Suchergebnisse

Dottorato di ricerca in Economia e territorio ; Un ruolo di sempre maggiore interesse ha assunto negli ultimi anni l'integrazione tra gli obiettivi economici e ambientali. Questo complesso connubio, infatti, trova larghi spazi di riflessione in ambito agricolo, dove le risposte economiche sono direttamente influenzate, oltre che dal mercato, anche dalle interazioni con l'ambiente e le risorse naturali. E' quindi della massima importanza identificare quali siano gli ambiti di impatto dell'attività agricola sull'ambiente e valutarne nel modo più affidabile la possibile entità con lo scopo di limitare i comportamenti che incidono in modo negativo sulle risorse naturali, promuovendo invece quelli che migliorano la qualità degli ecosistemi e la loro capacità di fornire servizi al settore stesso e alla collettività. Tuttavia la valutazione degli impatti ambientali dell'agricoltura, in particolare per quanto riguarda il contributo ai cambiamenti climatici, si è fino ad oggi concentrata al livello di settore, prioritariamente per il rispetto dei vincoli imposti dal protocollo di Kyoto, o al livello di prodotto, per finalità di certificazione e comunicazione ambientale implementate attraverso approcci di Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Partendo da questo background, nel lavoro si è provato a definire con maggior dettaglio il ruolo ambientale dell'agricoltura, proponendo riflessioni e metodologie che favoriscano l'attivazione e la valutazione di interventi politici di tipo pubblico e di iniziative poste in essere da parte di privati. Le logiche con cui la Politica Agricola Comunitaria (PAC) affronta il rapporto fra agricoltura e ambiente sono fondamentalmente di due tipi: la definizione di requisiti cogenti che tutte le imprese sono chiamate a rispettare per accedere al sostegno di base (condizionalità) o l'erogazione di incentivi economici legati al miglioramento del sistema di gestione e/o produzione (misure agroambientali), che devono essere ridefinite alla luce delle nuove sfide comunitarie. Tali interventi per essere efficaci, in termini di risultati raggiunti, ed efficienti, in termini di ottimizzazione della spesa pubblica, devono basarsi su valutazioni affidabili degli impatti ambientali delle pratiche agricole e su come le diverse azioni possano effettivamente ridurli. Questo processo, per la natura stessa della PAC, ha come unità di riferimento l'azienda agricola che, come risultato delle valutazioni economiche dell'imprenditore, è il soggetto che determina gli effettivi livelli d'impatto dei processi agricoli sulle risorse ambientali. E' quindi necessario identificare delle metodologie affidabili e condivise in grado di produrre indicatori d'impatto che, applicati alla singola impresa, possano indirizzare gli interventi in modo coerente con le finalità del decisore politico. D'altro canto, le istanze provenienti dalla società, che si ripercuotono anche sulle scelte di acquisto dei consumatori, rendono le imprese del settore agricolo sempre più attente alle implicazioni ambientali del loro agire e alle modalità con cui informare il mercato dei comportamenti virtuosi che hanno adottato a questo riguardo. Questo lavoro propone una soluzione alla valutazione ambientale delle aziende agricole e costruisce un modello di stima che, a partire da alcuni dati strutturali, integra la componente economica e quella ambientale. Il modello valuta le performance ambientali legate ai flussi di gas climalteranti (emissioni ed assorbimenti) e prova a superarne i limiti metodologici proponendo un diverso approccio di stima basato su consumo e produzione di risorse naturali (bilancio ambientale). Tale approccio è stato testato su un primo caso di studio che, oltre a consentire una prima valutazione operativa della metodologia proposta, ha permesso di creare alcune simulazioni che mostrassero il legame che esiste nelle aziende agricole tra performance ambientali e economiche. I risultati hanno confermato i limiti di stima di una valutazione che tiene conto esclusivamente dei flussi di gas serra, mentre hanno evidenziato le opportunità che può offrire un bilancio ambientale che tiene conto della domanda di risorse naturali e dell'offerta di servizi ecologici da parte del sistema costituito dall'impresa agraria. Il lavoro, nel suo insieme, fornisce un approfondimento sulla valutazione del ruolo ambientale dell'agricoltura e propone una metodologia di stima che, attraverso un modello, ne verifica il contributo a livello di azienda agricola. Inoltre, integrando all'interno della valutazione ambientale anche la componente economica legata alla conduzione dell'azienda, rappresenta un approccio di analisi che potrebbe rivelarsi utile in una logica di greening, sia alle istituzioni, per indirizzare in modo più efficace i loro interventi, sia alle imprese, quale strumento per una migliore valorizzazione delle loro iniziative. ; The integration in between economic and environmental goals has been assumed more and more important role. This complex debate is very emphasized into agriculture, where the answers are directly influenced by the market and by the connections between environment and natural resources. Checking the impact of farming on environment and evaluating it in a more reliable way is one of the main issues this debate. The aim is to limit the negative behaviours on natural resources, promoting what increase ecosystems' quality; the results could provide services into the community and agriculture. Thus, the agricultural environmental impact evaluation on climate change has been target on sector level, following first the Kyoto Protocol, and on product level, following a Life Cycle Assessment approach with environmental declaration and certification goals. In this work has been defined in a more reliable way the environmental role of agriculture. Some methodologies have been provided for public support and private initiatives evaluation. The CAP analyses and set the relationship between agriculture and environment in two ways: all farms have to respect mandatory requirements to for accessing to public subsidies (direct payment), or they could respect voluntary requirements (agri-environmental measures) to reach other payments. The goal of these two perspective has been oriented on new CAP challenges. These objectives have to be reach trough an efficient public spending, a reliable evaluation of farming environmental impacts and analysing how decrease them. This process has, in the CAP, the farm level as unit, that is the character that determine the impacts on natural resources. To identify reliable methodologies that provide impact indicators is extremely important. These indicators have to be set on the single farm, they should address the initiatives coherently with the politic issues. Moreover, the civil society issues, that guide also the purchases, make the farms more an more careful on environmental behaviours and communications. This work provide a solution to environmental evaluation of farms and built an evaluation model that measures, starting from some framework data, the economic and the environmental side. The model evaluate the environmental performances linked to Green House Gasses (GHG) flux (emission and absorption) and exceeds the methodological limits providing a different approach based on production and consumption of natural resources (environmental balance). This approach has been tested on a first case study that provides a check on the methodological proposal and shows the link in between environmental and economic performances at farm level. The results confirm the limits on GHG flux evaluation while ratify the opportunities on environmental balance that takes into account the supply and demand on natural resources at farm level. This work provides a deepening on agriculture environmental evaluation and offers a methodology that, thought a model, verify the farm environmental contribution. Moreover it measures the economic and environmental performances at the same time, and provides a new approach useful in a greening perspective, for institutions and farms to address the initiatives.

