutionpath with more safe alternatives. CLPRegulation, with the adoption of theUnited Nations' Globally HarmonisedSystem of Classification and Labelling ofChemicals (GHS), facilitatedcommunication on hazardous substancesaround the world. The classificationprocess however has been made moreefficient, concentrating on moresignificant types of danger. Since 2009have been set up about 200 harmonizedclassifications. In addition to the abovedescribed regulations which can begenerally applied to chemicalsubstances, there are also specificsectoral regulations as in the case ofpesticides, subject to an aimed rule asdangerous by definition. The monitoringof pesticides in waters is included in theDirective on sustainable use of pesticides(Directive 2009/128/EC), with the aim ofidentifying possible adverse effects whichhave not been taken into account in theauthorisation phase. The producedinformation gives also the possibility tosupport decision processes aimed at

limiting the risks for the environment. Inmore than ten years of monitoringactivities an increase of territorialcovering and of the representativeness ofsurveys has undoubtedly occurred. Thelevels of contamination referred toenvironmental limits as defined by thelegislation in force, prove a state ofcontamination already pointed out in theprevious years, with a considerableexceedance of limits especially insuperficial waters. In superficial waters,274 monitoring points (21.3% of the total)have concentrations exceeding theenvironmental quality limits. Thesubstances that more frequently causedthe exceedance are: gliphosate and itsmetabolite AMPA(aminomethylphosphonic acid),metolachlor, tricyclazole, oxadiazon,terbuthylazine and its major metabolite,desetyl-terbuthylazine. The analysis ofthe evolution of contamination shows agradual increase of the territorialdiffusion of contamination during theperiod of observation from 2003 to 2014,with a direct association to the extensionof the monitoring network and to thenumber of the substances searched. However considerable differences persistamong regions and with regard to waterstatus the whole national context is notadequately represented. Furthermore, itis important to consider that thecontamination phenomenon iscontinuously evolving, mainly because of

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the introduction of new substances in themarket to which monitoring plans hardlyconform to. Therefore it is possible toaffirm that we are still in a temporaryphase in which the entity and degree ofpesticide contamination are notsufficiently known.

New EU Regulation has laid thegroundwork for a more safe and efficientmanagement of chemical substances. Tenyears which is the period of time sinceREACH was issued are not a enough to fullyestimate the long-term effects. However afirst analysis is absolutely positive. WithREACH have been started the evaluations ofpriority substances and have been adoptedrestrictions for substances of unacceptablerisks in certain conditions of use. Finallywith the authorisation process, the “veryhigh concern” substances are channeled ina substitution path with more safealternatives.

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The allergenic pollens index is obtainedfrom the annual sum of daily pollenconcentrations for the main and mostcommon allergenic families in Italy. Itallows to evaluate the allergenic pollenload in a specific area and to compare itwith that of other places, as well as tostudy its variability in space and time.

These data contribute to the evaluation ofhealth risk associated with allergies andallow for the initial assessment of anyspecific mitigation measures possiblytaken by competent authorities.

Some variability, potentially very stronglocally, was confirmed by comparing datafrom 2015 with those of previous years.The variability is mainly attributable toweather conditions recorded during theyear, that can favour or reduce thepresence of airborne pollens. This isespecially true when the families involvedare Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Urticaceaeand Graminaceae, which are responsiblefor most of the monitored pollens. Evenin presence of this high seasonalvariability, the allergenic pollen indexconfirms that the areas with thegreatest/lowest presence of airbornepollens are basically always the same.

The Cupressaceae-Taxaceae family, inparticular, is present throughout thecountry and especially in central Italy.The use of cypress trees is verywidespread in urban green areas, fortheir great ornamental and functional

features. However, they produce largeamounts of highly allergenic pollen andtheir use should be therefore stronglyreduced in favour of species with thesame beauty and functionality features,but not as troublesome to human health.

Aerobiological monitoring is carried outin most European countries, and themonitoring networks of 35 countriesadhere to the EAN - EuropeanAeroallergen Network(https://polleninfo.org).

This distribution led to the need tostandardize this activity, which in 2015resulted in the Technical DocumentCEN/TS 16868:2015, defining thereference method at European level forperforming aerobiological monitoring.Regarding airborne pollens in Italy, thepeculiarity is the high biodiversity withthe presence of numerous plant specieswith allergenic pollens blooming in verydifferent periods. This implies a greatercomplexity in the monitoring and acommitment extending for most of thecalendar year.

