Welcome to the Earth.Org Global Sustainability Index, where Earth.Org examines the policies and actions regarding the environment of every nation on earth. Combining the most respected global indexes on pollution, climate change, policy, energy, oceans, biodiversity we have produced an overall Global Index, which will be updated annually. This is the Global Sustainability Index scorecard for Italy.
Under a high emissions scenario, mean annual temperature in Italy is projected to rise by about 5.1°C on average from 1990 to 2100.
It has a national target of reducing GHG emissions in 2020 by 18% below 2005 levels. However, Italy did not submit its own NDC or emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement, committing instead to the EU NDC.
Italy has invested heavily in renewable energy, having surpassed its 2020 target already. The share of renewables in Italy’s energy mix has shown a distinct upward trend from 6% in 2007 to 15%- around twice the G20 average- in 2014. However, it must provide clarity on how it will implement the EU-wide move to competitive bidding for large-scale renewables. Further, while solar PV capacity installation was high from 2010-2013, little new net renewable energy capacity has been installed since.
However, support for fossil fuel consumption in Italy has risen sharply since 2012. The bulk of its fossil fuel tax subsidies focus on consumption, including diesel tax credits and tax breaks for energy use in agriculture in forestry and industry. The government also provides tax exemptions for gas and coal production – around US$ 1 million in 2014.
- Italy is the first country to incorporate climate change sustainable development into its national curriculum, devoting an hour a week to discussing climate change issues.
- The country has shown a reduction in both the share of energy from fossil fuels by 14% and import dependency by 9%, compared to 1990 levels.
- In 2017, Italy unveiled its Integrated National Energy & Climate Plan. By 2030, the plan hopes for the country to achieve a 30% share of renewable energy. It forecasts a reduction in GHG emissions of 33%, compared to 2005 levels.
- The 2050 long-term strategy aligns with the EU’s Paris Agreement goals, aiming to reduce GHG emissions by 80-95% when compared to 1990 levels.
You might also like: Global Emissions (2016)
References:
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Biodiversity, Policy: Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. (2019): Sustainable Development Report 2019. New York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
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Oceans: Halpern, Benjamin S., et al. “An index to assess the health and benefits of the global ocean.” Nature 488.7413 (2012): 615-620.
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Pollution: Wendling, Z. A., Emerson, J. W., Esty, D. C., Levy, M. A., de Sherbinin, A., et al. (2018). 2018 Environmental Performance Index. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. https://epi.yale.edu/
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Climate Change: Climate Change Performance Index; Jan Burck, Ursula Hagen, Niklas Höhne, Leonardo Nascimento, Christoph Bals, ISBN 978-3-943704-75-4, 2019
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Energy: Enerdata –World Energy Statistics – Yearbook.
World Energy Statistics
