Ecosistemi di acque interne e di transizione

In questo contributo la vulnerabilità degli ecosistemi acquatici ai cambiamenti climatici è analizzata in relazione ai meccanismi di organizzazione e mantenimento della biodiversità e dei processi ecosistemici. Dai processi degli ecosistemi derivano funzioni che forniscono una serie di benefici o servizi per il genere umano (Daily et al., 2009). Tali servizi sono in larga misura dipendenti dalle componenti biologiche degli ecosistemi86. Negli ecosistemi acquatici i processi biogeochimici (ad es. denitrificazione batterica e assimilazione da parte della vegetazione acquatica), garantiscono l’abbattimento dei nutrienti, una funzione ecosistemica che produce il servizio di depurazione dell’acqua. Altri servizi sono la laminazione delle piene, la ricarica degli acquiferi, la regolazione del microclima locale, la produzione di risorse alimentari quali pesci, crostacei, ecc. (Jones, 2013). Le alterazioni degli ecosistemi, in particolare la perdita di specie e la diminuzione della biodiversità danneggiano questi servizi, con ricadute anche di tipo economico(si pensi, ad esempio, ai costi della depurazione dell’acqua destinata al consumo umano)

Cambiamenti climatici e sicurezza alimentare

This paper presents an overview of the recent scientific literature on the link between food production and climate change, both for present and future impacts of climate changes, and for the contribution that policies and measures in the sector of food production and consumption can give to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many available studies show that agriculture and food production are inherently sensitive to climate variability and change, as a result of either natural causes or human activities, and outline the likely direct influences of climate change on crops production system for food and fodder, as well as other indirect impacts on the health of livestock, and on trade of food and food products. Conclusions common to the different studies are: a) the improvement of model projections of the effects of climate change at regional and local level is crucial to better define the impacts and steer the decision-making process of adaptation of food systems; b) the impacts of climate change on food security will be greater in countries which already suffer from high levels of hunger and are vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events, are potentially large and will grow in the future if adaptive responses will not be implemented; d) although the climate crisis is mainly related to energy production, food production will play an important role both for the contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural and livestock activities and for the control of deforestation

Produttivita primaria dell' ecosistema marino, turbolenza oceanica e cicli biogeochimici globali

Il ciclo globale del carbonio e la concentrazione atmosferica di CO2 sono influenzati dai flussi biogeochimici fra oceano ed atmosfera. Questi flussi dipendono dal funzionamento dell’ecosistema marino; modifiche significative nella dinamica del plancton e nella produttività primaria possono avere rilevanti effetti sul clima. La dinamica del plancton, a sua volta, risente degli effetti di trasporto e rimescolamento indotti dalle strutture a mesoscala quali vortici e fronti, che per questo motivo sono uno degli attori sulla scena della dinamica del clim

Resilienza e adattamento: definizioni, modelli e sfide progettuali

Il concetto di 'citt\ue0 resiliente' \ue8 emerso negli ultimi decenni in risposta alle nuove sfide che le citt\ue0 sono chiamate ad affrontare, sfide poste dalla crisi economica e sociale, dalla scarsit\ue0 delle risorse, dal rischio ambientale, dai cambiamenti climatici. Ma una citt\ue0 resiliente, prima ancora che reagire ai mutamenti climatici, sociali o economici, \ue8 in grado di prevenire le crisi, o di sfruttarle come 'opportunit\ue0'. Il contributo intende indagare i campi d\u2019azione e gli strumenti della resilienza urbana a partire dai significati che emergono dalla letteratura e dal dibattito disciplinare, e fornire una prima analisi di alcune esperienze di formazione di strategie e piani di adattamento fondati sulla resilienza in atto in Italia: il progetto BLUE AP (Bologna Local Urban Environment Adaptation Plan for a Resilient City) di Bologna, tra le citt\ue0 firmatarie dell\u2019iniziativa europea 'Mayors Adapt', e l\u2019adesione delle citt\ue0 di Roma e Milano al programma '100 Resilient Cities\u2019 della Rockefeller Foundation. Presentando le prime riflessioni frutto dell\u2019avvio della ricerca di dottorato dell\u2019autore, con un approccio aperto e sperimentale, in formazione, il paper vuole contribuire alla riflessione sul tema proposto, sostenendo l\u2019importanza di una dimensione proattiva, e non solo di prevenzione dei rischi, offrendo un punto di vista che interpreta la resilienza come un possibile nuovo paradigma per la pianificazione e la progettazione urbana

