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Simple Summary: During overwintering diapause, the gynes of paper wasps (Polistes sp.) are mainly dormant in sheltered hibernacles, protecting them against predators and adverse weather conditions but hardly against low temperatures. By measuring the temperature inside hibernacles occupied by species from both Mediterranean (Italian; P. dominula, P. gallicus) and temperate (Austrian; P. dominula) climates (mean hibernacle temperatures: 8.5 °C and 3.2 °C, respectively), we were able to calculate the energetic demand of overwintering. The cumulative energetic costs differed between the populations. Costs were lowest for the P. dominula population from the cooler Austrian winter climate and significantly higher in P. dominula and P. gallicus from the warmer Italian climate. The lower costs of the temperate species were a result of the lower winter temperature and physiological acclimation processes. Energetic calculations with an assumed temperature increase of up to 3 °C due to climate change predict a dramatic increase of up to 40% in overwintering costs in all species. Gynes of paper wasps (Polistes sp.) spend the cold season in sheltered hibernacles. These hibernacles protect against predators and adverse weather conditions but offer only limited protection against low temperatures. During overwintering diapause, wasps live on the energy they store. We investigated the hibernacles' microclimate conditions of species from the Mediterranean (Italy, P. dominula, P. gallicus) and temperate (Austria, P. dominula) climates in order to describe the environmental conditions and calculate the energetic demand of overwintering according to standard metabolic rate functions. The temperatures at the hibernacles differed significantly between the Mediterranean and temperate habitats (average in Austria: 3.2 ± 5.71 °C, in Italy: 8.5 ± 5.29 °C). In both habitats, the hibernacle temperatures showed variance, but the mean hibernacle temperature corresponded closely to the meteorological climate data. Cumulative mass-specific energetic costs over the studied period were the lowest for the temperate P. dominula population compared with both Mediterranean species. The lower costs of the temperate species were a result of the lower hibernacle temperature and acclimation to lower environmental temperatures. Model calculations with an increased mean temperature of up to 3 °C due to climate change indicate a dramatic increase of up to 40% in additional costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at identifying the importance of the thermal framework preceding Posidonia oceanica flowering induction (autumn before the flowering year) and anthesis (summer of the flowering year). In 53 locations of Sardinia (Italy), 35 vertical shoots were collected in 2001, 2020 and 2023 and analyzed through lepidochronology, detecting past flowering events from 1991 to 2022. Flowering probability was positively correlated with autumn SST range and MHWs, stressing the importance of the temperature in the year preceding the flowering. Summer SST mean and Marine Cold Spell duration (the latter emerged as a novel outcome) also positively influenced flowering. A negative association was highlighted with the summer SST range. As the occurrence of MHWs will increase, and the SST range will also increase in the autumn and decrease in the summer, P. oceanica might benefit through a higher flowering frequency, leading to a greater resilience to disturbances due to higher genetic variation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Climate change mitigation and adaptation along with air pollution are key challenges that require a comprehensive planning approach able to promote win-win strategies and avoid transferring environmental pressures from one sector to another. The joint approach is widely advocated at the policy level while the scientific research investigates the role of co-benefits in planning processes. A methodological framework was developed with the twofold aim of (i) assessing the current integration degree between regional Air Quality Plans and Climate Plans and (ii) providing useful hints for pursuing greater air-climate integration. Its application to the Italian case study provides useful policy implications for strengthening the role of co-benefits as drivers of planning processes. Results show that a greater air-climate integration can be achieved by enhancing the role of regional authorities in supporting the implementation of local-scale plans and actions. This is especially important in contexts where an integrated planning framework is lacking and the mainstreaming within sectoral sub-regional plans turns out to be crucial., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Nowadays, within the built environment, railway infrastructures play a key role to sustain national policies oriented toward promoting sustainable mobility. For this reason, national institutions and infrastructure managers need to increase their awareness in relation to the current and future climate risks on their representative systems. Among climate change impacts, preventing the effects of sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal railway infrastructures is a priority. The first step in the climate change adaptation policy cycle is the development of an ad hoc climate risk assessment. In this view, this research develops a vulnerability and a risk assessment metric to identify the hotspots within a national coastal railway due to the SLR impacts. The proposed methodology required different steps to quantify the SLR projections and the vulnerability characteristics of the assets, in terms of sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The investigated case study is the coastal railway infrastructure in Italy, thanks to an initial approach of co-design participative processes with the national Infrastructure Manager: Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). The results of this application, although not included in the paper due to confidential reasons imposed by the infrastructure manager - led to a clear identification of the areas and the coastal railway sections which are exposed to high levels of risks and of the places which require priority actions for urgent adaptation in a view of climate proof infrastructures., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Drinking water (DW) production treatments can be affected by climate change, in particular intense rainfall events, having an impact on the availability and quality of the water source. The current study proposes a methodology for the evaluation of the costs of the different treatment steps for surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW), through the analysis and quantification of the main cost items. It provides the details to count for strong variations in the key quality parameters of inlet water following severe rainfalls (namely turbidity, iron, manganese, and E. coli). This methodology is then applied to a large drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in Italy, which treats both SW, around 70 %, and GW, around 30%. It discusses the overall DW production costs (from 7.60 c€/m 3 to 10.43 c€/m 3 ) during the period 2019-2021 and analyzes the contributions of the different treatment steps in water and sludge trains. Then it focuses on the effects on the treatments of significant variations in SW turbidity (up to 1863 NTU) due to intense rainfalls, and on the daily costs of DW with respect to the average (baseline) costs evaluated on the annual basis. It emerges that, when SW has low turbidity levels, the energy-based steps have the biggest contribution on the costs (final pumping 22 % for SW and 10 % for GW, withdrawal 15 % and 14 %, respectively), whereas at very high turbidity levels, sludge greatly increases, and its treatment and disposal costs become significant (up to 14 % and 50 %). Efforts are being made to adopt the best strategies for the management of DWTPs in these adverse conditions, with the aim to guarantee potable water and optimize water production costs. A mitigation measure consists of increasing GW withdrawal up to the authorized flow rate, thus reducing SW withdrawal. In this context, the study is completed by discussing the potential upgrading of the DWTP by only treating GW withdrawn from riverbank filtration. The DW production cost would be 7.76 c€/m 3 , which is lower than that seen for the same year (2021) with the current plant configuration (8.32 c€/m 3 )., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This paper follows a bibliometric assessment methodology to provide a systematic review of studies devoted to cultural heritage (CH) buildings that simultaneously refer to hygrothermal conditions and/or behavior and climate change (CC) scenarios. Moreover, this paper aims at identifying the main research trend and research gaps in this combined research field, and to provide a critical discussion of previous works relating to CH, hygrothermal behavior, and CC. Scopus database was used for data gathering and export, followed by VOSviewer for network visualization. The advanced search on the database showed that only 36 documents have considered the study of these three subjects together, as of 2022. The majority of research has been carried out in Italy (27% of the relevant documents). This paper further describes some funded research projects on the topic of CH, hygrothermal behavior, and CC. It was concluded that the investigation on this combined research topic is very recent and scarcely unexplored, and further research is required to assess how future CC scenarios will affect the hygrothermal behavior of CH buildings. These new understandings are fundamental for all stakeholders involved in topics related to heritage conservation and assessment of the hygrothermal behavior of buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine macroalgal forests are facing unprecedented challenges worldwide due to the accelerating impacts of climate change. These ecosystems play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, coastal ecosystem functions and services, and are indeed object of several conservation and restoration measures. The Mediterranean Sea is warming faster than the oceans and thermal anomalies are occurring with increasing intensity, frequency and duration. Along the Mediterranean coasts, Cystoseira sensu lato species are the main representatives of macroalgal