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11. ALLERGENIC POLLENS INDEXA great variability in the allergenic pollens index is observed at local level.

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EIA (the Environmental ImpactAssessment), SEA (the StrategicEnvironmental Assessment) and IEA (theIntegrated Environmental Authorisation)are all mandatory tools which disciplineseveral aspects related to sustainabilityof human activities affecting theenvironment.

Among the works subject to national EIA,procedures end positively in about 84% ofcases. In 2015 have been issued 51 EIAdecrees of which 48 positive withprescriptions and 3 negative. Over theyears, the type of projects subject to EIA,under the government jurisdiction haveundergone some variations according tothe changes of European directives andItalian regulations. This more articulatednormative system and the evolution ofthe procedure itself, allowed realizationconditions give rise to always morecomplicated regulatory frameworks.In fact, the average number ofprescriptions contained in the decreeshas increased compared to the numberof decrees revealing a growing trend.Furthermore the percentage ofprovisions in which the Agency System(ISPRA/ARPA/APPA) is involved, on thetotal of given prescriptions is equal to20%, with a considerably growing trendfrom 2010 to 2015, reflecting theconsolidation of the role played by theSystem in the assessment andenvironmental monitoring actions. In the decrees issued in 2015 there is atotal of 2,225 provisions of which 1,152

(equal to 52%) represent the highestvalue of prescriptions attributed to theAgency System since 1995.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA) starts with the elaboration ofplans/programmes and continuesparallel to their complete development toassure the integration of theenvironmental and sustainable aspects inthe planning/programming. In 2014 (19regions out of 20) stands out clearly thatthe largest number of SEAs concluded inthe different regions concerns inter-municipal/municipal urban plans; inparticular the SEAs of municipal plansrepresent 81% of total SEAs. Data relatedto screenings show that most ofconcluded checks in 2014 areconcentrated in Lombardy (23%), Emilia-Romagna (18%), Tuscany (12%) andVeneto (9%), which together cover 62% ofthe total of screenings.The 94% of the screenings carried outare of exclusion from VAS, of which,about 40% subject to the observance ofcertain prescriptions.With respect to SEAs, at national levelthe number of procedures over theperiod 01/04/2015 – 30/04/2016, equal to25, is mostly determined by thepreparation of Flood Risk ManagementPlans of the river basin districts (7/25)according to Directive 2007/60/CE and bythe update of the river basinManagement Plans (5/25) according tothe Water Framework Directive 2000/60.The procedure for IEA issue falls within

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12. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS,AUTHORISATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS Towards a sustainable development with EIA, SEA and IEA. EMAS and EUEcolabel are constantly growing.

the actions aimed at integrated pollutionprevention and reduction. In particular, in 2015, IEAs granted torefineries mostly contributed to SOx andCO emission reduction respectively with6,750 and 2,370 tonnes/year and equal to73% and to 26%, while IEAs of chemicalplants contributed to the abatement ofNOx and SOx respectively with 2,576 and801 tones/year equal to 73% and to 23%.With regard to PTS, both the refineriesand the chemical plants contributedslightly to such reduction respectivelywith 142 and 103 tonnes/year equal to 2%and 3%. Chemical plants contributed alsoslightly to CO emission reduction with 43tones/year (1%). The emission reductionof micropollutants results to be null forthermoelectric power plants.

In 2015, there is evidence of a totalabatement respectively of 7,551tonnes/year of SOx equal to 59%, of 2,576tonnes/year of NOx equal to 20%, of 2,413tonnes/year of CO equal to 19% and of245 tonnes/year of Powders equal to 2%.With regard to VOC, in the period 2013-2015, IEAs of refineries and ofthermoelectric power plants have mainlycontributed to VOC reduction respectivelywith 2.910 tonnes/year equal to 98% and1,298 tonnes/year equal to 97%, whileIEAs of chemical plants have contributedslightly to such reduction with 19tonnes/year equal to 56%.