Dottorato di ricerca in Economia e territorio ; Con il presente studio si intende approfondire i potenziali effetti che un intervento sulla gestione della componete energetica delle aziende agricole italiane, può generare in riferimento alle performance economiche e al contributo positivo agli obiettivi di lotta ai cambiamenti climatici. Alla luce degli attuali indirizzi di politica nazionale e comunitaria (orientati a ridurre le emissioni di gas serra) ed in virtù della necessità di supportare le aziende agricole italiane, in periodo come quello attuale caratterizzato da notevoli difficoltà a livello economico, è più che mai auspicabile realizzare interventi di sostegno alle imprese italiane funzionali al raggiungimento di obiettivi di sviluppo, riduzione dei costi e sostenibilità, promuovendo prioritariamente quelle iniziative volte al contenimento dei consumi energetici, all'autoproduzione di energia da fonte rinnovabile (dove possibile) ed alla riduzione delle emissioni dei processi produttivi. Le imprese agricole in particolare possono trarre importanti benefici ma, per beneficiare appieno delle opportunità offerte dalla normativa in materia, dovrebbero essere pienamente consapevoli delle loro potenzialità e messe nelle condizioni di poter realizzare progetti ed investimenti in questi settori strategici. Il supporto delle pubbliche amministrazioni e del modo della ricerca su questi aspetti è un elemento fondamentale per dare il via a questo processo. ; The aim of the study is to investigate the potential effects of actions focused on energy management on Italian farms, in terms of increase of economic performance and contribution to the achievement of goals of combating climate change policies. Considering both the addresses of national and EU strategies (targeted to the reduction of greenhouse gas) and the need to support the Italian firms in the current scenario (characterized by considerable economic difficulties), it is desirable to carry out a set of measures to support them - promoting primarily those aimed at reducing energy consumption, self-production of energy from renewable sources (where possible) and decrease of emissions from production processes - in order to reach development, reduction of costs and sustainability goals. Italian farms can benefit significantly from this policy framework, but they should be fully aware of their potential and able to carry out projects and investments in this strategic sector. The effort of research institutions and public administrations on these issues is a key element to get this process started.

The dissertation focuses on EU and international environmental law since the 1990s, with particular attention to the role played by the EU in curbing emissions through market-based measures like the EU ETS and in mediating among reluctant actors on an international level. The key controversial point of the dissertation is the inclusion of international civil aviation in the EU ETS, which raised several concerns on its conformity with international treaty and customary law. In order to facilitate negotiations within ICAO, the EU decided to reduce the scope of its directive to only intra-EEA flights. An agreement on an offset carbon scheme, called CORSIA, was reached in 2016. Finally, a brief overview of the evolution from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement is provided in order to understand the evolution of international climate change policy and the EU's role during negotiations, contributing to an innovative universal treaty tackling climate change.

Lombardy is one of the most densely populated and industrialized regions in Europe, where nearly 280 Seveso sites are located. The issue of risk communication, as set by the European Seveso Directive is therefore of high relevance in this region. Nevertheless, the Lombardy Region Authorities consider that the implementation of the Directive's provisions is too weak. Therefore, the Lombardy Region financed an exploratory research in November 2009 and all the research activities ended in February 2011. (Éupolis Lombardia 2011). The research was conducted in order to estimate the existing gaps in risk communication, the subsequent conflicts and to evaluate how to improve the participation of the population in the emergency preparedness activities. The main goal of the project was to improve the communication of risk to the population exposed to industrial risks, hence to mitigate the related social conflict on the basis of an institutional learning process involving governmental bodies industrial organizations and the population. The project was supported by a multidisciplinary research group, which investigated the following aspects:- the regional activities regarding the risk communication at local level;- the nature and status of the main stakeholders groups' perception of the industrial risks and the existing conflicts, collected through interviews and groups' discussions;- the analysis of the gaps and ways of improvement related to an effective strategy of communication between industry, population and emergency services. A forum involving all the institutional stakeholders was set to discuss this issue.The paper reports the main results of the research and illustrates the potential strategies to improve the risk communication and the population participation and preparedness for the Lombardy Region. The results showed that the level of risk perception of the population in Lombardy is still too low to define a program of communication without having considered in more detail the mode of involvement of the population. In a context characterized by a distorted perception of risk, the low risk perception could be a sensitive issue that may impend the start of the communication process because it could generate anxiety, alarmism or unnecessary conflicts. Nevertheless, the experiments carried out showed that the population potentially exposed to the industrial risks, if properly involved, shows particular interest in issues related to prevention and self-protection. According to the main results of research project, the involvement of population into a dedicated programme on risk communication should not present a significant concern and the conflict between the industries and the population does not appear to be a particular obstacle to risk communication. On the contrary it was shown that collaboration could be beneficial for all the stakeholders while the most significant limitation to this process, is the low public perception of the problem. ; Lombardy is one of the most densely populated and industrialized regions in Europe, where nearly 280 Seveso sites are located. The issue of risk communication, as set by the European Seveso Directive is therefore of high relevance in this region. Nevertheless, the Lombardy Region Authorities consider that the implementation of the Directive's provisions is too weak. Therefore, the Lombardy Region financed an exploratory research in November 2009 and all the research activities ended in February 2011. (Éupolis Lombardia 2011). The research was conducted in order to estimate the existing gaps in risk communication, the subsequent conflicts and to evaluate how to improve the participation of the population in the emergency preparedness activities. The main goal of the project was to improve the communication of risk to the population exposed to industrial risks, hence to mitigate the related social conflict on the basis of an institutional learning process involving governmental bodies industrial organizations and the population. The project was supported by a multidisciplinary research group, which investigated the following aspects:- the regional activities regarding the risk communication at local level;- the nature and status of the main stakeholders groups' perception of the industrial risks and the existing conflicts, collected through interviews and groups' discussions;- the analysis of the gaps and ways of improvement related to an effective strategy of communication between industry, population and emergency services. A forum involving all the institutional stakeholders was set to discuss this issue.The paper reports the main results of the research and illustrates the potential strategies to improve the risk communication and the population participation and preparedness for the Lombardy Region. The results showed that the level of risk perception of the population in Lombardy is still too low to define a program of communication without having considered in more detail the mode of involvement of the population. In a context characterized by a distorted perception of risk, the low risk perception could be a sensitive issue that may impend the start of the communication process because it could generate anxiety, alarmism or unnecessary conflicts. Nevertheless, the experiments carried out showed that the population potentially exposed to the industrial risks, if properly involved, shows particular interest in issues related to prevention and self-protection. According to the main results of research project, the involvement of population into a dedicated programme on risk communication should not present a significant concern and the conflict between the industries and the population does not appear to be a particular obstacle to risk communication. On the contrary it was shown that collaboration could be beneficial for all the stakeholders while the most significant limitation to this process, is the low public perception of the problem.