forests and their decline has been widely documented. Some relevant achievements in the implementation of ecological restoration have been obtained, but rising temperatures and the occurrence of thermal anomalies increasingly threaten the success of these restoration attempts. In the summer of 2022, ex-situ restoration actions of Ericaria amentacea were carried out by collecting fertile material from three donor sites of the Italian coasts along a latitudinal gradient, during the period of sexual maturity (June/July). Noteworthy during the summer of 2022, anomalous thermal conditions were recorded at the donor sites, with sea surface temperatures exceeding the climatological mean up to 4.3 °C and heatwaves lasting up to 78 days. Our results suggest that these thermal anomalies may have affected the culture of the embryos in both the pre- and post-zygotic phases, resulting in significantly low culture efficiency at the three donor sites. The reproductive structures showed some abnormalities, fertilization of eggs was lower and embryo growth was slower, resulting in lower percent cover of seedlings on the tiles and lower survival rate. The observations underscore the vulnerability of Mediterranean algal forests to global change and highlight additional challenges for their restoration due to the increasing frequency and severity of thermal anomalies, emphasizing the need for adaptive strategies and a comprehensive understanding of the species in a changing climate. Marine forest restoration requires long lasting projects, to allow for long-term monitoring and better understanding the biology of the species and for mitigating stochastic events that can cause the temporary failure of efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In the context of great changes in the food industry, the aim of this research is to investigate if and how the implementation of 4.0 enabling technologies can enhance the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the food sector. A systematic literature review, using a combination of 12 keywords, was carried out on Scopus database with defined inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to answer four selected research questions. Overall, 50 relevant papers were retrieved and analysed by Mendeley and Excel with descriptive statistics. VOSviewer was used for co-occurrence and co-authorship analysis. Results illustrate that the interest in the topic has grown, in particular in Italy, and resume the benefits achievable by the implementation of 4.0 technologies in food industries. Social impacts are new job positions, ergonomic design of workplaces, changes in educational institutions, improved nutrition and better animal welfare. Positive aspects are related even to economic growth, improving food chain performances and decreasing companies' costs. Finally, it allows energy, water, CO2 emissions and food savings. Overall, the work provides a helpful overview to food manufacturers and producers, recommending the introduction of I4.0 technologies to positively influence the sustainable development of the sector and remain competitive in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two centuries, land-use change (LUC) has been the most important direct change driver for terrestrial ecosystems. In contrast with the consequent ecosystem degradation, forward-looking spatial policies and target landscape and land-use planning processes are needed from a sustainability perspective. The present paper proposes a framework of action, including different landscape-planning and ecological approaches: from spatial modelling to recognize LUC and build different scenarios, to ecosystem service (ES) assessment to evaluate possible environmental impacts. Three different scenarios were explored: Trend, No Tillage, and Energy crops. The sediment delivery ratio and carbon storage and sequestration ESs were assessed and compared for each scenario. The results show that regional development in line with past trends could lead to further land degradation (with ES value losses, in a decade, greater than 5%). Instead, the two scenarios proposed in compliance with EU policies could bring benefits, if only those related to moderate LUCs and respecting the naturally grass-vegetated land. The aim of the paper is to support decision makers and local communities in the landscape planning landscape planning process. From the local to global scale, guided and shared LUC management allows us to implement sustainable development, based not only on a deep knowledge of the physical environment but also of social and economic issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the influence of temperature and of rainfall intensity and the effect of such variations on the treatment efficiencies and on the electrical consumptions in seven medium-large size Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Apulia in South Italy (Bari, Barletta, Brindisi, Lecce, Foggia, Andria and Taranto). It has been observed, in the considered WWTPs, a slight but clear increase of the incoming flow due to the increase in rainfall intensity, which results to an increase of the energy consumption per incoming volume. The impact of the climate change to the incoming flow, during the last five years (2016-2020), has been assessed indicating that an increase in rainfall intensity results to an increase of the WWTPs energy consumptions per wastewater treated volume. More specifically, for a specific WWTP (Lecce) it was found that the electrical consumption increases from 0.36 kw/m 3 to 0.51 kw/m 3 when the rainfall intensity was increased from 0.8 mm/min to 2.9 mm/min. Some adaption measures have been considered to upgrade the existing WWTP so to mitigate the energy increase and to limit the global effects of climate change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Simple Summary: There is increasing interest in the study of how the ongoing climate change is affecting insect populations. However, most research has been focused on a limited number of groups that are particularly charismatic or expected to respond more clearly to climate change. Moreover, most research has been developed in a few areas (especially northern and central European countries), while others (such as the Mediterranean basin) have been largely overlooked. Therefore, more empirical research is needed, particularly on less charismatic species, groups that are expected to react less dramatically to climatic change, and key areas that are still poorly investigated. This study investigates changes in distributional and activity patterns in a common, ecologically tolerant, forest tenebrionid beetle in a region (central Italy) within the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, an area strongly subjected to the ongoing climate change, but for which research is still limited. By analyzing changes in elevation, latitude, longitude, and seasonal activity between 1900–1980 and 1981–2022, the results provided insights into the potential effects of climate change on this species. The beetle's average values of elevation and latitude were found to have been increased in the second period. In response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. No strong evidence was found for an earlier species seasonal activity, but this could be due to the inclusion in the analysis of likely overwintering individuals. The findings suggest that even thermally tolerant species can undergo distributional shifts in elevation and latitude, even at a relatively small scale. There is an increasing volume of literature on the impact of climate change on insects. However, there is an urgent need for more empirical research on underrepresented groups in key areas, including species for which the effects of climatic change may seem less evident. The present paper illustrates the results of a study on a common forest tenebrionid beetle, Accanthopus velikensis (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783), at a regional scale within the Mediterranean basin. Using a large set of records from Latium (central Italy), changes in the median values of elevation, latitude, longitude, and phenology between two periods (1900–1980 vs. 1981–2022) were tested. Records of A. velikensis in the period 1981–2022 showed median values of elevation and latitude higher than those recorded in the first period. Thus, in response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. By contrast, A. velikensis does not seem to have changed its activity pattern in response to increased temperatures, but this might be an artifact due to the inclusion of likely overwintering individuals. The results obtained for A. velikensis indicate that even thermally euryoecious species can show changes in their elevational and latitudinal distribution, and that poleward shifts can be apparent even within a small latitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue intended to collect articles focusing on the assessment of the possible effects of climate changes on aquatic species inhabiting inland waters all over the world, including the possible synergistic effects in combination with other anthropogenic stressors. A total of six original articles were published that report on investigations of different freshwater ecosystems across the world, including the mountain streams of the Western United States and Northwest Italy, river basins of Northwest China and Central Italy, a larger lowland river in north Italy, and a high-elevation temporary pond in Central Italy. In most of these papers, special attention was devoted to the repercussions of the climate change and its effects on three important components of the biotic community: the fish, benthic macroinvertebrates, and zooplankton. According to the aims of this Special Issue, three of the articles offer new insight into the synergistic effects of global warming together with other anthropogenic stressors, including water exploitation and alien species invasions. In light of the studies' aim to highlight the effects of climate change, three papers provided analyses of environmental data collected through long-term monitoring. The scientific findings provided by these studies could help to create sound management strategies for freshwater biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crafts sector, traditionally characterized by its adherence to heritage and small-scale familial enterprises, confronts an array of unprecedented challenges stemming from rapid technological