The managers of operational plants withIEA issued by the Ministry of the

Environment Land and Sea (MATTM) havethe obligation of self controlling the plantincluded the monitoring of emissions andperiodical dissemination of results tocontrol agencies. In 2013 the number ofplants subject to surveillance is nearlydoubled compared with 2010, rangingfrom 74 to 146, while in 2014 varied ofsome tens. That is to indicate that theauthorisation process of existing plantshas concluded and that the request ofauthorisations for new plants is almostinexistent. The plants controlled with insitu inspection have always increasedover the years and for 2014, representabout the 60% of the total. The controlactivity carried out in 2015 led to theidentification of a number of plants withno-compliance to IEA almost unchangedin absolute terms respect to 2014, buthigher in percentage terms; in fact, in2015 have been observed no-compliancefalling back whether under the penaltyadministrative system or under the penalone in one plant out of three.

In the EU Environmental Legislation, someelements are emphasized in a different waycompared to the Italian Legislation. In theFrench environmental Code (2013), forexample, the content of EIA must be scaledto environmental awareness of the areaspotentially involved by the project and to therelevance and the nature of the worksthemselves. The Spanish EnvironmentalImpact Assessment Legislation (2013)establishes for EIA and SEA a similarprocedural system, with a unified

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terminology, differentiating for both anordinary procedure and a simplifiedprocedure. The proposer applies the project,the impact study and the result ofconsultations with public authorities and theinterested audience. The SEA Directive (2001/42/EC), entered intoforce on 21 July 2001, considers that theEuropean Commission should prepare areport on the application and effectiveness ofthe Directive every seven years. The firstreport to the Council, the EuropeanParliament, the European economic andsocial Committee and to the Committee ofthe Regions, COM 469, dates back to 2009. Asstated in the conclusions of the study (27Member States) with regard to theconsidered period, in most cases the Statesreported of EIA experiences as still limited. The Commission is preparing the secondReport for the period 2007-2014, to bepresented by 2016.From EC data with regard to the situationreported at the end of 2012 comes to lightthat at EU level given a total number of a bitless of 50,000 installments subject to IPPCregulation more than 6,000 have beenregistered in Italy. Only Germany and Francehave a greater number of installments, whileSpain and United kingdom have a numbercomparable to Italy. Generally with regard tothe other main categories of activity isobserved a grater incidence of energy andchemical plants in EU while of metal andmineral industry in Italy. Considering theimportant variety of the productive fabric andthe applicative approaches adopted amongEU Members would be less meaningful to

refer to a “european average”.

The number of companies andenterprises endorsing EMAS and EUEcolabel community regulations(voluntary certifications) is increasing.

EMAS Scheme being applicable to everytype of organisation (company or PublicAdministration) results to be particularlyversatile, it can contribute to improve theresource management and to empowercompany towards the environment.

In 2015 have been issued 1,745 EMAScertificates in Italy and the Region withthe greatest number of registrations(191) is Lombardy. The most activeorganisations concerning registrationare those operating in the waste andmaterial recover sector (263) whichfurther increased in the last year, andPublic Administrations (186) whichdecreased instead.

In Europe in November 2015 have beencounted 3,928 organisations registered.Germany ranks first with 1,200registrations active, followed by Italy(1,015) and Spain (943).

From an analysis of the type oforganisation registered emerges that themost productive sectors are waste (468),Public Administrations (379) and energy(266). The distribution in terms ofdimension highlights a relevance ofmicro/small enterprises (48%) followed

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by medium (30%) and large (22%).

EU Ecolabel trade addresses to 10-20%of the best product/services inenvironmental terms present on theeuropean market, taking into accountalso the performance aspect of productsbeyond the ecological aspects. At present35 groups of EU Ecolabelproducts/services are available. EuEcolabel licenses in force in 2015 are 365,on a total of 748 products/servicescertified.

At European level, in March 2016, EUEcolabel licenses in force are 1,875, on atotal of 36,403 products/servicescertified. The greatest number oflicenses has been attributed to France(26% - 486 licenses in total ), followed byItaly (18% - 337 licenses) and Germany(12% - 231 licenses ). However from ananalysis of the number of certifiedproducts and services, Italy holds therecord with 16,815 products-services,followed by France (3,745) and Spain(3,165). The product group ranking thehighest number of licenses is TouristAccommodation Service (654 licenses),followed by All-Purpose Cleaners andSanitary Cleaners (276) and Tissue Paper(133). However, with regard to thesubdivision of the number of productsand services, at the first place rank HardCoverings (12,117) and to follow TissuePaper (6,964) and Copying and GraphicPaper (4,194).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

35

Environmental information is of strategicimportance not only for policy makers,but also for all stakeholders includingcitizens; on-line databases andpublications are now indispensable toolsto spread environmental information andawareness.

