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This paper estimates the environmental impact of different diets and explores how changes in the diet composition can reduce Carbon Footprint and Ecological Footprint, meanwhile ensuring that diets are nutritionally adequate, culturally acceptable for consumers, and affordable form an economic standpoint. Focusing on Italy as one of the main Mediterranean countries, the paper develops a Sustainable Diet Model to explore the environmental impact of different diets. The results indicate that the reduction of diet-related environmental impact can be achieved also without complete exclusion of animal-based products and provide novel insights for future policies geared at promoting sustainable food consumption and at achieving international sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EKC hypothesis postulates that the relationship between economic growth and environmental deterioration is represented by an inverted U-shaped function. Its validity has been questioned from several perspectives and a need for public policies has been expressed. This paper uses a heuristic approach to analyze the relationship between per capita income and land consumption, as proxied by the number of Building Permits issued by public authorities. Using data from the Italian regions, we run a panel data regression model to test whether the EKC hypothesis holds. Results confute it, evidencing a U-shaped relationship. In the authors' opinion, the combined effect of market conditions, lifestyle evolution and institutional and political factors have produced an adverse effect on environment. On this basis, the paper claims that, when social and intergenerational aspects are involved, a balanced mix of market, policies and institutional architecture is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying the theoretical framework of productive analysis, the paper proposes an evaluation of regional sustainable well-being (SWB) in terms of efficiency. By means of an Activity Analysis Model (AA) (Färe et al., 1996), desirable and undesirable outcomes of development have been simultaneously used to evaluate the sustainable well-being of Italian regions. Data on equal and sustainable well-being provided by the Italian Statistical Office for the year 2010 has been used. The analysis reveals that only four regions achieve sustainable well-being, balancing socio-economic and environmental outcomes and resources. Finally, the study points out the advantages of AA for policy purposes by comparing it to a composite indicator of SWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public acceptability appears an essential condition for the success of low-carbon transition policies. In this paper, we investigate the role of self-interest on citizens' preferences for the distribution of costs and environmental benefits of energy efficiency policies. Using a discrete choice experiment on nationally representative household samples of Sweden, Italy, and the United Kingdom, we first investigate preferences for national burden-sharing rules and for the distribution of environmental benefits accruing primarily in rural and/or urban areas. We examine the role of self-interest and self-serving bias in a correlational manner by looking at the effects of income and location of residency on preferences for these policy attributes. Moreover, we investigate the effect of self-serving bias on preferences for burden-sharing rules in a causal manner by experimentally priming randomly assigned groups of participants to feel either rich or poor. Our results suggest that the accountability rule is the most popular and the equal-amount rule the least popular burden-sharing rule. Further, policies with environmental benefits accruing primarily in rural areas are least preferred. We find some evidence for self-interest, especially through our correlational approach. Finally, across country samples, our results reveal heterogeneity in preferences for policy attributes and in the prevalence of self-interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates a two-step procedure for measuring land degradation (LD) risk in agriculture. The procedure estimated the potential costs of LD from a standard index of land sensitivity to degradation (ESAI) by calculating, over 784 local districts covering the entire Italian territory, a ‘depletion factor’ in relation to the agricultural value added. The procedure was based on changes in the ESAI (1990–2000) and ancillary variables (i.e., per capita value added, share of agriculture in the total production, and agricultural profitability). On average, the estimated costs of LD in Italy amounted to nearly 0.5% of the agricultural value added (which corresponded to 12€/ha of cultivated surface). These figures are comparable to those presented in the literature for regions with similar environmental conditions. This paper contains descriptions of the assumptions under which the proposed scheme works and comments on their empirical plausibility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Overfishing is a widespread environmental issue that needs to be resolved to secure sustainable fishing practices over time. An additional and much less-discussed threat to sustainable fishing is represented by discards, that is, the accidentally caught species that are thrown back into the sea given their low market relevance. Fishermen often decide to discard some species mainly depending on their low market value. Therefore, supply-side regulations can only be partially effective