Suchergebnisse

Il saggio di Godfrey Baldacchino, che nella sua versione originaria apriva il volume Our World of Islands, importante opera per lo sviluppo degli Island Studies come campo di ricerca, situa le isole nella storia e nel mondo contemporaneo, ne rivendica l'importanza e ne valorizza il ruolo sensibile e creativo. Questa apologia delle isole parte da una doppia constatazione critica: chi ha parlato delle isole è spesso un non-isolano e questo ha portato all'affermazione, anche fra gli isolani, di un paradigma della vulnerabilità e dell'isolamento che non dà ragione della complessità della condizione delle isole e degli isolani. Anche da qui l'esigenza di parlare di isolanità piuttosto che di insularità, di andare oltre la definizione dell'isola come terra circondata dal mare, per aprirsi ai molti modi in cui le isole vengono vissute dall'interno e ai molti apporti creativi, a volte imprevisti altre volte programmati, che esse hanno dato al pianeta in molti campi del sapere scientifico e sociale. Da qui l'esigenza di addentrarsi nella tradizione degli studi sulle isole, per coglierne la ricchezza e definire una nissologia che consenta, a isolani e non, di passare da un paradigma che stancamente cataloga "le isole del mondo" a uno che coglie "un mondo di isole", che fanno arcipelago e si offrono al pianeta come portatrici di idee, esperienze e voci nuove. ; peer-reviewed

Environment and society are increasingly affected by human activity. World society must constantly face many problems such as climate change, air, water and soil pollutions, resources overuse, human rights, child labor, social inequalities, health and safety. Since companies are the most responsible actors for these troubles, they are stimulated to develop and adopt policies of sustainable development. Practices of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility are increasing within many businesses for reasons which go beyond the mere compliance with legislations and regulations. Nowadays, sustainable and responsible companies behave ethically for competitive reasons as well. The connections between sustainability and business strategy occurs through the pursuit of eco-socio-efficiencies, resources cost cutting, product-service differentiation, access to ethical funds, image and reputation, and the avoidance of fines, penalties and environmental taxes. Sustainability management occurs through a process that starts with identification of key stakeholders and the relative types of environmental or social impacts generated. Then, strategy must be developed, and communicated to all level of the organization. Leadership and commitment of top management are fundamental in order to diffuse sustainability guidelines, support the organizational structure and spread the new culture. In addition, performance measurement and management systems should drive the attainment of sustainability objectives. Environmental and social accounting systems must provide meaningful data in order to monitor the accomplishment of strategy and, at the same time, disclose the sustainability reports addressed to stakeholders. One important aspect of the process above mentioned regards the connection between strategy and performance measurement system. In order to translate sustainability strategies into actions measurable through performance indicators, it must be emphasized the support of Balanced Scorecard (BSC). The multidimensional conception of the tool advises to integrate environmental and social aspects of business activity within the four traditional perspectives of management in the BSC (financial, customers, processes, learning and growth). Therefore, the emerging concept of Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) is referred to the additional feature of considering the environmental and social issues connected directly or indirectly with the execution of the business processes and thus with economic success. Cause and effect relationships in the strategy map show the relations between better social and environmental performances with increasing competitiveness and profitability. The airline sector is facing many challenges of sustainable development. Hence the case developed about a real carrier can help to better understand the matter. The implementation of a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard in Lufthansa Passenger Airline consists in a simulation of the process that starts with the identification of stakeholders and related environmental and social impacts. Based on these exposures, sustainability strategies are developed and formalized as several strategic objectives belonging to the different perspectives of SBSC. Afterwards, for each sustainability objective, numerous key performance indicators are developed in order to monitor single operative aspects related to the achievement of objectives. Finally, the construction of strategy map makes clear how sustainability performances are connected with financial ones. In conclusion, the analysis of environmental, social and economic performances achieved by the German carrier and the comparison with direct European competitor Air France KLM and other minor competitors helps to identify the successes and criticisms deriving from sustainability purposes.

Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze, tecnologie e biotecnologie per la sostenibilità ; La VAS, nell'intenzione del legislatore europeo, è stata prevista come uno strumento di supporto al processo decisionale e in quanto tale è applicabile ad una molteplicità di piani e programmi al fine del loro più efficace orientamento alla sostenibilità ambientale. La messa a punto del processo di valutazione ambientale strategica consente di giovare delle ricadute positive che il piano o programma avrà su quel determinato territorio. L'obiettivo della ricerca è quello di far comprendere quale importanza assuma il processo di valutazione ambientale strategica nell'indirizzare alla sostenibilità ambientale un piano o un programma, contrariamente al modo in cui è stata in molti casi intesa, spesso semplicemente come mero adempimento burocratico/amministrativo privo di ricadute sul territorio cui quel piano o programma è indirizzato. Gli aspetti peculiari del processo applicati alla tipologia dei piani di gestione forestale evidenziano come il fatto di non aver compreso fino in fondo l'impatto positivo che ha sul territorio l'attuazione di tale processo da parte delle Regioni, ha determinato una mancata occasione in termini di ricadute positive sullo stesso territorio. Nell'esaminare le azioni e gli obiettivi che si prefigge un piano forestale generale emerge in modo chiaro che le azioni e gli obiettivi indicati nel rapporto ambientale dei diversi piani forestali generali puntano a valorizzare ogni possibile intervento, finalizzandolo al raggiungimento di un livello di sostenibilità ambientale sempre più alto. Le fasi della valutazione, infatti, impongono che l'attività in questione sia effettuata come un'analisi degli effetti potenziali di quel determinato piano/programma sul territorio. L'obiettivo che il progetto di ricerca si pone, infatti, non è semplicemente quello di analizzare lo stato dell'arte rispetto al recepimento della direttiva in generale ed in particolare l'attuazione in Italia sia a livello nazionale che regionale, ma soprattutto quello di evidenziare il ruolo decisivo che assume la valutazione ambientale strategica nell'ambito della pianificazione e dove trova fondamento questo ruolo, cercando di far comprendere il motivo per cui la mancata valutazione costituisca un'occasione persa per quel territorio e per le comunità che vi abitano. L'approccio metodologico da seguire potrebbe essere quelle di avviare un Tavolo permanente sulle tematiche Foresta e Ambiente fra tutti i soggetti interessati e coinvolti nel processo di VAS (che deve essere strutturato in maniera più articolata rispetto a quello allo stato previsto, in modo tale che possa godere di poteri operativi e di indirizzo che siano più incisivi sul territorio), un confronto che, partendo dalla normativa vigente, a livello nazionale ed anche regionale, individui delle "best-practices" da utilizzare come modello per ogni tipologia di piano/programma. ; The SEA in the intention of the European legislator has been planned as a decision support tool, and as such applicable to a variety of plans and programs in order of their most effective approach to environmental sustainability. The development of the strategic environmental assessment process can impact positively and allows the benefit of the positive effects that the plan or program will have on that particular territory. The aim of this research project is to make it clear that the strategic environmental assessment process has to address a plan or a program to environmental sustainability. This is contrary to the way in which Vas has in many cases been understood, as a mere bureaucratic and administrative performance without any impact on the area where the plan or program is addressed. In particular, if we consider the peculiar aspects of the process applied to the type of forest management plans, it shows a failure and the loss of positive results on the territory, as it was not understood the positive impact that the implementation of this process by the Regions has on the territory. The result is the loss of positive impacts on the territory. When examining the actions and objectives of a general forest plan, it is clear that the actions and goals set out in the environmental report of the different forest management plans are aimed at enhancing every possible action, to achieve an ever higher level of environmental sustainability. The evaluation steps, in fact, require that the strategic assessment activity is carried out as an analysis of the potential effects of that particular plan on the territory. The goal of the research project is not merely to analyze the state of the art in relation to the transposition of the Directive in general and, in particular, at national and regional level in Italy, but to highlight the decisive role that the planning takes on the strategic environmental assessment and where this role is based, trying to explain why the evaluation is a good opportunity not to be missed for that area and for the communities that live there. The activities conducted made it possible to identify priorities and to highlight the critical nodes in the network of the governance of the territory, as a method to approach effective environmental assessment procedures. The methodological approach to follow would be to start a Permanent Table on Forestry and Environment issues among all stakeholders and involved in the SEA, a comparison that starts from current legislation, not just at national level but also regional, best-practices individuals to use as a model for each type of p/p. The methodological approach to follow could be to start a permanent Table on the themes of the Forest and the Environment issues among all the subjects involved in the Strategic Environmental Assessment process, a comparison starting from the current legislation, both at national and regional level, to find best-practices to use as a template for each type of p/p.