ISPRA and the ARPAs/APPAs contributeto the need for environmental knowledge,in particular through their websites andreporting products (e.g. thematic andcross-thematic reports, guidelines, etc.)Based on a survey carried out by ISPRA,in the period 2013-2015 there was ageneral improvement of the availability ofenvironmental information andcommunication tools offered by thewebsites of both the National System forEnvironmental Protection (ISPRA andARPAs/APPAs) and some of the mainItalian research institutions performingactivities in the environment field: 23sites out of 29 have in fact registered agrowing or constant score.The evaluation of the informationavailability took into account the maintypes of services and sections (30)relating to environmental informationand communication, present in thewebsites of the National System forEnvironmental Protection, of the Ministryof Environment and of some researchinstitutions.

The presence/absence of each identifiedtype of services and sections waschecked within the website; in case of

presence, it was always attributed ascore equal to 1.

In particular, the “medium” score (20.6)achieved by the research institutions’websites was higher than the oneobtained by the environment agencies(19.1) and also than the overall averagescore (19.6).In 2015 only 6 tools over 30 , showed anincreasing trend (Environmental themes,Online databases and forms, Onlinemagazines, Mobile version of websitesand Toll-free numbers), compared to 14in 2014. Some tools, not necessarily in a‘ready for adoption’ stage, maintained aconstant presence: among them thereare Media and Social networks (66%),RSS (55%) and Newsletters (52%). Otherstools, instead, suffered a setback: amongthem there are Regulations and bulletins(-7%), Indicators (-28%), Press Areacontents (-6%), Youtube (-4%), whilethere was an increase in the presence ofOnline databases and magazines (+ 7%),Environmental themes (+ 4%) and ofMobile version of websites (+ 21%).This last element underlines the need totake increasingly into account digitalusers who access via smartphones.

The comparison between communicationand information tools found in theARPAs/APPAs’ websites and those foundin the websites of research institutions,shows a difference between the twocategories due to their nature, aims andavailable means.

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13. ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGENew tools for environmental information.

Notably, research institutions mostly useinnovative tools such as Website mobileversions, Youtube channels, Apps.Multimedia products, for example, arefound in 100% of the analysed researchinstitutions websites (compared to 52% ofARPAs/APPAs websites), while Socialnetworks are used by 88% of researchinstitutions websites, against 57% ofenvironmental agencies. These latter,however, show a greater strength in thedata dissemination with a substantialavailability of Bulletins and Databases,found in 100% of the environmentalagencies websites, versus 25% and 88%respectively in research institutionswebsites. Indicators are also morepresent in ARPAs/APPAs websites (86%)than in research institutions websites(25%). Actually, Indicators are the toolsthrough which environmental agenciesmake publicly available theirenvironmental monitoring and controlactivities.

Some tools are used uniformly by bothcategories of institutions, either becausemandatorily present in any publicinstitution website (such as E-mail orCertified e-mail) or for a commonmission to disseminate environmentalinformation (Publications, News,Themes).

As for environmental informationproducts, for years 2014 and 2015Newsletter is the most used tool byARPAs/APPAs in order to achieve a more

extensive dissemination of informationabout the environment and theirinstitutional activities.The reporting tool most widely used isthe "thematic report", with an averagetotal number of publications of onehundred. The thematic areas of maininterest are "air" and "water".

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48

INDICATOR DPSIR TEMPORALCOVERAGE TREND

3. AIR POLLUTION

- Emissions of pariculate matter(PM10): trends and breakdown bysector

P 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005-2014

- Atmospheric concentration ofPM10- Atmospheric concentration ofPM2.5- Atmospheric concentration of O3- Atmospheric concentration of NO2

S

S

S

S

2014

2014

2014

2014

2. CLIMATE: STATE AND CHANGES- Total greenhouse gas emissionsand emissions from energyprocesses

P 1990-2014

- Average temperature- Tropical nights- Heat waves

S/IS/IS/I

1961-20151961-20151961-2015

1. BIODIVERSITY- Terrestrial protected areas- Marine protected areas- Natura 2000 Network- Wetlands of InternationalImportance

R

1922-20102003, 2012

2003-January 20161976-2013

- Consistency of fishing activities D/P 1996-2014

- Consistency and level of threat of animal species - Consistency and level of threat of plant species - Dissemination of non-nativeanimal and plant species

S/I

S/I

P

2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014,2015

1992, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2013,2014, 20151900-2014