Lombardy is one of the most densely populated and industrialized regions in Europe, where nearly 280 Seveso sites are located. The issue of risk communication, as set by the European Seveso Directive is therefore of high relevance in this region. Nevertheless, the Lombardy Region Authorities consider that the implementation of the Directive's provisions is too weak. Therefore, the Lombardy Region financed an exploratory research in November 2009 and all the research activities ended in February 2011. (Éupolis Lombardia 2011). The research was conducted in order to estimate the existing gaps in risk communication, the subsequent conflicts and to evaluate how to improve the participation of the population in the emergency preparedness activities. The main goal of the project was to improve the communication of risk to the population exposed to industrial risks, hence to mitigate the related social conflict on the basis of an institutional learning process involving governmental bodies industrial organizations and the population. The project was supported by a multidisciplinary research group, which investigated the following aspects:- the regional activities regarding the risk communication at local level;- the nature and status of the main stakeholders groups' perception of the industrial risks and the existing conflicts, collected through interviews and groups' discussions;- the analysis of the gaps and ways of improvement related to an effective strategy of communication between industry, population and emergency services. A forum involving all the institutional stakeholders was set to discuss this issue.The paper reports the main results of the research and illustrates the potential strategies to improve the risk communication and the population participation and preparedness for the Lombardy Region. The results showed that the level of risk perception of the population in Lombardy is still too low to define a program of communication without having considered in more detail the mode of involvement of the population. In a context characterized by a distorted perception of risk, the low risk perception could be a sensitive issue that may impend the start of the communication process because it could generate anxiety, alarmism or unnecessary conflicts. Nevertheless, the experiments carried out showed that the population potentially exposed to the industrial risks, if properly involved, shows particular interest in issues related to prevention and self-protection. According to the main results of research project, the involvement of population into a dedicated programme on risk communication should not present a significant concern and the conflict between the industries and the population does not appear to be a particular obstacle to risk communication. On the contrary it was shown that collaboration could be beneficial for all the stakeholders while the most significant limitation to this process, is the low public perception of the problem. ; Lombardy is one of the most densely populated and industrialized regions in Europe, where nearly 280 Seveso sites are located. The issue of risk communication, as set by the European Seveso Directive is therefore of high relevance in this region. Nevertheless, the Lombardy Region Authorities consider that the implementation of the Directive's provisions is too weak. Therefore, the Lombardy Region financed an exploratory research in November 2009 and all the research activities ended in February 2011. (Éupolis Lombardia 2011). The research was conducted in order to estimate the existing gaps in risk communication, the subsequent conflicts and to evaluate how to improve the participation of the population in the emergency preparedness activities. The main goal of the project was to improve the communication of risk to the population exposed to industrial risks, hence to mitigate the related social conflict on the basis of an institutional learning process involving governmental bodies industrial organizations and the population. The project was supported by a multidisciplinary research group, which investigated the following aspects:- the regional activities regarding the risk communication at local level;- the nature and status of the main stakeholders groups' perception of the industrial risks and the existing conflicts, collected through interviews and groups' discussions;- the analysis of the gaps and ways of improvement related to an effective strategy of communication between industry, population and emergency services. A forum involving all the institutional stakeholders was set to discuss this issue.The paper reports the main results of the research and illustrates the potential strategies to improve the risk communication and the population participation and preparedness for the Lombardy Region. The results showed that the level of risk perception of the population in Lombardy is still too low to define a program of communication without having considered in more detail the mode of involvement of the population. In a context characterized by a distorted perception of risk, the low risk perception could be a sensitive issue that may impend the start of the communication process because it could generate anxiety, alarmism or unnecessary conflicts. Nevertheless, the experiments carried out showed that the population potentially exposed to the industrial risks, if properly involved, shows particular interest in issues related to prevention and self-protection. According to the main results of research project, the involvement of population into a dedicated programme on risk communication should not present a significant concern and the conflict between the industries and the population does not appear to be a particular obstacle to risk communication. On the contrary it was shown that collaboration could be beneficial for all the stakeholders while the most significant limitation to this process, is the low public perception of the problem.

Climate change adaptation is currently a "hot topic" on the global scene. In 2013, the European Commission adopted an EU adaptation strategy that sets out the framework for strengthening Europe resilience to the impacts of climate change and in 2014 Mayors Adapt - the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) initiative on Climate Change Adaptation, engaged cities in taking action to adapt to climate change. Nevertheless, this initiative is still at its dawn; most SEAPs only address the urban / municipal level, thus lacking the necessary territorial synergies that can make mitigation and adaptation policies and actions really effective. Some common factors have influenced the lack of effectiveness in the implementation of SEAPs and SECAPs. Energy plans are often too generic, sectoral and not well integrated into each city specific features, based on incomplete data and not always coordinated to other existing local policies and plans. Then there is a general lack of public awareness and qualified human resources and the same for funding opportunities. Another common obstacle is recognised in the incomplete, unshared, scattered information regarding energy efficiency and adaptation actions. There is the urgent need to take into account the specific territorial contexts (as for the Mediterranean and Adriatic regions), and, especially for adaptation measures, to define new opportunities to integrate common territorial challenges into Joint Actions and financial strategies. These common challenges are the ones the Joint-Secap project (Interreg Itally-Croatia) seeks to tackle by offering support to local authorities (specifically those in coastal areas with major vulnerabilities) in order to facilitate the implementation of specific adaptation measures (information, planning and monitoring). This Project reflects the necessity to operate at a wider district level (the Italian and Croation Adriatic Coast) to better define strategies and actions for climate change adaptation, for those weather and climate changes and hydrogeological risks affecting coastal areas.It is structured into two main phases; the first phase is developed to the common methodology for Joint Actions definition and implementation and to share the basic knowledge of climate change adaptation strategies and energy efficiency measures. The second phase regards the design of a web platform to share information, to support planning activities and even to monitor results and ongoing actions.