in taking care of discarding practices given that they are mainly due to demand-side issues. One possible solution could involve the purchase of discarded species, provided that consumers are willing to change their habitual consumption patterns. In this paper, a discrete choice experiment is conducted to investigate whether consumers would be willing to pay for discarded species. The data are analyzed using a mixed logit model and a latent-class logit model. The results indicate that consumers tend to prefer the most commercialized species, although their interest in discarded species increases when they receive specific information on ecolabels and discarding. Our outcomes also underline that consumers could be divided into specific groups according to their preferences, which could be useful for enhancing discarded species' consumption effectively. [Display omitted] • Consumption of discarded species can be enhanced by providing specific information. • Purchase of discarded species is affected by previous experience and knowledge. • Different communication strategies can be promoted depending on market preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an empirical analysis on the relationship between income, demographic characteristics and concentrations of air industrial pollutants within the Italian provinces. Two general conclusions can be drawn from the empirical results. First, the estimates obtained are consistent with an inverse U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve: air pollution releases increase with income up to a turning point where the relation reverts. Second, there is evidence that air releases tend to be higher in provinces with high concentration of females as households' head and with high concentration of children. Since our findings do not point to environmental discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, this suggests that environmental justice issues in Italy are not likely to manifest themselves along racial and ethnic terms but instead in terms of social categories and gender composition. We also find that the proxy variables employed to measure the efficiency or inefficiency of law enforcement are associated with higher levels of pollution. In terms of policy implications, this result suggests the need to strengthen, all through the country, the local enforcement of environmental laws in order to possibly reduce the negative effects on ambient air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the economic performances of the rural system and the level of land sensitivity to degradation in Italy. Three indicators (district value added, share of agriculture on total product, and a composite index of land sensitivity) were used to classify 784 Italian local districts into eight performance classes. Four classes share a combination of high environmental quality (in terms of land degradation), high (or low) economic performances, and high (or low) productivity of the primary sector. The remaining four are characterised by a combination of low (and declining) environmental quality, high (or low) economic performances, and high (or low) productivity of the primary sector. The eight classes were grouped into four ‘environmental quality’ types and four ‘target performance’ categories to discriminate among high- and low-performance districts by considering twelve additional variables within a Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA). 148 high environmental performance districts (18% of total) were identified mainly across the Alps and Apennine while 314 districts (41%) were classified in the lowest performance class and concentrated in flat areas of southern Italy. The districts with high environmental performances were characterised, on average, by medium to low district value added, moderately low economic weight of the primary sector, and tourism specialisation. Districts with high economic performances and low environmental performances were characterised by high sensitivity to LD, low district value added, high share of agriculture in total product, and the lowest productivity of labour in all economic sectors. In these districts the risk of entering a downward spiral of rural poverty and environmental degradation is potentially high. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a piece of research aimed at evaluating the relative sustainability of the Italian Regions. After selecting a core set of indicators, for which we referred to the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, we built a composite index and checked for its robustness. As a result we got ‘many numbers’, that is, a range of possible rankings for Italian Regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper provides new empirical evidence on regional–national disparities in environmental efficiency, based on analyses of NAMEA data referring to Italy and the Lazio region, where Rome is the main city. Shift-share analyses provide evidence on the drivers of environmental efficiency and on sector specificity. Our evidence shows that although the region around Rome has achieved higher environmental performance compared to Italy mainly thank to its being less industry based, some critical points in the energy sector and in some services should be taken into account in shaping the future development of the region. In addition, the use of regional NAMEA for econometric investigations of emission efficiency drivers at national level shows that though north south disparities favour northern and richer regions, in accordance with development