advancement, globalization, climate change, and shifting demographics. This article presents a pioneering investigation into the profound and transformative effects of digitalization on the crafts sector, offering novel insights into the future trajectory of this industry. Through an explorative approach, we critically examine and interrogate the social imaginary underpinning the crafts sector, shedding light on the intricate interplay between tradition and innovation. Leveraging an inter- and transdisciplinary framework, our research brings together academics, experts, and practitioners from diverse regions in Italy and Austria to explore the nexus of digitalization and craft futures. We introduce three future scenarios for the crafts sector, each delineating varying degrees of digitalization and their potential implications. Employing a mixed-method approach encompassing expert interviews, a Delphi survey, focus groups, and scenario development, our study offers a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted landscape of craft futures. Furthermore, through the visualization of these scenarios, we provide a tangible platform for envisioning and engaging with the myriad possibilities that lie ahead. By synthesizing innovative methodologies from future studies and social imaginaries with a specific focus on the crafts sector, our research offers a robust analytical framework for navigating the complex dynamics of digitalization and envisioning transformative futures. This paper not only illuminates the disruptive forces unleashed by digitalization but also provides strategic insights to inform future decision-making processes within the crafts sector and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: This paper analyzes the role that the climate change concern (CCCi) has on the willingness to accept an environmental tax. The author aims to grasp how individual general tax preferences can differ with respect to the specific (environmental) tax. He focuses attention to the Italian case since it has been argued that the potential acceptability of a carbon tax in Italy is relatively high, and this topic has been scarcely explored so far among Italian citizens (Rotaris and Danielis, 2019). Design/methodology/approach: The author conducted an online survey among 514 Italian economics students. Findings: The CCCi positively influences the environmental tax morale (ETMi). The general tax morale (TMi) positively affects the specific (environmental) TMi. The CCCi alters individual tax preferences. The author evidenced that also subjects with low TMi turned out to be willing to pay an environmental tax if aware of the environmental issues. Research limitations/implications: Although the author used a common methodology in this strand of research, he is aware that in an online survey individuals can be influenced by the self-reporting and hypothetical choice bias (see Swamy et al., 2001), that in turn can characterize their reported preferences. Moreover, even if economics university students are commonly used as a subject pool in experimental economics settings, and although several studies showed that the behavioral responses of students are largely the same as those of nonstudents in identical experiments (for a discussion see Alm, 2012; Choo et al., 2016), there is awareness that in this case, they are not taxpayers yet (Barabas and Jerit, 2010). Practical implications: The author's results remark the importance of increasing climate change awareness among people to let them be more willing to pay the environmental tax, for instance through investments in sensibilization campaigns on the importance of energy source usage and climate-related topic. Then, an increase in the general TMi leads to an increase in the specific (environmental) TMi. The author's evidence showed that people with high tax morale logically recognize the positive impact of paying an environmental tax when the CCCi increases, since the more the theme becomes important, the larger the willingness to pay the specific tax. For this reason, policymakers should carry on campaigns to increase the general level of TMi to increase the overall tax compliance level and the relative tax revenues, following the guidelines given by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2019) to support taxpayer education programs, such as including TMi research and analysis into education programs, improving the ease of paying taxes or strengthening revenue–expenditure links to build the social contract. Social implications: It should be paramount to increase awareness about environmental topics among people in general and among those who are relatively tax immoral. The author's results remark on the importance of targeting energy and environmental tax policies to groups rather than to individuals. According to this evidence, we support the use of nonmonetary tools to nudge people in the environmental transition by changing their behavior in energy use, for instance through the taxation on fuel and other nonrenewable energy resources. Originality/value: It is the first empirical study that analyzes the impact of CCCi on the environmental TMi in Italy, in particular controlling for the role of the general willingness to pay taxes (TMi). To obtain individual attitudes toward tax payment, most of the empirical studies in behavioral economics employ international surveys. For studies across citizens living in European countries, the European Social Survey (ESS) and European Values Study (EVS) represent the most used ones (see, for instance, Martinez-Vazquez and Torgler (2009) in Spain; Torgler and Werner (2005) in Germany; Nemore and Morone (2019) in Italy). However, these surveys do not allow to study the relationship between the environmental and general TMi across the same subject pool. In fact, despite the ESS (2016) provides individual responses about the willingness to pay an environmental tax, it does not provide information about the general individual attitude toward tax payment (this information is contained only in the ESS wave of 2004, hence referring to a different subject pool). On the contrary, each wave of the EVS (i.e. 2008, 2017) provides information about the general individual attitude toward tax payment, but this survey does not provide a question regarding the willingness to pay an environmental tax. Therefore, to obtain information about the willingness to pay both general and environmental taxes, across the same subject pool, it is needed to carry out a survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural heritage is one of the most exceptional resources characterizing the Italian territory. Archaeological heritage, i.e., the archaeological sites with different types of archaeological artifacts, strongly contributes to enriching the national and international cultural heritage. Nevertheless, it is constantly exposed to external factors, such as natural deterioration, anthropic impact, and climate-related hazards, which may compromise its conservation. In Italy, many archaeological areas are affected by significant soil settlements that involve a large part of monuments. This paper focuses on the landslide hazard assessment of the archaeological site of Pietrabbondante (Molise region, Italy). The impact of the expected rainfall regimes, according to the EURO-CORDEX projections, on slope stability conditions were evaluated through the application of a physically based model that couples a hydraulic and a mechanical model to evaluate slope stability evolution due to pore pressure changes. Given the unavoidable lack of knowledge of the geotechnical soil properties in an archaeological heritage area, the proposed method considered the random uncertainty of soil parameters by means of a probabilistic approach in order to assess the stability conditions in terms of probability of occurrence of a landslide. The results of this study provide a reference for the safety assessment and preventive conservation of archaeological areas characterized by high cultural value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective strategy for sustainable development is to conduct research on vernacular architecture in response to urbanisation as well as environmental and climate change challenges. However, focused discussion has been limited to date due to the diverse range of disciplines involved in vernacular architecture and the unique examples in practice. Scopus, one of the largest literature databases, was used to find and select a total of 1403 documents for this paper. Techniques for both quantitative and qualitative literature analysis were employed using Microsoft Excel (Version 16.75.2) and the visualisation tool VOSviewer (Version 1.6.19). Using bibliometric analysis, more academic publications were reviewed, aiming to analyse the current situation, influence, and future direction of the literature related to vernacular architecture. The current issues have been obtained from the statistical results, and the opportunities and challenges of vernacular architecture in today's cities are discussed. The twenty most frequently referenced publications, keywords, and correlations between co-occurrences were all examined in this bibliometric analysis, along with annual publishing trends and the most influential nations, institutions, sources, and authors. The analysis showed a rising trend in vernacular architectural publications, with China, Italy, and Spain being the most prolific nations whose institutions have a high academic impact. However, the degree of international author collaboration remains insignificant. Future themes could focus on energy, comfort, earthquake resilience, and sustainability, with cultural heritage and vernacular communities still receiving little research attention. This study is a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of vernacular architecture, as well as an important study of sustainability and resilience, affirming the importance of vernacular architecture in terms of future urban form and drawing on the lessons of history. Also, the proposed research framework could be a strong reference for future researchers looking for inspiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents palynological data obtained from a trench excavated at the Neolithic pile-dwelling archaeological site of Palù di Livenza (northeastern Italy). The site is in a wetland located in a tectonic basin at the foot of the Cansiglio plateau, crossed by the Livenza