Dottorato di ricerca in Economia e territorio ; L'oggetto della tesi è la ricerca e la sperimentazione in campo di un modello interpretativo degli impatti prodotti dal cambiamento climatico sulla sicurezza alimentare e nutrizionale delle popolazioni residenti del Nicaragua. L'obiettivo specifico è lo sviluppo e la sperimentazione di una metodologia di analisi della vulnerabilità/stabilità all'insicurezza alimentare dei sistemi agroalimentari locali in Nicaragua in relazione agli effetti del cambiamento climatico, finalizzata alla identificazione di politiche di mitigazione. Il raggiungimento di questo obiettivo ha comportato un'amplia ricerca bibliografica e un'indagine di campo in Nicaragua di circa due mesi tra il Marzo e l'Aprile del 2010. Durante la permanenza in Nicaragua sono state realizzate numerose interviste e focus group con stakeholders sia istituzionali che del settore privato. L'analisi degli impatti generati dal cambiamento climatico sull'ambiente e sulle attività economiche è tanto più difficile e incerta quanto più si procede all'interno di un ambito territoriale ristretto. A livello locale, le dinamiche sociali e l'incidenza dell'azione antropica sull'ambiente possono risultare infatti determinanti nella creazione di condizioni favorevoli o avverse rispetto al benessere della popolazione insediata, ben più della variabilità climatica. La complessità dei fenomeni che legano il clima alle attività umane è ancor più manifesta quando si pretende di mettere in relazione i cambiamenti del clima indotti dal riscaldamento globale col tema della sicurezza alimentare di una determinata comunità. Quest'ultimo tema infatti riunisce aspetti sociali ed economici molto diversificati, come la produzione degli alimenti, la loro conservazione e l'accessibilità in base ai redditi familiari, le condizioni igienico-sanitarie e la proporzione con cui gli alimenti stessi vengono consumati. Investigare sulla relazione economica tra sistemi complessi, come il sistema climatico da una parte e la sicurezza alimentare dall'altra, comporta quindi l'attivazione di modelli interpretativi altrettanto complessi, così come di strumenti analitici di tipo sia quantitativo che qualitativo, tanto più preponderanti questi ultimi, quanto maggiore è la carenza di dati e serie storiche attendibili. Lo spunto iniziale della tesi consiste nella ricostruzione critica a posteriori del modello di interpretazione dell'impatto del cambiamento climatico sui sistemi ecologici e sociali sul quale si fonda l'attuale assetto delle politiche promosse dal governo nicaraguense in tema di sicurezza alimentare e di mitigazione dell'impatto del cambiamento climatico. In questo quadro si è analizzato in particolare l'Indice Aggregato di Insicurezza Alimentare e Nutrizionale elaborato da un'agenzia delle Nazioni Unite (il Programma Mondiale per l'Alimentazione), attualmente utilizzato in Nicaragua nella identificazione delle aree più esposte al rischio di sicurezza alimentare. A fronte delle critiche che si avanzano nei confronti di questo indice, si propone un modello di riferimento più completo per la misurazione della vulnerabilità delle realtà locali, ovvero l'Indice Aggregato Dinamico di Insicurezza Alimentare e Nutrizionale (IADIAN). Questo indice utilizza variabili dinamiche (tassi di variazione) riferite ai fattori socio-economici che determinano l'insicurezza alimentare e al tempo stesso cattura i fattori ambientali locali che maggiormente incidono sulle potenzialità produttive. Purtroppo una esemplificazione applicativa dell'IADIAN è impedita dalla mancanza dei necessari dati in serie storica, ma la sua formulazione fornisce comunque una direttrice operativa che si ritiene utile alla pianificazione della raccolta dei dati statistici (attualmente scarsi e mal organizzati) e all'ordinamento delle fonti statistiche. A fronte delle criticità metodologiche emerse nel corso delle analisi precedentemente illustrate, si passano in rassegna modelli interpretativi alternativi accreditati in letteratura, identificando nel modello concettuale classico, il "DPSIR" (Drivers, Pressures, State & Trends, Impacts and Responses) il più adatto allo sviluppo del tema in oggetto. Il DPSIR è finalizzato, oltreché all'interpretazione dei fenomeni, all'elaborazione di policies volte alla prevenzione e alla mitigazione degli effetti del cambiamento climatico. L'applicazione del modello DPSIR, una volta adattato al tema specifico della sicurezza alimentare e nutrizionale, si è rivelato particolarmente utile alla identificazione delle attuali carenze conoscitive, soprattutto per quanto riguarda gli impatti (impacts), e le risposte (responses). Nel quadro dell'analisi degli impatti si è sviluppato una Matrice Multicriteriale degli Impatti e della stabilità dei sistemi agro-alimentari rispetto al cambiamento climatico di due regioni agrarie del Nicaragua. Questa matrice disaggrega i sistemi agro-alimentari nelle loro componenti strutturali (produzione, distribuzione e consumo), mettendole in relazione con gli elementi ("pilastri") costitutivi della sicurezza alimentare e nutrizionale, ovvero: la disponibilità, l'accessibilità e l'uso biologico degli alimenti. La matrice è costruita sulla base di valutazioni di tipo prevalentemente qualitativo, ma offre anche un sistema si "scoring" che consente una priorizzazione dei problemi e, per via comparativa, anche una priorizzazione dei sistemi più vulnerabili. La regione dove si sono potuti apprezzare processi di adattamento e mitigazione degli effetti del cambiamento climatico non è tanto quella che dispone di maggior capitale naturale bensì quella che, contando su comunità di più antico e stabile insediamento, ha sviluppato nel tempo un maggior capitale sociale (come la Regione Agraria delle "Pianure agro-industriali della Costa Pacifica"). La regione agraria della "Nuova Frontiera Agricola e Costa Caraibica", pur contando su un elevato capitale naturale e su un alto potenziale produttivo, è caratterizzata invece da tipologie produttive altamente distruttive e sostenute da una popolazione pioniera che non ha sviluppato ancora modelli di aggregazione comunitaria stabili né un tessuto sociale collettivamente reattivo. L'analisi delle "risposte" si è concentrata su 6 modelli di intervento adottati attualmente dalle istituzioni nazionali (centrali e locali) con l'appoggio della comunità internazionale. Questa analisi ha evidenziato come nessun modello di intervento, considerato isolatamente, riunisca tutte le caratteristiche di efficienza ed efficacia necessari a innescare processi sostenibili di "resilienza" e sviluppo. Nessun intervento si può considerare dunque come una "buona pratica", soprattutto se non inserito in un quadro coordinato e coerente di interventi identificati in ragione di un contesto locale specifico. La durata di tutti gli interventi analizzati è inoltre insufficiente a garantire il successo delle azioni intraprese, tantomeno la loro sostenibilità. In molti casi infatti le iniziative analizzate sollevano aspettative di continuità che nella maggior parte dei casi restano frustrate. E' emersa dunque la necessità di promuovere azioni di sostegno alla sicurezza alimentare e alla mitigazione degli effetti del cambiamento climatico che assumano come criteri guida: - l'integralità, ovvero l'inserzione del tema della sicurezza alimentare nei processi di sviluppo del territorio, evitando che queste rimangano sganciate da una strategia di lotta contro la povertà, di rimozione delle sue cause strutturali e di tutela ambientale, - la coerenza istituzionale, in modo che le azioni di sicurezza alimentare e di mitigazione si coordino sempre con le istituzioni di riferimento, per armonizzare le metodologie di lavoro in vista di una possibile continuità delle azioni intraprese, - coerenza spaziale, ovvero una focalizzazione delle azioni in base a criteri che mettano in relazione le priorità di sicurezza alimentare con quelle ambientali. Dall'insieme delle analisi condotte sembra che si possa affermare dunque che l'insostenibilità ambientale delle pratiche agricole attuali (deforestazione, avanzamento incontrollato della frontiera agricola mediante l'uso del fuoco e dell'apertura di pascoli estensivi, agricoltura nomadica, ecc.) e la debolezza del capitale sociale siano le cause determinati del perpetuarsi di condizioni croniche di insicurezza alimentare. Anche se non suffragata da misurazioni quantitative, sembra credibile inoltre l'ipotesi che le variazioni micro-agro-climatiche a livello locale, originate dalla cattiva gestione delle risorse naturali, incidano attualmente molto più sulla insicurezza alimentare di quanto non facciano gli effetti del cambiamento climatico dovuto al riscaldamento globale. Le attuali politiche di intervento nel campo della sicurezza alimentare e le strategie di mitigazione degli effetti del cambiamento climatico non considerano sufficientemente gli aspetti sopra richiamati e la loro integrazione operativa è ancora insufficiente. Per evidenziare questa discrepanza si è elaborato una matrice degli interventi di mitigazione dell'impatto del cambiamento climatico sulla sicurezza alimentare e nutrizionale. La matrice proposta mette in relazione le carenze politiche e le priorità emerse dall'analisi DPSIR con una serie di proposte di azione politica, riferite in particolare alle due regioni agrarie selezionate. La comunità internazionale dei donanti (UE in primis), che sostiene le politiche ambientali e di sicurezza alimentare del governo nicaraguense, ha la responsabilità di promuovere interventi sinergici e coordinati, volti soprattutto a rimuovere gli ostacoli di carattere strutturale che impediscono l'equità d'accesso al capitale terra e all'alimentazione. Nell'ambito dell'aiuto internazionale dovranno essere inoltre maggiormente considerati gli studi volti al miglioramento delle conoscenze dei fenomeni che legano la variabilità climatica, la sicurezza alimentare e lo sviluppo economico. Il coinvolgimento della società civile nella gestione delle reti di solidarietà (ad esempio le reti di allerta precoce) e nella raccolta dei dati socio-economici e agro-climatici locali è inoltre di cruciale importanza. Solo uno sforzo congiunto delle comunità locali, delle istituzioni nazionali e della comunità internazionale, col supporto di adeguate conoscenze e di più efficaci strumenti di analisi, potrà invertire il processo di riproduzione delle condizioni ambientali e socio-economiche che determinano oggi l'esposizione al rischio di insicurezza alimentare per vasti strati della popolazione nicaraguense. ; The thesis deals with a research and an on-field testing of an impact interpretation model of climate change on food security in Nicaragua. The specific purpose is the development and testing of a vulnerability/stability analysis method of the effects of the climate change on two sample food systems in Nicaragua. The method is also aimed at the identification of prevention and mitigation policies. The achievement of this objective is based on a wide bibliographical research and a two months field survey in Nicaragua (March and April 2010). During the field survey a large number of interviews and focus groups with both private and institutional stakeholders was carried out. The more an impact analysis of climate change on environment and economic activities is focused on a restricted area, the less it results easy and reliable. Social dynamics and human action on environment at local level can be more crucial in creating adverse or favourable living conditions to people than climate variability. The complex relationship between climate and human activities is even more apparent when attempting to relate climate changes and food security of a specific community. Food security concept gets together different meanings, such as food production and conservation, income based food accessibility and biological use of food (diet patterns and hygienic conditions of food consumption). Therefore, dealing with economic relations between complex systems, as climate and food security, involves the use of articulated interpretation models as well as quantitative and qualitative analytical tools, being the latter prevalent in a condition of scarce or unreliable data and time series. The starting point of the thesis is a critical analysis of the current interpretation model of the impact of climate change on ecological and social systems on which the present food security and climate change impact mitigation policies of the Government of Nicaragua are based. In this framework the Aggregated Food and Nutritional Insecurity Index - elaborated by the World Food Programme and presently adopted in Nicaragua in the identification of the areas mostly exposed to food insecurity – is also analysed and discussed. As a consequence of this analysis a more complete model is proposed, named Dynamic Aggregated Food and Nutritional Insecurity Index. This index uses dynamic variables (rates of variation) referring to socio-economic factors which determine food security. At the same time this index captures the most production-related environmental factors at local level. Unfortunately a sample application of this index is impeded by the lack of the necessary time series. Nevertheless its formulation offers a useful operational direction to data collection planning and organization. As a consequence of the critical methodological issues emerged in the previous analysis, a review of alternative interpretation models is proposed and discussed. The "DPSIR" (Drivers, Pressures, State & Trends, Impacts and Responses) model is then identified as the most suitable for the achievement of the thesis objective. The DPSIR model is aimed at interpreting environmental and human contexts as well as at focusing policies makers on prevention and mitigation measures. Once specifically adjusted to food and nutritional security issues, the DPSIR model resulted particularly useful to identifying the existing knowledge deficiencies, about impacts and responses in particular. The "impact analysis" is complemented with a multi-criteria matrix of impacts of climate change on food systems of two different agricultural regions of Nicaragua (stability analysis). This matrix relates the food systems components (food production, distribution and consumption) to the corresponding pillars of the food security concept (availability, accessibility and biological use). The matrix converts quantitative and qualitative assessments into a scoring system allowing for identifying the most relevant problems and comparing stability / vulnerability levels of different food systems. The agricultural region where adjustment and mitigation processes are more visible is not the one counting with a more consistent natural capital (New Agricultural Frontier and Caribbean Cost) but the one relying on old and stable human settlements and more consistent social capital (Agro-industrial lowlands of the Pacific Cost). The first agricultural region, even if provided with a consistent natural capital and a high production potential, is characterised by the highly destructive production patterns of a pioneer population which has not yet developed either aggregative community models or collective resiliency experiences. The "response analysis" is focused on 6 different prevention/mitigation models presently adopted by the national authorities (both central and local) with the support of the international donors community. This analysis stresses that none of the models gets together all the necessary characteristics of efficiency and effectiveness for trigging resiliency and development processes. None of the models can be considered as a "good practice" per se, mainly if not included in a locally focused, coordinated and coherent framework of measures. Furthermore, the duration of the institutional actions applying these models is generally too reduced for ensuring their success and sustainability and fulfilling the expectations of the beneficiaries. From the "response analysis" clearly emerged the need to adopt the following general criteria in the effort to support food security and mitigate the effects of climate change: - Wholeness of the approach: the insertion of any food security action (programme, project, initiative) in the framework of land development process, including actions against poverty and environmental protection, - Institutional coherence: both food security and climate change impact mitigation actions should be always coordinated with the competent institutions, in order to harmonise working methods, - Spatial coherence: the identification of priority action areas should consider food security problems and environmental vulnerability simultaneously. The environmental unsustainability of the present agricultural practices (deforestation, advance of the agricultural frontier by slashing and burning the natural cover, nomadic agricultural patterns, etc.) and the weakness of the social capital perpetuate chronic food insecurity conditions. Even though not supported by quantitative evaluations, it seems apparent that micro-agro-climatic changes due to the mismanagement of local environmental resources affect food security much more than the effects of global climatic change. Present food security policies and climate change impact mitigation strategies do not consider the analysis above and their harmonisation is insufficient and not operational. In order to highlight this discrepancy a comparative policy matrix is presented ad discussed. This matrix shows a comparative analysis between the political deficiencies and priorities emerged thanks to the DPSIR approach and a number of action proposals referred to the two sample agricultural regions. The international donors community (UE first) supporting both food security and environmental policies of the Government of Nicaragua has the responsibility to cooperate in order to remove the structural constraints impeding an equitable access to fertile farming land and food. In the framework of the international aid, more investments in research should be considered in order to improve the knowledge of all factors relating climatic variability to food security and economic development. The involvement of civil society in the management of social solidarity networks (i.g.: food crisis early alarm networks) and the collection of basic socio-economic and climatic data at local level ore of crucial importance. Only a joint effort of the local communities, the national institutions and the international donors' community, supported by adequate knowledge and more effective analytical tools, will revert the process that determines the adverse environmental and socio-economic conditions which currently expose a large number of Nicaraguan people to food insecurity.