oriented dynamics, environmental hot spots driven by specialisation and efficiency related issues also appear in some northern industrial regions. Further, the role of public ad private R&D is of main relevance in enhancing emission on economic value ratios. Environmental, industrial and sector-oriented policy making may derive valuable information from the evidence provided by our study, that highlights how analytical exploitation of NAMEA offers rich array of insights for regional policy making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several environmental problems are complicated by ambiguity. Sea-level rise following climate change is one relevant example. In this paper, we apply a decision-making approach specifically designed to deal with ambiguity in order to evaluate the net benefits of the mobile barriers system (MOSE), which aims to protect the Venice Lagoon from periodic flooding. We show that the estimated impacts crucially depend on the level of optimism and pessimism of the decision maker and substantially differ from those calculated on the basis of the expected value. We also calculate the implicit ambiguity attitude of the decision maker. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The identification of areas worthy of protection and their subsequent institution as natural parks are instruments that society uses to preserve biodiversity that, by supporting Natural Capital Flow (NCF), represents a guarantee for the maintenance of human life quality. However, the implemented strategies for the conservation of biodiversity may differ from those adopted for the maintenance of natural capital; consequently, planning for natural capital might require a different strategy from that used in conservation policies. The aim of this paper is to assess the ‘conservation effect’ of different conservation policies on the maintenance of NCF in three natural parks in Apulia Region (southern Italy). The assessment of natural capital flow variation has been carried out investigating the temporal dynamics of land-use/land-cover mosaics, and using Costanza et al.'s economic coefficients as surrogates of NCF. Results showed that not all environmental conservation management strategies have played an equal role in fostering NCF. This research highlights that the recognition of the natural value of a site according to the European Directives (e.g. NATURA 2000 network) is not sufficiently effective for the conservation of the NCF, while it is necessary to identify a management authority that can appropriately drive landscape transformations, and sets, if necessary, the appropriate limitations. In addition, the management of these areas as part of a network of natural parks seems to be more effective for the maintenance of NCF. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we test an adapted EKC hypothesis to verify the relationship between ‘environmental efficiency’ (namely emissions per unit of value added) and labour productivity (value added per employee). We exploit NAMEA data on Italy for 29 sector branches and 6 categories of air emissions for the period 1991–2001. We employ data on capital stock and trade openness to test the robustness of our results. On the basis of the theoretical and empirical analyses focusing on innovation, firm performances and environmental externalities, we would expect a positive correlation between environmental efficiency and labour productivity — a negative correlation between the emissions intensity of value added and labour productivity — which departs from the conventional mainstream view. The hypothesis tested is a critical one within the longstanding debate on the potential trade-off or complementarity between environmental preservation and economic performance, which is strictly associated with the role of technological innovation. We find that for most air emission categories there is a positive relationship between labour productivity and environmental efficiency. Labour productivity dynamics, then, seem to be complementary to a decreasing emissions intensity in the production process. Taking a disaggregate sector perspective, we show that the macro-aggregate evidence is driven by sector dynamics in a non-homogenous way across pollutants. Services tend always to show a ‘complementary’ relationship, while industry seems to be associated with inverted U-shape dynamics for greenhouse gases and nitrogen oxides. This is in line with our expectations. In any case, EKC shapes appear to drive such productivity links towards complementarity. The extent to which this evidence derives from endogenous market forces, industrial and structural change, and policy effects is discussed by taking an evolutionary perspective to innovation and by... [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Studies on regional convergence in environmental variables may provide useful information to drive policies regarding complex processes featured by the interaction of ecological and economic factors. In order to provide empirically observed evidences on regional convergence in environmental phenomena, we chose Land Degradation (LD) as the study variable because it represents a key topic in both environmental projections and policy strategies. This paper explores the temporal variation (1990–2000) of a synthetic index of vulnerability to LD, called ESAI (Environmental Sensitive Area Index), calculated on the whole Italian territory. Convergence in land vulnerability was analysed on three different geographical scales: NUTS-2 regions, NUTS-3 provinces, and local labour