The Green Revolution and the impact on indigenous populations: “environmental refugees” in Iraqi marshlands

The green revolution and its related agricultural politics entailed a food production increasing worldwide. Nevertheless, those politics enhanced the biological resources extinction and the depletion of natural areas, creating a deep devastation in the local natural habitats, such as in the Iraqi Mesopotamian area; the indigenous population, the marsh Arabs, violently suffered the effects of these uncontrolled agricultural politics. The environmental depletion, related to ethnic strife motivations generated a progressive exodus from this area: 100.000 of environmental refugees

Rethinking Environmentally Induced Displacement in the Global North (pubblicazione integrale della tesi di dottorato)

This research investigates how the environmentally induced displacement phenomenon is perceived in the Global North on the basis of the evidence gathered in in two Italian catatsrophes. An analysis on the environmental resources management and the vulnerability in Italy has been associated with a study over media coverage, political discourses and personal experiences about environmentally induced displacements following the two landslides in Sarno (1998) and Cerzeto (2005), highlighting the limits of the use of this concept. Moreover, this research illustrated how, contrarily to the current debate, the phenomenon is likely to occur both in the Global North and Global South contexts. The theoretical, political and media discourses and representations seem to be, in fact, mostly focused on specific geographical areas of the Global South. The motivations behind these different descriptions and narratives on the same concept are investigated, through geographical and political science tools. The findings of this research reveal a political agenda exploiting the debate to reinforce the power unbalance within the Global North and between the Global North and the Global South

Perception of climate change impacts, urbanization, and coastal planning in the Gaeta Gulf (central Tyrrhenian Sea): A multidimensional approach

The coasts, with their intricate combination of natural and anthropogenic fragilities, can always be considered a crucial component in the geography of risk and territorial governance. Furthermore, coastal areas worldwide are currently facing profound and immediate impacts of climate change, presenting unparalleled challenges for both ecosystems and coastal communities. In these contexts, high socio-environmental vulnerability has often been linked to planning and management practices that, at times, have exacerbated coastal exposure, making it more prone to extreme natural phenomena, such as coastal floods and storm surges, as well as degradation. The case of the Gaeta Gulf, a largely urbanized part of the central Tyrrhenian coast in Italy that encompasses two administrative areas between the northern Campania and the southern Lazio Regions, provides an opportunity to investigate these criticalities both along the coastline and within the interconnected inland areas. This research aims to understand how administrations and communities perceive, experience, and understand the coastal risks and challenges posed by climate change, as well as their level of information and preparedness to address such risks. These aspects will be analyzed through a multidisciplinary approach, shedding light on the political, social, environmental, and economic practices in these areas, and the potential implications for coastal planning policies. In addition, this contribution presents the results of a qualitative survey involving the administration of questionnaires related to the perception of climate change impacts on the coasts and the level of information on the mitigation and adaptation practices within the communities living in these areas

Superamento dei confini ed esperienze condivise: la Valle Caudina

Le demarcazioni amministrative e il proliferare di enti intermedi sono spesso un ostacolo al governo del territorio in zone esposte a rischio: aree contigue, divise da confini politico-amministrativi che, di fatto, riducono la potenzialità delle iniziative intraprese dai singoli attori istituzionali. Per indagare tale questione, si prenderà in considerazione il caso della Valle Caudina, delimitata dai parchi naturali del Partenio e del Taburno, che presenta un’articolazione territoriale estremamente frazionata. La Conca del Sannio, difatti, pur facendo parte del distretto idrografico dell’Appennino Meridionale (afferendo all’ Autorità di bacino Liri-Garigliano-Volturno e all’ A.T.O. 1-Alto Calore Irpino), conta ben 14 Comuni appartenenti a due diverse Province, quella di Avellino e quella di Benevento (di cui uno quale enclave nella Provincia di Avellino); a due Comunità montane e a due distinti GAL; tali partizioni territoriali, non soltanto sembrano diminuire il risultato mitigativo delle azioni di difesa del suolo promosse dai diversi enti, ma inoltre contribuiscono a intricare la fase emergenziale e post-calamitosa. Per questo motivo, tale area, da sempre soggetta a dissesto idrogeologico, soprattutto colate rapide di fango e crolli – risultati in eventi catastrofici che ne hanno segnato la storia – deve oggi far fronte alla necessità di uniformare i piani preventivi promuovendo una ri-articolazione territoriale che punti al superamento dei confini amministrativi. Tra le esperienze intraprese, l’Unione dei Comuni Città Caudina, che conta al momento dieci Comuni della Valle, sta promuovendo soluzioni volte alla mitigazione del rischio pur non senza difficoltà e criticità