By 2050, people in urbanized areas will account for 68% of the world's population, 80% of which will be concentrated in Asia and Africa. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) introduced in 2011 the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) under the Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF). Countries of the non-Annex I, described by the UN-General Assembly as especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, are invited to develop NAPs to identify adaptation challenges and devise appropriate climate adaptation responses. Recognizing the increasing vulnerability of urban systems to the effects of climate change, in 2019, UN-Habitat defined the supplement of the NAP process's technical guidelines for addressing urban and human settlement issues in NAPs. This paper aims to propose a methodology to assess the urban content of the NAPs after ten years from that the CAF comes into force. The evaluation is based, adapting and expanding, on the methodology used to assess the urban content of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) published by UN-Habitat in 2017. The methodology aims to analyse both key adaptation challenges and responses explicitly or implicitly related to urban systems. Moreover, it aims at understanding the interlinkage of urban content in NAP in relation to other key policies, such as NDCs and National Urban Policies (NUPs). In this perspective, 172 indicators were selected and clustered into nine groups: (i) Geographic Indicators; (ii) General Indicators; (iii) NAPs General Indicators; (iv) NAPs Urban Indicators; (v) NDCs Indicators; (vi) NUPs Indicators; (vii) Urban content in National Policies Indicators; (viii) International policy linkages (including SDGs, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Paris Agreement and New Urban agenda); (ix) National plans/policy/strategies/reports linkages. The methodology was tested on Brazil's NAP, trying to find general considerations to apply to the countries that officially submitted their NAPs between 2014 to 2020. The test showed that: there is a stronger focus on defining climate adaptation challenges more than responses; climate adaptation challenges and responses are predominantly identified at the national scale, with a focus on policies and strategies at the national level; among the Brazilian NAP, there is "cities strategy", and it means that the NAP has a high urban content. In conclusion, the paper will highlight critical issues and improvements for each of the nine indices analysed.