river. Environmental conditions have made this wetland a suitable area for settlements since prehistoric times. Thanks to the peaty sediments that characterise the area, archaeological materials and botanical remains have been exceptionally well preserved. Their study has shed light on a Neolithic pile-dwelling settlement that developed in various phases between c. 6350 and 5600 cal BP (c. 4400 and 3650 BC), and has also allowed for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the surrounding environment. A vertical sequence of 20 samples was analysed to study pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoals. An age-depth model was performed based on three radiocarbon dates. The palynological analysis provided insight into the response of vegetation to environmental changes caused by both climatic fluctuations and human pressure. In this sense, it was possible to highlight differences in vegetation cover, some fires, the use of woody resources, the spread of cereal fields, as well as the presence of other cultivated plants and plant processing by the people within the village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current geopolitical landscape of the European Union has made it clear that the energy sector must be a top priority in EU policy, especially in light of the sudden escalation of Russian–Ukrainian conflicts. Energy efficiency has been used as the first tool of EU policy to tackle energy and climate crises, given the issues surrounding energy vulnerability and the need to limit gas emissions that contribute to climate change. The white certificate mechanism in Italy has played a pivotal role in encouraging measures to achieve the country's energy-saving goals. Given the high energy requirements of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs), especially for aeration in the biological section, this paper examines the replacement of the air distribution system for a large WWTP as a viable intervention. In order to provide economic perspective for the plant, both the discounted Payback Period (dPBP) and the Net Present Value (NPV) were calculated for the investment. When viewed through an economic lens, the dPBP metric exhibits values that span from less than 1 year to nearly 4.5 years. Additionally, the investment's cost-effectiveness was emphasized by the NPV, which, depending on the factors considered, can exceed 17.5 million euros. Finally, given the centrality of the theme of climate change, the avoided greenhouse gas emissions generated by the efficiency intervention were calculated, according to the GHG Protocol, resulting in a quantity of avoided emissions equivalent to over 57,770 tonnes of CO2e. These results highlight important achievements in terms of both the cost-effectiveness of the plant and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several impacts of climate change are becoming evident and will be more and more apparent in the future. The threats and challenges posed by weather patterns variations can change according to the variables of interest, geography, and socio-economic contexts. At the moment, we are compelled to assess their impacts, so as to identify priorities and devise effective countermeasures. A major concern is that of geo-hydrological risks, including the potential effects of landslide evolution in unstable areas. Based on available data on the relationship between soil–atmosphere interaction and mobility of a slow active earthflow in Southern Italy, the paper tries to correlate the expected future precipitation potential evapotranspiration balance and the water level fluctuations that govern landslide mobility. The investigation is carried out in the framework of the bottom-up approach known as decision scaling, which lets us evaluate landslide dynamics sensitivity to the variations in soil water budget by means of a simple abacus. Such a tool will make it possible to obtain fast updates on assessing landslide trends when new generations of climate projections become available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing urbanization and climate change challenges are leading to relevant environmental, economic and social pressures on European cities. These include increasing flood hazards and the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly recognized within strategies to provide multiple ecosystem services to mitigate existing risks and pressures, as well as to make cities more resilient and livable. Although being increasingly addressed within the literature, NBS implementation on the ground still faces many technical and financial barriers. This paper aims to test the potential of selected NBS in mitigating the effects of identified climate change risks, i.e., the UHI effect and urban floods, in the Turin urban area (north-western Italy). Four different intervention NBS-based scenarios are developed. The supply of ecosystem services by NBS in each scenario is assessed using InVEST models and the effectiveness of NBS investments is analyzed by calculating and comparing the associated costs and benefits. Different results in terms of effectiveness and economic viability are observed for each scenario and each NBS. Flood risk mitigation oriented NBS seem to have the most impact, in particular forested green areas and retention ponds. The results are relevant to suggest policy mix strategies to embed NBS in city planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed and accurate geomorphological historical landslide inventory maps are an invaluable source of information for many research topics and applications. Their systematic preparation worldwide has been advised by many researchers as it may foster our knowledge on landslides, their spatial and temporal distribution, their potential interaction with the built environment, their contribution to landscape dynamics, and their response to climate change in the past. Due to the extreme variability of the morphological and radiometric elements that can reveal historical landslides, geomorphological historical landslide inventory maps are produced by expert interpretation, which makes it a time-consuming and expensive process, which often discourages wide-area mapping activities. In this paper we present a new geomorphological historical landslide inventory map for a 1460 km 2 area in the Daunia Apennines, the north-western sector of the Apulia (Puglia) region, in southern Italy. The inventory contains 17 437 landslides classified according to relative age, type of movement, and estimated depth. Landslides were mapped according to rigorous and reproducible criteria applied by two teams of expert photo interpreters to two sets of stereoscopic aerial photographs taken in 1954/55 and 2003. The dataset consists of a digital archive publicly available at 10.1594/PANGAEA.942427 (Cardinali et al., 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain springs' recharging mechanisms have undergone significant changes due to climate change, as well as altered water consumption patterns and policies. Specifically, climate change has influenced the characteristics of spring discharges, evapotranspiration, snow-rainfall ratios, and snow seasonality, bringing new rainfall patterns associated with increased average air temperatures. Consequently, examining how groundwater storage mechanisms are changing in response to climate-driven has become crucial for understanding the future scenarios associated with water availability in such areas. Therefore, increasingly automated tools and simplified approaches need to be applied to continuously monitor hydrogeological variables affecting the spring recharge system. SOURCE (a semi-automatic tool for Spring mOnitoring data analysis and aqUifeR CharactErization) is an advanced semi-automatic Python tool that automates the hydrogeological characterization of the springs' aquifers. Its functionalities were tested through the analysis of the Promise and Alpe Perrot mountain springs and the related meteorological stations (La Thuile-Villaret and Champdepraz-Chevrère) located in the Aosta Valley region (NW Italy). Input data (flow rate, temperature, electrical conductivity, and rainfall) can be rapidly processed, providing graphical outputs, as well as values for the main hydrodynamic parameters (e.g. auto and cross-correlation coefficients) for an aquifer. Besides, to comprehend the relationship between changes in weather conditions and water availability in the Aosta Valley Region (Northwestern Italy), 7-year precipitation and discharge trends were considered. Despite the increasing trends in flow rate, considering the limited vulnerability values obtained for Alpe Perrot, it is possible to hypothesize a delayed impact of climatic changes on the spring system. The impact of climatic changes on Promise spring is supposed to be faster. However, the nature and dimensions of the aquifer are such as to be resilience to increasing water temperature. Being able to continuously monitor and define the effects induced on water reserves through simplified analysis approaches, such as those presented in this paper, is increasingly necessary, especially for local authorities. A single software package such as SO URC E that contains all the main methods of water spring analysis has the potential to significantly reduce any analysis times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the relationship between urban planning and mobility management, TeMA has gradually expanded the view of the covered topics, always following a rigorous scientific in-depth analysis. This section of the Journal, Review Notes, is a continuous update about emerging topics concerning relationships among urban planning, mobility, and environment, thanks to a collection of short scientific papers written by young researchers. The Review Notes are made up of five parts. Each section examines a specific aspect of the broader information storage within the main interests of the TeMA Journal. In particular: the Town Planning International Rules and Legislation. Section aims at presenting the latest updates in the territorial and urban legislative sphere. The current challenges that today's cities have to face, from climate change to environmental and social ones, have led to urban planning being accompanied by the mobility system from a sustainable point of view. In turn, sustainable mobility constitutes that important link in the chain of development of cities. In this direction, the contribution explores in the first part how