systems (LLSs). Different convergence patterns were identified and discussed according to the level of LD estimated over the national territory and the economic characteristics of these areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The economic analysis of climate change requires estimates at both aggregate and local level. Although there are numerous studies that estimate the global impact of climate change, country-level studies are still rare, particularly as far as Italy is concerned. By exploiting a panel of 110 provinces observed between 1980 and 2014, this paper investigates the impact of variation of weather variables on GDP per capita and agricultural productivity in Italy. To address issues of model uncertainty, the analysis explores to what extent these economic outcomes are affected by weather variables, linearly or non-linearly, as well as how their growth rate and levels are affected as a result. Main findings show that there is considerable model uncertainty. The most robust econometric results showing statistically significant effects of temperature for both the GDP and agricultural reaction function are from a levels specification, where temperature is included in a non-linear form while weather variables and economic outcomes enter in first differences. Projections of the impact of climate change by the end of the century show slight average effects for GDP per-capita, but important losses in agriculture, due to a persistent increase in average temperatures under both the RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. • We study the economic impact of weather variation on GDP and agriculture in Italy • We exploit a rich panel dataset across 110 territorial units over 1980–2014 period • To address problems of model uncertainty, we compare several different specifications • The "best" performing model is a non-linear specification estimated in first differences • End of the century predictions, suggest nil effects on GDP, but important loss in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) has been calculated for many countries, but rarely at the local level. This paper shows how the index has been calculated for the Province of Siena, Central Italy. The whole procedure is illustrated step by step, including the search for the most suitable and precise methods to obtain reliable values for each item composing the index. Application of ISEW at a very local level was found to be feasible. The most general difficulty encountered was the lack of an adequate institutionalised source of statistical information to support the construction of indicators other than purely economic or demographic ones. This is mainly due to the still low interest for a sustainable management of natural resources and land on the part of local authorities, and the related willingness to invest money and human resources on environmental research. The ISEW gives a more realistic representation of the well-being of the population than GDP, since it includes environmental and social items not considered in conventional national accounting. Furthermore, in Italy, the principle of administrative decentralization has been implemented in recent years to such an extent that the central government devolved part of its power to Regions, Provinces and Municipalities. Consequently, local authorities are called to allocate more resources to pursue their policies towards sustainability, an issue which modern electoral campaigns are often based on. The results for the Province of Siena show that there is a large gap between local GDP and ISEW (about 37% of GDP). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the results of a cost-benefit analysis of a conservation program for the Pentro horse. This horse breed has been reared for millennia in a Southern Italian wetland where it is now strongly tied to the traditions of the region, but presently faces extinction as only 150 horses have survived. Horse herds live in a wild state, characterising in a remarkable manner the landscape of the wetland. This results in a flow of social benefits that the market value of this breed fails to capture. The benefits from a conservation program for this currently unprotected local breed is estimated in a contingent valuation study, while a bio-economic model is used to estimate the costs associated with its in situ conservation. The results show that the benefit/cost ratio is, in the worst scenario, equal to 1.67, thus justifying a conservation policy. This combined approach could be useful to support policy-making for conservation in regions with a long history of breeding domestic animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The new EU Organic Regulation 848/2018 allows group certification to be applied to EU organic smallholders. Group certification is endorsed by IFOAM-Organics International and is the dominant approach to certify small organic farmers in many non-EU countries. This study provides a cross-case study evaluation of the future implementation of group certification among organic smallholders in Italy. A Theory of Change logic model is used as the analytical framework to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of such implementation. By using multiple sources of evidence, and triangulating them, the study establishes four profiles of potential adopters. Groups of small fruit and vegetable farms producing one main product and implementing formal coordination mechanism among the members, such as delivery contracts and internal standard for quality controls, seems to be more likely to