Climate Change Feedback on Economic Growth: Explorations with a Dynamic General Equilibrium Model

Human-generated greenhouse gases depend on the level of economic activity. Therefore, most climate change studies are based on models and scenarios of economic growth. Economic growth itself, however, is likely to be affected by climate change impacts. These impacts affect the economy in multiple and complex ways: changes in productivity, resource endowments, production and consumption patterns. We use a new dynamic, multi-regional Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of the world economy to answer the following questions: Will climate change impacts significantly affect growth and wealth distribution in the world? Should forecasts of human-induced greenhouse gases emissions be revised, once climate change impacts are taken into account? We found that, even though economic growth and emission paths do not change significantly at the global level, relevant differences exist at the regional and sectoral level. In particular, developing countries appear to suffer the most from climate change impacts.Computable General Equilibrium Models, Climate Change, Economic Growth

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies In Italy. An Economic Assessment

In this paper, the economic value of the impacts of climate change is assessed for different Italian economic sectors and regions. Sectoral and regional impacts are then aggregated to provide a macroeconomic estimate of variations in GDP induced by climate change in the next decades. Autonomous adaptation induced by changes in relative prices and in stocks of natural and economic resources is fully taken into account. The model also considers international trade effects. Results show that in Italy aggregate GDP losses induced by climate change are likely to be small. However, some economic sectors (e.g. tourism) and the alpine regions will suffer significant economic damages.Impacts, Climate Change, Adaptation, GDP Losses, Tourism

The impact of climate change on local water management strategies. Learning from Rotterdam and Copenhagen

Cities around the world, as highly anthropized areas, are negatively suffering the impact of climate change. The awareness of intergovernmental and national institutions, has allowed the development in recent decades of policies and strategies for the reduction of climate-changing gas emissions in the environment, through the implementation of adaptation and mitigation actions, in order to implement local actions aimed at managing the different problems arising from the effects of climate change in the cities. The characteristics of the urban environment amplify the effects of climate change, sometimes with disastrous consequences, especially on people. Among the phenomena that have most direct effects on the population, extreme rainfall and pluvial flooding put the safety of people at risk. Water management has thus become one of the most addressed topics in local adaptation policies and strategies. The objective is to investigate policies, strategies and plans for adapting to climate change by the cities of Copenhagen and Rotterdam, in order to understand the implementation processes and identify environmental climate adaptive design actions as best practices to be replicated in others urban contexts relating to the water management issues, to define an urban system of spreaded actions on the surface of cities to make them climate proof

I cambiamenti climatici: la sfida del XXI secolo

There is a large gap between the actions required to avoid a dangerous warming of the planet, and those already decided to contrast it. The more time passes, the more the pessimistic visions obtain valid motivations and reasons. In order to radically change in few decades an energetic system and a predatory attitude towards the planet’s resources, it is necessary to recognize the climate crisis as a systemic one, as a problem of justice and equity for the future generations. The climate science should help to understand the importance of this challenge, by emphasizing the consequences of today’s decisions for the future generations. To recover our reasons to deal with posterity, both as individuals and community, is a bigger endeavor. To understand the importance of the climate change requires not only more knowledge, but also the acceptance of the planetary limits, the redefinition of human expectations, and also a level of emotional understanding that is not sufficient today

Environmental migration in the Mediterranean area: the case of the MENA countries

The study offer a contribution to the analysis of the problems linked to the environmental migration focusing on a specific Mediterranean area, that of the Middle East and Northern Africa. After a brief analysis of the socio-economic and environmental context, used to describe the vulnerability features of the area, the studies will assess the regional migration system particularly the so called "forced migrants". Due to the lack of an accepted common international definition of environmental refugees, following the most recent literature in this study we have used the definition of forded migration to assess the environmental migration. This in fact, among the causes of migration considers not only the "physical environment" but a plethora of socio economic factors which interact among themselves and force people to migrate. In this definitions we include: Internal Displaced Persons, forced to move for the modification of the habitat where they live caused by natural or human disasters but also Migrants and IDPs forced to move due to the implementation of developmental project such as the construction of mega infrastructure such as dams, or the mining and deforestation activities, as well as the the migrants who sick asylum due to conflicts, civil wars or internal persecutionMigration, Environment, DEvelopment