the scientific community is addressing the issue of sustainable mobility and what the new paradigms are, however, in the second part it focuses on the urban policies issued by the Italian government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater resource assessment and forecasting in mountain areas requires the monitoring of two conditions, local meteorological conditions, and springs' groundwater parameters. The reliability of the monitoring data and conditions are linked to the technical instrumentation, multiparametric probes, and sensors. This paper presents a set of attractive tools and sensors for springs' groundwater resource monitoring and assessment in mountain basins. Data from the combination of weather station sensors with spring flow-rate instruments, installed in the alpine Mascognaz basin, can guarantee an entire understanding of how one set of parameters can affect other results, defining consequential cause-and-effect relationships. Since a large part of the Alpine groundwater bodies are exploited for drinking purposes, understanding the evolution of their rechange processes requires making the right economic and instrumental investments aimed at using them according to forecast predictions and sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents the first regional-scale investigation in the Piedmont Po plain about the relationship between groundwater temperature (GWT) and climate variability. The understanding of relationships between air temperature (AT) and GWT is really important, especially in the context of global climate change. The aim of this investigation is to study the relationship between GWT and AT over a 10-year time period (from 2010 to 2019) to analyse how these two parameters interrelate and to evaluate possible trends. To carry out this study, basic statistic interpolations were performed on both parameters to facilitate comparison. Both AT and GWT showed an increase over the observed decade with a more pronounced growth of the AT; this allow to state that GWT is more resilient to climate change than AT. However, some areas in the Piedmont plain showed a behaviour that partially deviated from the standard trend observe for the majority of the region. These areas were influenced by particular anthropic factors (for example the paddy fields in the Novara plain) or natural elements (as the monitoring wells in the "Canavese" area, located downstream of melting glaciers, or the wells located close to the Tanaro River). Moreover, this study wanted to stress the importance of the knowledge of the localization in wells of the instruments for the GWT measurement, to have the most accurate and comparable data. It was proved that as the depth increased, the maximum and minimum peaks of the GWT shifted in time respect to the maximum and minimum peaks of the AT, and, in addition, the GWT fluctuation in the bottom part of the aquifer was milder than the fluctuation observed in the most superficial part. Further investigations will be conducted in future in Piedmont plain areas with different behavior, in order to better understand their dynamics and the factors that may influence GWT and how they are affected by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boreal hemisphere has been experiencing increasing extreme hot and dry conditions over the past few decades, consistent with anthropogenic climate change. The continental extension of this phenomenon calls for tools and techniques capable of monitoring the global to regional scales. In this context, satellite data can satisfy the need for global coverage. The main objective we have addressed in the present paper is the capability of infrared satellite observations to monitor the vegetation stress due to increasing drought and heatwaves in summer. We have designed and implemented a new water deficit index (wdi) that exploits satellite observations in the infrared to retrieve humidity, air temperature, and surface temperature simultaneously. These three parameters are combined to provide the water deficit index. The index has been developed based on the Infrared Atmospheric Sounder Interferometer or IASI, which covers the infrared spectral range 645 to 2760 cm−1 with a sampling of 0.25 cm−1. The index has been used to study the 2017 heatwave, which hit continental Europe from May to October. In particular, we have examined southern Italy, where Mediterranean forests suffer from climate change. We have computed the index's time series and show that it can be used to indicate the atmospheric background conditions associated with meteorological drought. We have also found a good agreement with soil moisture, which suggests that the persistence of an anomalously high water deficit index was an essential driver of the rapid development and evolution of the exceptionally severe 2017 droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in addressing societal challenges is changing research and innovation policy dynamics. However, a challenge-oriented approach requires specific public sector capacities to coordinate and provide directionality, while having an innovation ecosystem with sufficient scientific and technological capabilities to address the grand societal challenges effectively. From this perspective, a challenge-oriented policy is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and the literature has only recently started investigating the territorial differences. The current paper proposes a composite index to assess REgional Societal Challenges-Oriented REadiness (RE-SCORE). An exploratory experimental application is conducted to examine and compare Italian regions facing four selected societal challenges (SCs): bioeconomy, climate change, health and inclusive, innovative and reflective societies. The findings show that the Italian regional readiness to address SCs is highly heterogeneous, going beyond the 'traditional' North-South divide. The index allows us to benchmark regional capacities for comparative analysis and to identify possible interregional synergies around specific SCs. This approach could be used in other European countries and at the European level to assess the regional readiness to tackle SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal flooding is an important current issue due to climate change and due to significant increases in anthropogenic pressures observed in the second half of the last century. Indeed, climate change has been causing an increase in the frequency and the intensity of various natural events such as floods and sea storms; anthropogenic pressures have caused an increase in impermeable surfaces with negative consequences on the vulnerability of territories under the action of natural events. In this paper, we analyze the effects of climate change in terms of possible increases in floodable areas and in terms of population, infrastructure, coastal dunes, and sites of social, economic, and strategic interest exposed along the coasts of the region of Calabria in southern Italy. Calabria was chosen as a case study due to its geomorphological peculiarities and its considerable anthropogenic pressures. These peculiarities cause significant variability of weather and sea conditions among the different coastal areas, which influences the coastal dynamics and the characteristics of meteorological events. The main results show that, in the analyzed areas, the floodable areas double between current and future scenarios, involving both significant percentages of the population and railways, highways, industrial areas, and coastal dunes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, regions in the Mediterranean area share common characteristics in terms of high sensitivity to climate change impacts. Does this translate into specificities regarding climate action that could arise from these Mediterranean characteristics? This paper sheds light on regional and local climate mitigation actions of the Mediterranean Europe, focusing on the plans to reduce greenhouse gases emissions in a representative sample of 51 regions and 73 cities across 9 Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain). The study investigates: (i) the availability of local and regional mitigation plans, (ii) their goals in term of greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets on the short and medium-long term, and (iii) the impact of transnational climate networks on such local and regional climate mitigation planning. Results of this study indicate an uneven and fragmented planning, that shows a Mediterranean West-East divide, and a link with population size. However, overall, both regional and city action seem insufficiently ambitious with regards to meeting the Paris Agreement, at least at city level. While national frameworks are currently weak in influencing regional and local actions, transnational networks seem to be engaging factors for commitment (at city level) and ambitiousness (at regional level). The uneven and fragmented progress revealed by this study, does not align with the characteristics shared by investigated regions and cities in terms of environmental, socio-political, climatic and economic conditions. The results support the call of a common green deal at the Mediterranean level to further address specific Mediterranean challenges and related needs. This will allow to capitalise on available resources, generate local-specific knowledge, build capacities, and support Mediterranean regions and cities in preparing the next generation of more ambitious mitigation plans., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper investigates how hydrological drought affected suspended sediment yield (SSY) in the Mediterranean Ofanto River basin, southern Italy, and in its five sub-basins from 1951 to 1989. The Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index over a scale of 12 months (SPEI12) has been used to compute the hydrological drought in the investigated span of time. SPEI12, mean and maximum monthly discharge (Qmean and Qmax), monthly rainfall erosivity, monthly simple daily intensity index and monthly SSY were used to assess the relationships between dry/wet cycles, streamflow and SSY through the Pearson correlation matrix. Qmean and Qmax are significantly correlated with SSY, while SPEI12 and rainfall intensity do not show good correlation with SSY. Furthermore, from the overall analyses it emerges that sediment yield estimations were higher mainly during the wet period following a period of drought