In recent years, with the rise of industrialization and the demand for an increased supply of products, enormous stress has been placed on the environment. In addition, the rate at which our planet is degrading has gone up alarmingly, and many human actions have not been in favor of protecting the planet. 

Unless people decide to finally make significant changes in their lives to start being more environmentally-conscious, major concerns such as global warming, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, water pollution, and climate change will continue to affect every human, animal, and nation on the Earth. 

Polar Bear suffers the brunt of Climate Change, image courtesy of Huffington Post.

Environmental Concern - Italy

Italy suffers from the same environmental problems as other highly industrialized and advanced nations, but in many cases, the situation is more severe. Pollutants from factories and vehicles are everywhere in the air, causing danger for plants, animals, and people. Changes in the climate are creating more frequent and stronger storms. Overall, the problems are getting worse, and it is up to individual people, governments, and international organizations to intervene and pave the way toward a brighter future. 

Important Facts:

• Northern Italy is the most industrial region in the country — Twenty-four of the twenty-five most polluted cities in Italy reside in the north.
• Almost half of the Italian cities exceed Europe's air pollution limits.
• Carbon monoxide and lead floating in the air have negative effects on tourists and locals.
• The beautiful Mediterranean is becoming a sea of plastic because the global sea level is around seven inches higher than it was one hundred years ago.
• Over the last 30 years, the Italian mean temperature was always higher than the overall global land air temperature.
• The total waste 🗑️ in the country, piling in landfills, is over 30 million tons.

Solutions - Global Scale

To combat the threat of environmental concerns, governments and international organizations have tried to use their leadership for action. There are global conferences on the environment and humans' impact on it held every year, and although the revolution for the environmental agenda is slow, it is developing into a movement. With time and dedication, there is hope that leaders, communities, and organizations will collaborate and work together toward environmental progress.

Possible Solutions: Ridurre, Riutilizzare, Riciclare 

• I luoghi devono continuare a vietare bottiglie e sacchetti di plastica. Inoltre, ogni anno dovrebbero essere previsti nuovi piani per proteggere le specie in pericolo
• Produrre più cibo su meno terra utilizzando immagini satellitari per trovare i luoghi in cui è possibile espandere l'agricoltura senza danneggiare gli habitat naturali
• Perfezionare i metodi di pesca in modo che gli oceani possano essere più sani e più abbondanti
• Introdurre normative energetiche a livello globale e nazionale e incoraggiare il passaggio a un'energia pulita e verde
• Sostenere le ONG (organizzazioni non governative) come Greenpeace, Earth Island Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, etc.
• Rafforzare e rendere più accordi ambientali internazionali che spingono per il cambiamento- Kyoto Protocol, Paris Climate Accords, etc...

Solutions - Italy

Italy produces around 350 billion tons of carbon emissions every year, but this number has been slowly declining every year since the mid-2000s. Unfortunately, air pollution from energy and heating remains an area of serious concern, as more than half of the 30 most polluted cities in Europe are in Italy. To address these issues, Italy is fully committed to further reducing carbon emissions and employing actions at both the national and international levels to combat climate change

Image Courtesy of Property Guides

Possible Solutions:

• Domestic Actions (regulated by EU)- Fondo per la mobilità sostenibile: ha cofinanziato quasi 190 progetti, volti a ridurre le emissioni di carbonio nero, in particolare nel settore dei trasporti- Combustibili a basso impatto, veicoli ecologici, aumento delle percentuali di rifiuti riciclati- Educazione obbligatoria ai cambiamenti climatici nelle scuole
• International Actions- Protocollo di Montreal: trattato per proteggere lo strato di ozono eliminando la produzione di numerose sostanze responsabili della riduzione dell'ozono- L'Italia e l'Iraq hanno creato un programma congiunto per ridurre le emissioni di petrolio e gas- Collaborare con la Cina per utilizzare biogas recuperato (rifiuti animali decomposti) per alimentare l'elettricità- Collaborare con il Messico per creare un processo di riciclaggio dei rifiuti solidi urbani

Strive for Five Vocab 

• L'ecologia - ecology
• L'ambientalista - environmentalist
• L'ambiente - environment
• Depurare - to purify
• L'effetto serra - greenhouse effect
• La fascia dell'ozono - ozone layer
• L'inquinamento - pollution
• Inquinare - to pollute
• Il riciclaggio - recycling
• I rifiuti - garbage
• Scaricare - to dump