49

5. SEA AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

- Artificialised coast with maritimeand coastal defence works- Coastal dynamics

P/S/R

P/S/I

2000-2007

1950-1999, 2000-2007

- Protected coast - Concentration of Ostreopsis ovata

P/S/RS/I

2000-20072015

- Bathing water classification- Ecological status of coastal marinewaters - Ecological status of transitionalwaters- Chemical status of coastal-marinewaters- Chemical status of Transitionalwaters

- Eutrophication- Sea storms

S

S

S

S

S

SS

2011-2014

2010-2016

2010-2016

2010-2016

2010-2016

2001-2009

2002-2015

-

4. INLAND WATER QUALITY

- Purifiers: conformity of urbanwaste water sewage system R 2014

- Percentage of purified waste water R 2014

- Quality Index of the ecologicalstatus of surface water - Quality Index of the chemicalstatus of surface water - Quality Index of the chemicalstatus of groundwater (SCAS) - Quantitative status index ofgroundwater (SQUAS)

S

S

S

S

2010-2015

2010-2015

2010-2015

2010-2015

-

INDICATOR DPSIR TEMPORALCOVERAGE TREND

50

7. WASTE

- Municipal waste generation- Quantity of municipal wasteseparately collected- Percentage of preparation forreuse and recycling

PR

R

2007-20152007-2015

2010-2014

- Quantity of waste disposed of inlandfill, total and by type of waste R 2000-2014

8. PHYSICAL AGENT

- Number of prior opinions andmonitoring interventions onsources of RF and MO fields

R 2015

- Quantity of radioactive waste held- Exceedance of normativereference values forelectromagnetic fields generatedby plants for radio-telecommunication, remedialactions- Monitored sources and relativepercentage where at least anexceedance of limits has beenobserved - State of implementation ofmunicipal noise classificationplans

P

S/R

D/S

R

2014

2016

2000-2003, 2006-2015

2015

6. SOIL

- Water erosion

- Soil sealing and soil consumption

- Soil consumption in coastal area

- Percentage of organic carbon (OC)content in the topsoil (0- 30 cm)

S

P

P

S

2014 (SIAS project 14 regions), 2015

50’s (IGM maps of differentdate), 1989, 1996, 1998, 2006,

2008, 2013, 2015

2006-2015

2014

-Desertification S/I1990-2000

2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

INDICATORE DPSIR TEMPORALCOVERAGE TREND

51

INDICATOR DPSIR TEMPORALCOVERAGE TREND

9. NATURAL HAZARDS

- Population at risk of flooding- Population at risk of landslides- Cultural assets at risk of landslides and flooding- Cultural assets at risk of earthquakes- Cultural assets at volcanic risk- Surface faulting index for urbanareas- Floods- Landslides- Earthquakes- Surface faulting (capable faults)

III

I

IS

P/IS/ISS

201520152015

2015

20152006

1951- 201520152015

2000-2012

-

10. CHEMICAL AGENTS

- Safety of chemical substances:REACH D/R 2008-2015

- Water quality–pollution frompesticides I/S 2003-2014 -

11. ALLERGENIC POLLEN INDEX

- Allergenic pollen index P/S/I 2015 -

- Traffic noise: exposition anddisturbance - State of implementation of noisecharacterization of airport’sneighbourhood

S

R

2012

2015

- Concentration of indoor radonactivity

S 1989-2014 -

52

INDICATORE DPSIR TEMPORALCOVERAGE TREND

13. ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE

- Web environmental informationand communication R 2013-2015

- Number of environmentalinformation products R 2014-2015 -

12. ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATIONS

- Monitoring of plants of statejurisdiction - Reduction of the emissionsreleased into the air of macro-polluters (SOx, NOx, CO, Dusts) - Reduction of the emissionsreleased into the air of micro-polluters (VOC – Volatile OrganicCompounds)- EU Ecolabel certified licenses andproducts

R

I/R

I/R

R

2009-2015

2015

2012-2015 (E-PRTR) 2013-2015

1998-2015

- Organisations with EMASregistration R 1997-2015

- EIA Decrees of state jurisdiction - Prescriptions contained in EIADecrees of state concerned - SEA Procedure of state jurisdictionand of Regions and AutonomousProvinces jurisdiction

RR

R

June 1989-2015June 1989-2015

For State EIA: from01/04/2015 to 30/04/2016For regional EIA: 2014

-