or during a drought period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean rural settlements suffer from numerous environmental challenges, specifically the annual decrease of the farmlands, climate change threats, and growing resource consumption and demand, such as energy, the core of development. Rural areas play a significant role in achieving food security and sustainable development. Therefore, this paper promotes the energy community and agrivoltaic key concepts as pillars to show how buildings and farms' land uses positively impact the ecosystem. The study focused on Egypt and Italy as representatives of the entire region. Two rural settlements with the same characteristics representing typical agriculture-based patterns have been selected: Lasaifar Albalad, representing 339 villages in the Delta Region, northern Egypt, and Pontinia, representing rural typologies of the 1930s in the Lazio Region, central Italy. Then, two focus groups with versatile stakeholders were conducted. The results showed the juxtaposition of the key concepts and national rural and agricultural policies and fostered a novel approach between Egypt and Italy. The study presented the first analysis of both contexts. The focus groups promoted the ideas, led to a better understanding of the implementation possibilities, raised awareness, improved social acceptance, and highlighted the significant barriers. It paved the way for a further study (micro-scale on-ground practices) to be planned and implemented soon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public housing stock across the European Union is generally constituted of old buildings (built prior to 1980) with high energy demand and indoor thermal comfort issues, which could be exacerbated by climate change. The aim of this paper was to quantify the impact of climate change on the energy demand of the public housing building stock. A neighbourhood located in Bari (south Italy) is considered as representative of a common construction typology of late 1970s in Italy. Energy models were created and calibrated with real-time data collected from utilities' bills. The results showed a medium to strong correlation between age and energy consumption (r = 0.358), but no evident correlation between the number of tenants and energy consumption, although a significantly low energy consumption was found in apartments occupied by more than five tenants. An energy penalty of about 7 kWh/m2 of heating energy consumption for every 10 years of increase in the average age of tenants was calculated. Moreover, the impact of future weather scenarios on energy consumptions was analysed and an average annual energy penalty of 0.3 kWh/m2 was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural calamities that repeatedly hit the Country, ranging from earthquake to climate change induced events like landslides and floods resulted in huge damages, worsened by the infrastructural degrade and by the abandonment of some territories, especially in the inner areas of the Country. There is therefore a pressing need to improve the infrastructural resiliency, focusing on extraordinary manutention, on the technological development of the monitoring activities and of the supporting infrastructure, on the prevention, the civil protection and the public aid. Peripheral urban contexts of the Inner Areas are exposed se of catastrophic events, as witnessed after the 2016 seismic events, where secondary infrastructure network was heavily affected, bringing great problems for those living in the areas. The paper explores experimental methodologies to bring substantial modifications to the villages and minor urban areas structure (for the damaged buildings as for the infrastructural network) that the reconstruction makes possible, making of it a unique occasion to renew and reorganize the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe impact of global crises, such as COVID-19 and climate change, is plausibly reshaping the way in which people perceive risks. In this paper, we examine and compare how global crises and local disasters influence public perceptions of multiple hazards in Italy and Sweden. To this end, we integrate information about the occurrence of hazardous events with the results of two nationwide surveys. These included more than 4000 participants and were conducted in two different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic corresponding to low (August 2020) and high (November 2020) levels of infection rates. We found that, in both countries, people are more worried about risks related to experienced events. This is in line with the cognitive process known as the availability heuristic: individuals assess the risk associated with a given hazard based on how easily it comes to their mind. Epidemics, for example, are perceived as less likely and more impactful in Italy compared to Sweden. This outcome can be explained by cross-country differences in the impact of, as well as governmental responses to, COVID-19. Notwithstanding the ongoing pandemic, people in both Italy and Sweden are highly concerned about climate change, and they rank it as the most likely threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing erosion of beaches due to anthropic pressure, together with the effects of sea level rise are expected to have devastating effects on sandy coastlines. This paper identifies the Italian beaches under threat and their regional distribution, examining the implications for beach-dependent activities and coastal management, based on the integration of various projections and datasets. As a result, by the year 2050 erosion is expected to affect 70% of Italian beaches. One-fifth of the current beaches' surface is likely to be almost completely submerged by 2050 and 45% by the end of the century, with the regions of Sardinia, Campania, Lazio, and Apulia likely to lose more than half of their equipped beaches. Although beaches naturally tend to migrate landward when subjected to erosion, and such shift can be favoured by managed retreat measures, these solutions are severely limited by the increasing urbanisation of back beaches. Adaptation in Italy is almost exclusively based on coastal protections, which exacerbate overall erosion and undermine beaches' natural resilience. A transformative and nature-based rethinking of the coastal management regime is needed to avoid the artificialization of a huge portion of the sandy coastline and increasing threats to coastal settlements and economies. [Display omitted] • 20% and 45% of Italian beaches risk almost complete submersion by 2050 and 2100. • In almost all Italian Regions a third or more of equipped beaches are at risk. • Managed retreat is severely limited by coastal urbanization and artificialization. • Current coastal management regimes exacerbate erosion and artificialization. • A transformative and nature-based rethinking of coastal management is urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its high short-term global warming potential (GWP) compared to carbon dioxide, methane (CH4) is a considerable agent of climate change. This research is aimed at analyzing data on methane gathered at the GAW (Global Atmosphere Watch) station of Lamezia Terme (Calabria, Southern Italy) spanning seven years of continuous measurements (2016–2022) and integrating the results with key meteorological data. Compared to previous studies on detected methane mole fractions at the same station, daily-to-yearly patterns have become more prominent thanks to the analysis of a much larger dataset. Overall, the yearly increase of methane at the Lamezia Terme station is in general agreement with global measurements by NOAA, though local peaks are present, and an increase linked to COVID-19 is identified. Seasonal changes and trends have proved to be fully cyclic, with the daily cycles being largely driven by local wind circulation patterns and synoptic features. Outbreak events have been statistically evaluated depending on their weekday of occurrence to test possible correlations with anthropogenic activities. A cross analysis between methane peaks and specific wind directions has also proved that local sources may be deemed responsible for the highest mole fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses significant challenges to agricultural systems in the Mediterranean region, with Italy being significantly affected. This literature scoping review aims to examine existing research on the impact of climate change on yield and income on the three agri-food value chains in Italy: viticulture, fruit and vegetables, and dairy cattle. By analysing the available literature, this study seeks to outline the pros and cons, knowledge gaps, and potential areas for future research. A systematic search of scientific databases was conducted to identify relevant articles published between 2000 and 2022. The search terms included climate change, agriculture, Italy, yield, income, and related keywords. Articles were screened based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in a final selection of studies. Quantitative information was collected and organized into descriptive tables. The review encompassed 44 studies that investigated the impact of climate change on yield and income in various agricultural sectors across different regions of Italy. The findings indicate that climate change is already impacting crop productivity and income levels, with increased temperature, changes in precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events being identified as the primary drivers. Additionally, disparities were observed between different agricultural regions, crops, and farming systems, highlighting the need for location-specific and crop-specific assessments. The scoping review provides a prospective overview of the existing literature on climate change impacts on yield and income within the Italian agriculture system. It underscores the urgency for targeted adaptation strategies to minimize the negative consequences of climate change. Further research should focus on understanding the complex interactions between climate change, agricultural practices, socio-economic factors, and policy interventions to develop context-specific solutions for sustainable agriculture in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of faunal communities of the past, and how they have changed to become what they are now, is fundamental to the understanding of the changes in ecosystems that we are