adopt Group Certification. Groups that may be unlikely to adopt are those composed by farmers producing various products and using several market channels. The paper also uncovers the critical points of the new Organic Regulation concerning group certification and provides insights into policy interventions and other mechanisms that may help or hinder transition towards more inclusive, transparent and accountable organic food systems. • Group Certification (GC) could be a viable solution also for organic smallholders in the EU. • Cooperatives, especially in the fruit & vegetables supply chain, may especially benefit from GC. • Organic Districts may potentially be late adopters of GC. • Mandatory joint marketing of group products as a criterion to adopt GC may hinder the adoption of GC by relevant stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work analyses whether the incidence and production of polluting industries influences the individual willingness to pay (WTP) for the environment. Cross-country studies on the determinants of environmental WTP do not capture the fact that individual perceptions of environmental protection may be due to specific regional conditions. Therefore, this paper adopts a conceptual framework where both pollution and environmental protection are costly, and individuals face a choice between pollution or environmental protection. It is argued that the individual perception of such costs depends on regional settings, making individuals that live in less polluted areas prefer environmental protection. This hypothesis is empirically tested by performing an empirical analysis on the individual WTP for environmental protection in the Italian regions (NUTS-2 level) from the European Values Study. The results show that increases of production in polluting industries exert an effect on WTP for environmental protection and that this effect is mediated by the regional incidence of polluting industries: in "healthy" regions, an increase of production in the polluting sector increases the environmental WTP, while it has an opposite effect in regions where the incidence of the polluting sector is already high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the performance of a multi-attribute auction for securing agri-environmental outcomes and cost-effective agri-environmental payments (AEPs). We set up a discriminatory price auction model in which farmers make an offer based on two attributes (i.e. the AEP and a proxy of environmental outcome). We provide a numerical simulation for a hypothetical agri-environmental scheme (AES) in Italy using FADN data 2011 for the Emilia-Romagna region (E-R). In three implementation scenarios, we compare the Budgetary cost-effectiveness (BCE), the Economic cost-effectiveness (ECE) and Information rent (IR) of the auction with that of two alternative policy instruments (i.e. uniform payment and marginal flat rate payment). Due to the heterogeneity in bidders' opportunity costs, the auction is more cost-effective than a uniform payment in delivering the target outcome. The performance indicators are sensitive to the farmers' expectations about the bid caps, revealing the opportunity of using both competition effect and information leverage associated with the implementation mechanism to increase the auction outcome when the budget is limited. • Reviews agri-environmental auction designs. • Simulates the performance of a multi-attribute auction for securing agri-environmental outcomes. • Applies an empirical methodology to derive farmers' compliance costs. • Analyses budgetary cost-effectiveness, economic cost-effectiveness and the information rent • Introduces independent bidders'' expectations and the joint acceptance probability rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the relationship between energy saving behaviour, monetary drivers and non-monetary motivations in Italy, in a period, the end of the 1990s, when the energy industry was not yet liberalized, there were no energy saving incentive schemes, and the environmental sensitivity and information were lower. We consider as dependent variable the frequency with which individuals switch the light off when leaving a room; as monetary drivers, income and perceived energy costs; while non-monetary motives in our model are measured by proxies of pro-environmental attitudes, environmental information, social pressure, and pro-social behaviours. The analysis is based on probit and logit models estimated on a sample from the Multipurpose Household Survey dataset, conducted by the Italian Statistical Office. We find that individuals who were less concerned about environmental issues were also more attentive in energy saving behaviour, suggesting, together with results about income and perceived energy costs, that monetary motivations were primary in driving this energy saving behaviour. Such findings are robust to the inclusion of variables accounting for pro-social behaviours. Altruism by individuals who claim to be more concerned about broad environmental externalities may have adversely affected their propensity to optimize energy consumption. • We study the link among energy saving, monetary drivers and non-monetary motivations in Italy. • In the end of the 1990s, the energy industry was not yet liberalized and environmental sensitivity was lower. • We use probit and logit models and a representative sample from the Multipurpose Household Survey (ISTAT). • We find that monetary motivations were primary in driving energy saving behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]