The elements that put our planet in crisis derive to a large extent from the increasing phenomena of human anthropization. The growth of urbanization has been one of the worsen factors for the increase in temperatures in the city compared to the surrounding rural areas. This phenomenon recognized by the scientific community as the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI), has been analyzed in the context of the Climate Smart Cities of the city of Boston, in order to demonstrate how the design of the Green Infrastructures (GI) is specifically aimed at the mitigation of the urban microclimate and climate changes in progress with the aim for an overall complementary planning. The article wants to highlight how one of the most effective ways to think about GI is that of an integrated approach to spatial planning. The outcome of the expected studies is to validate that policies that adopt such an approach can't only limit the climate effects harmful to human health but also improve the connectivity for the creation of multifunctional landscapes.

La tesi di dottorato ivi presentata si pone come obbiettivo la ricostruzione come questo sapere scientifico (la scoperta del cambiamento climatico antropico sostanziata dalla comunità scientifica di 190 paesi) ha influenzato la ricerca, la politica e il discorso pubblico nel nostro paese, l'italia. Il titolo è indicativo quando riassuntivo: Il cambiamento climatico in Italia. Istituzioni scientifiche, politica e discorso pubblico (1988-2012). Esso definisce in maniera puntuale i temi che si tratteranno: una genealogia di fenomeni storici, politici, culturali nati in nuce alla scoperta di questo cambiamento che influenzerà in maniera determinante il modo in cui viviamo, l'ambiente intorno a noi, i modelli di sviluppo, la sicurezza del nostro abitare, la forma delle nostre città. In ogni paese questa complessa scoperta ha avuto impatti differenti, un portato differente sulla ricerca e sullo sviluppo economico. Quello che in queste pagine si tenta di analizzare è come l'Italia ha assimilato il discorso del cambiamento climatico , in continua evoluzione date le sue infinite ramificazioni, e come ha reagito a livello politico e di ricerca. ; How we have started talking about climate change? How policies has been shaped? How research has forced institutions and policy makers to act to cut greenhouse emission? The aim of this PhD dissertation is to trace the genealogy of the issue of climate change in Italy, in research institutions, politics and the public discourse. The author will analyze how research on anthropic climate change- related topics has arise, what measure has been taken from italian politicians, what role newspapers have played in forming the public opinion, which role has played the civil society in stressing the relevance of this phenomena. In particular the thesis use the archive of Umberto Colombo, president of ENEA, ministerial documents, and newspapers' archive, to reconstruct the history of science, politics and public discourse from 1998 to 2012. ; No Avalaible