Il tema della tesi è la gestione e valorizzazione dei boschi in alcune valli delle Alpi orientali nel corso dell'Ottocento. In particolare, la ricerca approfondisce gli effetti a livello locale di alcune trasformazioni giuridico-amministrative relative all'utilizzo delle risorse ambientali introdotte nel periodo napoleonico e poi portate avanti durante la Restaurazione. L'analisi è stata condotta su un'area circoscritta – la zona del Cadore, corrispondente alla parte settentrionale dell'attuale provincia di Belluno – per un periodo di tempo relativamente limitato – i 60 anni che intercorrono tra l'introduzione del modello amministrativo francese a inizio Ottocento e l'annessione di questi territori al Regno d'Italia (1866). Ho scelto un approccio di ricerca che coniugasse le consolidate acquisizioni della storia politico-amministrativa con le recenti proposte della storia ambientale, e l'ambito individuato è quello della valorizzazione delle risorse forestali. Il motivo di questa scelta è semplice: in quest'area di montagna, il bosco e i diversi utilizzi che se ne facevano erano la risorsa principale e assumevano un'importanza vitale per la popolazione. Allo stesso tempo, il controllo sulle risorse forestali, sia per garantire i flussi di legname verso le aree urbane sia per limitare il dissesto idrogeologico, era considerato tema strategico in ambito governativo, e la sua rilevanza crebbe durante il processo di centralizzazione del potere statale nel corso dell'Ottocento. Ho adottato una scala d'analisi locale e microanalitica che si discosta dall'approccio solitamente utilizzato nello studio di questi temi, tendente a favorire ricerche su ambiti territorialmente più vasti, nazionali o regionali. Questa scelta consente di concentrare l'analisi non solo sulle politiche forestali adottate a livello governativo, quanto sulla loro concreta ricezione, contrattazione e applicazione a livello locale. Infine, l'approccio microanalitico mi ha permesso di mettere in relazione questi aspetti con altri fattori, di natura istituzionale ed economico-sociale, che influirono in egual misura sulla gestione delle risorse boschive. ; The subject of this research is the use and the management of forest in few valleys of Eastern Alps during the nineteenth century. In particular, the research examines the effects at the local level of some judicial transformations concerning the use of natural resources introduced during the Napoleonic period and carried out after the Restoration. Geographically, this investigation is concentrated on the area of Cadore, the northern part of Belluno Province. Chronologically, it focuses on the period between the Napoleonic administration of this territory, at the beginning of nineteenth century, and its annexation to the Kingdom of Italy (1866). The research approach combines the consolidated acquisitions of institutional history with the recent proposals of environmental history. The preferred field of analysis is the management of common woodlands. The reason for this choice is simple: in this mountainous area, the attitude adopted to forest resources was crucial to sustaining local population. At the same time, during the nineteenth century State centralization process, forest control was becoming a strategic issue for the governmental authorities, intent on guaranteeing the long-term supplies of timber necessary for urban areas, and limiting down stream hydro-geological flood risk. Rather than the macro-analytic regional or national territorial scale on which studies of similar phenomena are often conducted, I have selected a local and micro-analytical approach. This choice allowed me to focus not only on the forest policies introduced by the government; it also facilitated analysis of these administrative transformations in respect of their reception, application, and mediation at the local level. Finally, the micro-analytical approach allows correlating these aspects with other factors that equally influenced forest resources management, both institutional and socio-economical.