witnessing and that are coming in the future. In this paper, we present the small mammal assemblage from Grotta del Sambuco (Massa Marittima, Grosseto), belonging to two archaeologic stratigraphic Units, 5 and 6, both dated to Marine Isotope Stage 2. The assemblage from Unit 6 can be defined as "non-analogue", due to the occurrence of the Narrow-headed Vole Lasiopodomys anglicus and the Southern Birch Mouse Sicista subtilis. Non-analogue communities (i.e., with no equivalent in present time) are frequent during Late Pleistocene in the Italian Peninsula. Starting with Grotta del Sambuco, we describe some of the different factors leading to the origins and disappearance of past non-analogue small mammal assemblages in Italy. Climatic changes and the consequent shifts in geographic distributions of the species play a major role in shaping these communities, eventually leading to extirpation and extinction of cold- or continental-adapted species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed and accurate geomorphological historical landslide inventory maps are an invaluable source of information for many research topics and applications. Their systematic preparation worldwide has been advised by many researchers as it may foster our knowledge on landslides, their spatial and temporal distribution, their potential interaction with the built environment, their contribution to landscape dynamics, their response to climate change in the past. Due to the extreme variability of the morphological and radiometric elements that can reveal historical landslides, geomorphological historical landslide inventory maps are produced by expert interpretation, which makes it a time consuming and expensive process, which often discourages wide area mapping activities. In this paper we present a new geomorphological historical landslide inventory map for a 1,460 km² area in the Daunia Apennines, the northern-western sector of the Apulia (Puglia) region, in Southern Italy. The inventory contains 17,437 landslides classified according to relative age, type of movement and estimated depth. Landslides were mapped according to rigorous and reproducible criteria applied by two teams of expert photo interpreters to two sets of stereoscopic aerial photographs taken in 1954/55 and 2003. The dataset consists of a digital archive publicly available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.942427 (Cardinali et al., 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the climate policy discussion by focusing on the challenges and opportunities of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 in Italy. To support Italian energy planning, we developed energy roadmaps towards national climate neutrality, consistent with the Paris Agreement objectives and the IPCC goal of limiting the increase in global surface temperature to 1.5 °C. Starting from the Italian framework, these scenarios identify the correlations among the main pillars for the change of the energy paradigm towards net emissions by 2050. The energy scenarios were developed using TIMES-RSE, a partial equilibrium and technology-rich optimization model of the entire Italian energy system. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis was developed with the sMTISIM, a long-term simulator of power system and electricity markets. The results show that, to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the Italian energy system will have to experience profound transformations on multiple and strongly related dimensions. A predominantly renewable-based energy mix (at least 80–90% by 2050) is essential to decarbonize most of the final energy consumption. However, the strong increase of non-programmable renewable sources requires particular attention to new flexibility resources needed for the power system, such as Power-to-X. The green fuels produced from renewables via Power-to-X will be a vital energy source for those sectors where electrification faces technical and economic barriers. The paper's findings also confirm that the European "energy efficiency first" principle represents the very first step on the road to climate neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a new method to quantify Climate Change Effects at hydrological scales. • The method allows to assimilate climatic projections in CDFs at rain gauge scale. • The initial (i.e., before any change scenario begins) skewness plays a crucial role. • A strong increase of outliers frequency is expected for series EV1 alike skewed. Quantifying the potential effects of Climate Change (CC) on hydrological scales is a topic with a more and more increasing interest for the scientific community, given the CC impact on agriculture, industry, economy, human health, ecosystems, among the others. In this context, the paper focuses on the sub-daily Annual Maxima (AM) of rainfall height time series, and specifically on the crucial role played by initial skewness, i.e. the skewness of the observed rainfall series used to evaluate potential parametric trends. Here a quick and user-friendly methodology is proposed, that is aimed at quantifying plausible future changes in terms of probability distributions assumed at rain gauge scale, from projections of any climatic model. In detail, the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and the Two-Component Extreme Value (TCEV) distributions are adopted as probability functions suitable for modelling observed rainfall AM series, which could increase their frequency and magnitude into future horizons under CC. EURO-CORDEX projections for Europe are considered, under the hypothesis that the values of the change factor, i.e. the ratio between the values of a specific quantile at two specific time horizons, are invariant when moving from an areally-averaged scale (typical for any climate model) to a point rain gauge scale, which induces that future changes are provided (in terms of frequency and magnitude of extreme events) without the need of any spatial downscaling from the assumed projections. The proposed methodology can contribute to hazard quantification associated to potential climate changes, and thus it can play a crucial role in the assessment of hydraulic structures resilience; the obtained results, specific for the study area of Italy, but easily extendable on a global scale, showed that larger increases in frequency of future heavy events are expected for time series with "EV1 alike" values of initial skewness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular actions cannot be considered sustainable if their financial benefits are not demonstrated. While the environmental benefits of the circular economy have been widely studied, sustainable development from a financial point of view has been much less studied. In this paper we assess the financial benefits of circular innovations applied in the fashion industry that have been previously assessed as sustainable using the Life Cycle Assessment. The focus is on two innovative processes such as salt recovery and tannin baths reuse that reuse water, chemicals and raw materials in an Italian small company operating in the tanning industry. A cost benefit analysis was carried to evaluate the net contribution of these actions to the operating margin. Then we model a forward-looking cash flow projection in order to determine the fundamental value of circular investments. Through these practices, the company achieved an increase in operating profitability above 30% and the 10-year value of the salt recovery is 159,061.40 euros, while the reused tanning water equals just over one million euros. The results show unexpected and strong financial benefits that can leverage similar initiatives that would advance resource equity and finally promote a real and convenient industrial dedication to environmental guardianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting on 2 November 2023, some territories in the Region of Tuscany in Italy were hit by exceptionally intense meteorological and calamitous events. The Region of Tuscany's government was immediately at the forefront of relief, assisting the population, and aiding restoration. On 3 November, a national state of emergency was declared due to flooding. Journalistic communication is an essential aspect of disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. In terms of protecting people and reducing damage, journalists and the media have an important role to play. This article reports an Italian case study analysing the behaviour of local media in cases of natural disaster. Nine focus groups were conducted with local journalists covering the flood emergency. The results highlight the role of social and institutional mediation, rather than mere dissemination, played by the local press in emergency situations, a central element in the construction of a community bond, precisely in moments of insecurity and disorientation. The narration of a disaster from the inside seems to have allowed the emergence and representation of hitherto unknown social realities in Tuscany. The goal of the news coverage was widened, making it possible to respond better to the diverse interests of the reading public and to satisfy in a short time and exhaustively the information needs of individual communities in difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Southern Mediterranean regions, the issue of summer fires related to agriculture practices is a periodic recurrence. It implies a significant increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other combustion-related gaseous and particles compounds emitted into the atmosphere with potential impacts on air quality and global climate. In this work, we performed an analysis of summer fire events that occurred on August 2021. Measurements were carried out at the permanent World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station of Lamezia Terme (Code: LMT) in Calabria, Southern Italy. The observatory is equipped with greenhouse gases and black carbon analyzers, an atmospheric particulate impactor system, and a meteo-station for atmospheric parameters to characterize atmospheric mechanisms and transport for land and sea breezes occurrences. High mole fractions of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) coming from quadrants of inland areas were correlated with fire counts detected via the MODIS satellite (GFED-Global Fire Emissions Database) at 1 km of spatial resolution. In comparison with the typical summer values, higher CO and