La ricerca indaga la capacità di adattamento al cambiamento climatico da parte delle imprese del settore agroalimentare, con particolare riferimento alle aziende vitivinicole dell'Emilia-Romagna che producono Sangiovese. Più precisamente, l'indagine vuole valutare i fattori che influenzano i comportamenti dei produttori quando si trovano a dover fronteggiare le sfide ambientali e analizzare l'efficacia delle strategie di adattamento. Per raggiungere gli obiettivi, è stato utilizzato un approccio olistico e innovativo che potrà essere applicato in diversi contesti e settori. Sono stati analizzati una serie di fattori, tra cui la variabilità climatica, la struttura delle aziende agricole, la percezione contadino, la certificazione ambientale e di processo, le pratiche e le strategie di adattamento. In seguito, sono state formulate un insieme di ipotesi di ricerca e verificate tramite un'analisi empirica che combina dati provenienti da due fonti principali: i dati climatici degli ultimi 15 anni (temperatura, piovosità, radiazione) e le informazioni raccolte attraverso la somministrazione di un questionario ai produttori Sangiovese in Emilia-Romagna. I dati raccolti sono stati classificati ed elaborati mediante la tecnica statistica multivariata (cluster analysis) e il Bayesian network è stato applicato per comprendere meglio la relazione tra le variabili che influenzano la capacità delle aziende agricole di sopportare l'impatto economica del cambiamento climatico. I risultati mostrano che, nel breve periodo, gli agricoltori percepiscono il cambiamento climatico in corso e che reagiscono adattando le pratiche agronomiche sul piano tecnico ed economico. Tuttavia, la probabilità di subire effetti negativi del cambiamento climatico dipende in gran parte dalle caratteristiche strutturali dell'azienda e dalla predisposizione al cambiamento del contadino. Inoltre, le condizioni climatiche locali rappresentano un fattore rilevante per la capacità di adattamento. Per superare le nuove sfide climatiche risulta fondamentale adottare strategie adattamento mirate (sistema di irrigazione, raccolta meccanizzata, investimenti), così come implementare politiche appropriate in termini di regolazione, incentivi e sostegno. ; This study investigates the adaptive capacity of agri-food firms facing climate change, with particular focus to the Emilia-Romagna wine-growers that produce Sangiovese. More precisely, the main objectives of the study are to assess the main factors influencing producers when dealing with the new environmental challenges and to evaluate the effectiveness of their adaptation strategies. To do that, a holistic and innovative approach is developed so as that it can be implemented in different contexts and sites. In fact, a number of different factors are considered, including climate variability, farm structure, farmer perception, environmental and process certification, adaptation practices and strategies. Hence, a set of research hypotheses are formulated and verified through empirical analysis, gathering various types of data from two main sources: a 15-year time series of climate data (temperature, rain, radiation) and information collected through a questionnaire administered to 56 wine growers who produce Sangiovese in Emilia-Romagna. Data collected have been classified and elaborated by means of multivariate statistical technique (cluster analysis) and the Bayesan Network has been applied in order to better understand the relation between the variables that influence capacity of farms to bear the economic management of climate change. The results show that, in the short-run, farmers perceive the ongoing change in climate conditions and that they react by adjusting agronomic practices and balancing technical and economic issues. However, the probability to be negatively impacted by the effects of climate change is largely affected by structural and technical farm characteristics and by farmer readiness to embrace change. The local climatic conditions are also relevant factors for the adaptation issue. To overcome the new climatic challenges the adoption of focused management and adaptation strategies (irrigation system, mechanized harvesting, investments) are found to be crucial, as well as appropriate policies in terms of regulation, incentives and support.

L'emanazione della Direttiva Europea 2002/91/CE (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive - EPBD) ha rivitalizzato e dato nuovo impulso alle tematiche proprie dell'efficienza energetica in edilizia, obbligando, in un contesto internazionale vivacizzato dalle problematiche ambientali e legate all'approvvigionamento energetico, gli Stati membri dell'Unione verso nuovi e comuni traguardi da raggiungere relativamente alla riduzione improrogabile della domanda di energia nel settore edilizio. L'obiettivo dell'attività di ricerca riportata in questa Tesi è consistito nello studio di misure di efficienza energetica in diversi ambiti del settore civile, con particolare riferimento all'edilizia residenziale, al settore terziario ed alle architetture adibite a musei. Gli studi di efficienza energetica hanno valutato sia gli aspetti metodologici e procedurali alla luce dei nuovi orientamenti legislativi e normativi scaturiti dalla EPBD, sia le potenzialità di miglioramento delle prestazioni di involucri edilizi ed impianti, per quanto concerne gli usi energetici dovuti ai bisogni di riscaldamento, ventilazione e climatizzazione degli edifici.

Dottorato di ricerca in Politica agraria ; Questo lavoro esamina l'impatto dei Cambiamenti Climatici sulle principali componenti climatiche (precipitazioni e temperature). Inoltre, analizza gli effetti dell'incertezza sul settore agricolo in termini di variazioni di redditività, di colture praticate e di utilizzo dei fattori produttivi. Tale incertezza scaturisce dall'impatto dei Cambiamenti Climatici sulla disponibilità di acqua per gli agricoltori. L'area oggetto del presente studio è localizzata nella Nurra, un territorio situato nel nord-ovest della Sardegna, in corrispondenza del bacino idrografico del Cuga. Per valutare l'impatto dei Cambiamenti Climatici sulle principali componenti climatiche sono state analizzate le serie storiche di precipitazione e temperatura media, in merito all'evoluzione di lungo periodo e alla variabilità dei fenomeni. Dall'analisi emerge una tendenza alla diminuzione delle precipitazioni e all'aumento delle temperature medie, nonché ad un incremento della loro variabilità mensile. Per analizzare gli effetti dell'incertezza sul settore agricolo causati dall'impatto dei Cambiamenti Climatici sulla quantità di risorsa idrica fornita dal Consorzio agli agricoltori nel corso della campagna irrigua, è stato applicato un modello di Programmazione Stocastica Discreta. I risultati mostrano che il Cambiamento Climatico varia gli ordinamenti colturali, con una conseguente riduzione dei redditi lordi. Inoltre, causa un minor impiego della maggior parte dei fattori produttivi: acqua consortile, lavoro totale e mezzi tecnici chimici. Viceversa, aumenta la quantità di acqua estratta dai pozzi aziendali. ; This work examines the impact of the Climate Change on the most important climatic components (precipitation and temperature). Moreover, it analyses the effects of the uncertainty in the agricultural sector as regards variations of profitability, cropping systems and the utilization of productive factors. This uncertainty is due to the impact of the Climate Change on the water availability for farmers. The analysed area is located in Nurra region, a territory in the north-west of Sardinia, in correspondence of the hydrographical basin of Cuga. The historical series of precipitation and average temperature have been analysed to estimate the impact of the Climate Change on the most important climatic components, as regards long period evolutions and the variability of the phenomena. The analysis shows a decreasing trend of the precipitations and an increasing trend of the average temperatures, as well as it shows an increase of the monthly variability of both components. A model of Discrete Stochastic Programming has been applied to analyse the effects of the uncertainty in the agricultural sector caused by the impact of the Climate Change on the quantity of water that is provided to the farmers by the Irrigation District during the irrigation period. The results show that the Climate Change modifies the surface assigned to the crops, with a consequent reduction of the total gross income. Moreover, it causes a lower utilization of most inputs: total water of the Irrigation District, total labour and chemical inputs. On the other side, it increases the amount of water extracted from the wells.

In latest years, the possibility to exploit the high amount of spectral information has made hyperspectral remote sensing a very promising approach to detect changes occurred in multi-temporal images. Detection of changes in images of the same area collected at different times is of crucial interest in military and civilian applications, spanning from wide area surveillance and damage assessment to geology and land cover. In military operations, the interest is in rapid location and tracking of objects of interest, people, vehicles or equipment that pose a potential threat. In civilian contexts, changes of interest may include different types of natural or manmade threats, such as the path of an impending storm or the source of a hazardous material spill. In this PhD thesis, the focus is on Anomalous Change Detection (ACD) in airborne hyperspectral images. The goal is the detection of small changes occurred in two images of the same scene, i.e. changes having size comparable with the sensor ground resolution. The objects of interest typically occupy few pixels of the image and change detection must be accomplished in a pixel-wise fashion. Moreover, since the images are in general not radiometrically comparable, because illumination, atmospheric and environmental conditions change from one acquisition to the other, pervasive and uninteresting changes must be accounted for in developing ACD strategies. ACD process can be distinguished into two main phases: a pre-processing step, which includes radiometric correction, image co-registration and noise filtering, and a detection step, where the pre-processed images are compared according to a defined criterion in order to derive a statistical ACD map highlighting the anomalous changes occurred in the scene. In the literature, ACD has been widely investigated providing valuable methods in order to cope with these problems. In this work, a general overview of ACD methods is given reviewing the most known pre-processing and detection methods proposed in the literature. The analysis has been conducted unifying different techniques in a common framework based on binary decision theory, where one has to test the two competing hypotheses H0 (change absent) and H1 (change present) on the basis of an observation vector derived from the radiance measured on each pixel of the two images. Particular emphasis has been posed on statistical approaches, where ACD is derived in the framework of Neymann Pearson theory and the decision rule is carried out on the basis of the statistical properties assumed for the two hypotheses distribution, the observation vector space and the secondary data exploited for the estimation of the unknown parameters. Typically, ACD techniques assume that the observation represents the realization of jointly Gaussian spatially stationary random process. Though such assumption is adopted because of its mathematical tractability, it may be quite simplistic to model the multimodality usually met in real data. A more appropriate model is that adopted to derive the well known RX anomaly detector which assumes the local Gaussianity of the hyperspectral data. In this framework, a new statistical ACD method has been proposed considering the local Gaussianity of the hyperspectral data. The assumption of local stationarity for the observations in the two hypotheses is taken into account by considering two different models, leading to two different detectors. In addition, when data are collected by airborne platforms, perfect co-registration between images is very difficult to achieve. As a consequence, a residual misregistration (RMR) error should be taken into account in developing ACD techniques. Different techniques have been proposed to cope with the performance degradation problem due to the RMR, embedding the a priori knowledge on the statistical properties of the RMR in the change detection scheme. In this context, a new method has been proposed for the estimation of the first and second order statistics of the RMR. The technique is based on a sequential strategy that exploits the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) algorithm cascaded with the Minimum Covariance Determinant algorithm. The proposed method adapts the SIFT procedure to hyperspectral images and improves the robustness of the outliers filtering by means of a highly robust estimator of multivariate location. Then, the attention has been focused on noise filtering techniques aimed at enforcing the consistency of the ACD process. To this purpose, a new method has been proposed to mitigate the negative effects due to random noise. In particular, this is achieved by means of a band selection technique aimed at discarding spectral channels whose useful signal content is low compared with the noise contribution. Band selection is performed on a per-pixel basis by exploiting the estimates of the noise variance accounting also for the presence of the signal dependent noise component. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed techniques has been extensively evaluated by employing different real hyperspectral datasets containing anomalous changes collected in different acquisition conditions and on different scenarios, highlighting advantages and drawbacks of each method. In summary, the main issues related to ACD in multi-temporal hyperspectral images have been examined in this PhD thesis. With reference to the pre-processing step, two original contributions have been offered: i) an unsupervised technique for the estimation of the RMR noise affecting hyperspectral images, and ii) an adaptive approach for ACD which mitigates the negative effects due to random noise. As to the detection step, a survey of the existing techniques has been carried out, highlighting the major drawbacks and disadvantages, and a novel contribution has been offered by presenting a new statistical ACD method which considers the local Gaussianity of the hyperspectral data.

This article examines the role that geo-engineering has taken on the political agenda. The relevance of these choices for the everyday life of people should prompt us to reflect on the dynamics of climate governance not only with respect to the various responsibilities, but also with attention to the distribution of the impacts of the damage caused by changes. Reflections and concerns that geography deals with in the debate on human-environment relationships. Relations also transformed by increased knowledge on Nature but, paradoxically, by increased uncertainty