CO2 were observed in August 2021. Furthermore, the growth in CO concentration values in the tropospheric column was also highlighted by the analyses of the L2 products of the Copernicus SP5 satellite. Wind fields were reconstructed via a Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) output, the latter suggesting a possible contribution from open fire events observed at the inland region near the observatory. So far, there have been no documented estimates of the effect of prescribed burning on carbon emissions in this region. This study suggested that data collected at the LMT station can be useful in recognizing and consequently quantifying emission sources related to open fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the need for ecosystem biodiversity assessment increases within the climate crisis framework, more and more studies using spectral variation hypothesis (SVH) are proposed to assess biodiversity at various scales. The SVH implies optical diversity (also called spectral diversity) is driven by light absorption dynamics associated with plant traits (PTs) variability (which is an indicator of functional diversity) which is, in turn, determined by biodiversity. In this study, we examined the relationship between PTs variability, optical diversity and α‐ and β‐diversity at different taxonomic ranks at the Monte Bondone grasslands, Trentino province, Italy. The results of the study showed that the PTs variability, at the α scale, was not correlated with biodiversity. On the other hand, the results observed at the community scale (β‐diversity) showed that the variation of some of the investigated biochemical and biophysical PTs was associated with the β‐diversity. We used the Mantel test to analyse the relationship between the PTs variability and species β‐diversity. The results showed a correlation coefficient of up to 0.50 between PTs variability and species β‐diversity. For higher taxonomic ranks such as family and functional groups, a slightly higher Spearman's correlation coefficient of up to 0.64 and 0.61 was observed, respectively. The SVH approach was also tested to estimate β‐diversity and we found that spectral diversity calculated by Spectral Angle Mapper showed to be a better proxy of biodiversity in the same ecosystem where the spectral diversity approach failed to estimate α‐diversity. These findings suggest that optical and PTs diversity approaches can be used to predict species diversity in the grasslands ecosystem where the species turnover is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is increasingly influencing the water cycle, hindering the effective management of water resources in various sectors. Lazio, central Italy, exhibits a wide range of climatic conditions, stretching from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Apennines. This study assessed a crucial aspect of climate change, focusing specifically on reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and its associated hydrological variables. The seasonal Mann–Kendall (MK) test was used to assess trends in gridded data. The K-means algorithm was then applied to divide Lazio into four homogeneous regions (clusters), each characterized by distinct trends in hydrological variables. The analysis revealed statistically significant increasing trends (p ≤ 0.01) in temperature, solar radiation, and ETo, with more marked effects observed in the coastal and hilly clusters. In contrast, statistically significant decreasing trends (p ≤ 0.01) were observed for relative humidity, while no statistically significant trends (p > 0.01) were observed for precipitation. This study's methodology, combining trend analysis and clustering, provides a comprehensive view of ETo dynamics in Lazio, aiding in pattern recognition and identifying regions with similar trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last ten years have witnessed an increase in publications focusing on bioeconomy as a proposal to confront the global challenges of climate change, depletion of non-renewable resources and ecosystem degradation. This paper investigates the scientific literature on issues related agricultural bioeconomy by applying a bibliometric network analysis. Bibliometric analysis is applied to the publications of the Scopus database during the period 2010–2020 in order to provide an overview of the main aspects that characterize agricultural bioeconomy. The results showed that out of a total of 1100 scientific papers, only 2.45% were published in 2010, while the corresponding share in 2020 was 20.81%. In the five years of 2016–2020, cumulatively, 70.63% of the publications were made, showing the dynamic evolution of bioeconomy. In addition, out of 85 countries in total, Germany and Italy are the two countries with most publications, while the fragmentation of research is evident with the creation of two main nodes, the European and the American. Moreover, keyword analysis showed that biomass and sustainability are two main recurring concepts, confirming that, currently, bioeconomy operates at three different levels: energy demand, land demand, and governance. It is apparent that to boost the development of agricultural bioeconomy, the following aspects should be assessed: the effective use of resources, an understanding of the key drivers of agricultural bioeconomy, and a clear perception of their associations. There is still no consensus as to which are the key factors that will accelerate its sustainable development. Our pursuit is to use the tools of bibliometric analysis to reach more critical conclusions regarding the agricultural bioeconomy, rather than approach it in a static way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent events, including the floods in central Europe in May 2021, have highlighted how climate change is giving rise to scenarios that were neither foreseen nor predictable. One problem this poses is the need to rethink the logic of various environmental constraints that are often based on return times of 20-50 years or 100-200. A single event does not change the statistical expectations for the recurrence of the event itself, but the recurrence of several extraordinary events in a few years is a clear indication of a changing trend. The prevention of the effects of such events is based on the definition of the areas at greater or lesser risk specifically based on the return times of the exceptional events, so it is foreseeable that a series of territorial plans, mostly carried out a few decades ago, will have to be updated or re-executed from scratch. These reworkings will be able to take advantage of the opensource software and open spatial data that have become available in the meantime, facilitating the entire process, and making it more open and shareable. In this paper we tested on a real case (the May 1999 pyroclastic flows in Campania, southern Italy) the actual possibility of implementing a model for forecasting such events using only open-source software and open data. It has been demonstrated that the entire process can be carried out using only open-source resources and it has been verified that the predictions of the hazard and risk model obtained with only input data prior to the event, give an output prediction that is significantly coincident with the events that actually occurred as documented by the authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate modelling and palaeotemperature reconstructions derived from several proxies (TEX 86 , δ18O) suggest that the Late Cretaceous was one of the warmest intervals in Earth history. The greenhouse climate reached its acme near the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary (CTB) interval with sea surface temperatures over 35 °C in low and mid- palaeolatitudes, coinciding with the highest sea level stands of the Phanerozoic. Following this warming phase, a general cooling trend punctuated by short-term hot snaps characterized the rest of the Cretaceous. Palaeotemperature and palaeoenvironmental changes are well documented in deep-water carbonate deposits based on variations in geochemical proxies and distribution patterns of macro- and microfauna. However, such climatic and environmental fluctuations severely impacted carbonate platforms, sedimentary environments that are particularly sensitive to external perturbations. Palaeontological data show major changes within the main carbonate platform producers (rudists and benthic foraminifera) during the early Late Cretaceous. Both groups experienced major taxonomic turnovers at the CTB, followed by a further re-radiation in the middle/late Turonian. The lack of detailed palaeoclimatic reconstructions in shallow water carbonate succession hampers the possibility to investigate a possible causal relationship between temperature changes and faunal evolution. In this paper, we report integrated geochemical, sedimentological, and palaeontological data from the Adriatic Carbonate Platform (Friuli, north-east Italy). Benthic foraminifera biostratigraphy and isotope stratigraphy (δ13C and 87Sr/86Sr) were used to precisely constrain the stratigraphy of the late Cenomanian-middle Turonian interval. δ18O analysis on both well-preserved rudist shells and bulk rock samples enabled the construction of high-resolution palaeotemperature curves. The resulting temperature trends are comparable with those from the deep-water record across the late Cenomanian-Turonian interval. The warmest phase was in the Early Turonian with sea surface palaeotemperatures as high as 41–45 °C recorded in rudist shells. Data show temperature fluctuation from the late Cenomanian to the Early Turonian with a magnitude >7 °C. Benthic foraminifera and rudist evolution responded to these palaeotemperature fluctuations, and their decline in the late Cenomanian and full recovery in the Turonian suggest a strong link with temperature changes. • Reconstructed temperatures from carbonate platforms during the Cenomanian -Turonian interval are missing • High resolution paleotemperatures reconstruction and biota evolution (rudists and benthic foraminifera) from Friuli Carbonate Platform is presented • Paleotemperatures estimated using δ18O analyses on bulk rock and well preserved bivalve samples (rudists and Chondrodonta) • δ18O analyses in bivalve shells suggest warmest Temperatures °>40°C in the Early Turonian • Rudists and benthic foraminifera distribution/abundance strongly modulated by temperature changes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]