Il petrolio è la più importante fonte di energia al mondo e dalle previsioni sembra destinata ad esserlo anche nei prossimi anni. Si potrà dunque immaginare che quando si scopre che una piccola regione del sud Italia "galleggia" sul giacimento petrolifero più grande dell'Europa continentale si prospetti una situazione abbastanza complessa dove gli interessi che entrano in gioco sono molteplici e spesso conflittuali. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è di riassumere brevemente l'evoluzione storica dell' "affare petrolio" in Basilicata per poi analizzare la situazione attuale da tutti i possibili punti di vista. Si analizza in primis l'aspetto economico e produttivo mostrando numerosi grafici riferiti alla dimensione regionale ed al suo ruolo nel contesto nazionale; si passa poi agli aspetti ambientali e sociali ed in particolare si analizzano: il livello di attuazione degli impegni presi ad inizio attività, la storia degli incidenti, i problemi ambientali, gli effetti dell'attività estrattiva sulla salute della popolazione, la situazione occupazionale, il conflitto dell'attività estrattiva con il Parco Nazionale Val d'Agri Lagonegrese, la proposta di uno sviluppo ecosostenibile per la Basilicata, il ruolo della Banca Europea per gli Investimenti, le modalità di utilizzo delle royalties. Si conclude presentando brevemente la linea adottata dalla Giunta regionale per il futuro della Basilicata ed il parere delle associazioni ambientaliste a tale proposito. ABSTRACT Petroleum is the most important energy source in the world and according to the projections it is going to have this important role also in the following years. It's easy to imagine that when a small region in southern Italy is discovered to float on the biggest oilfield of the continental Europe, the situation is going to be very complex and several adversarial interests are involved. The aim of this work is to briefly summarize the historical evolution of the "oil business" in Basilicata and then to analyze the present situation from each possible point of view. We analyze first of all the economic and productive aspect showing numerous graphs regarding the regional dimension and its role in the national context; then we talk about the social and environmental aspects and precisely we analyze: the implementation level of the starting agreements, the accident history, the environmental problems, the impact of the oil extraction on the population's health, the employment situation, the conflict between oil extraction and the Val d'Agri Lagonegrese National Park, the proposal for a sustainable development of Basilicata, the role of the European Investment Bank, the way of spending the royalties amount. Finally we briefly summarize how the regional government is going to operate for Basilicata future and what Environmental associations think about it.

The thesis addresses the problem of the simplification of administrative procedures in Italian environmental legislation. The historical evolution of the most significant administrative procedures in Environmental Law (including environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment and I.P.P.C.) is analyzed, highlighting the tools and techniques used to simplify them and focusing on the problematic aspects of each. The first chapter analyzes, in general terms, the relationship between the principles of environmental protection - enshrined in International, European and Italian Law - and the discipline of administrative procedures, focusing on the modifications of Law no. 241/1990 in the twenty years since its enactment. The second chapter examines the specific discipline of Environmental impact assessment, Strategic environmental assessment and other environmental assessment procedures, focusing on the attempts to reduce their duration and costs, and to ensure their coordination in italian legislation. The third chapter addresses the same problems with regards to the most relevant authorization procedures in environmental legislation, including those related to the I.P.P.C. (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) EU directives.

The threat to the survival of many species, caused by emerging ecological crises, has favored the development of a new environmental awareness. In recent decades, especially in the most industrialized nations, an increasing participation of citizens in the collection of scientific data has also been recorded. The active involvement of society in different aspects of science has been defined by the sociologist Alan Irwin as "Citizen Science". Although environmental Citizen Science brings together the largest number of projects, the fields of application of this new way of doing science are innumerable. BioBlitz is one of the best-known examples of citizen science activities, aimed at monitoring the biodiversity of an area. The Maremma Natural History Museum, as part of its activities, regularly organizes BioBlitz on an annual basis, starting from 2013. During BioBlitz 2017 in the SPZ and SCZ "Monte Labbro and Alta Valle dell'Albegna" data were collected attesting the presence of 403 different taxonomic entities, of which 367 identified at the species level and 5 at the subspecies level. Six alien and 2 endemic species were identified. In terms of environmental legislation, 38 protected species and 7 endangered species were detected in the area. The most relevant aspect that emerges from the collected data is the consistent number of protected species. This confirms the environmental value of the area and the need for management and conservation plans for the entire site.

The threat to the survival of many species, caused by emerging ecological crises, has favored the development of a new environmental awareness. In recent decades, especially in the most industrialized nations, an increasing participation of citizens in the collection of scientific data has also been recorded. The active involvement of society in different aspects of science has been defined by the sociologist Alan Irwin as "Citizen Science". Although environmental Citizen Science brings together the largest number of projects, the fields of application of this new way of doing science are innumerable. BioBlitz is one of the best-known examples of citizen science activities, aimed at monitoring the biodiversity of an area. The Maremma Natural History Museum, as part of its activities, regularly organizes BioBlitz on an annual basis, starting from 2013. During BioBlitz 2017 in the SPZ and SCZ "Monte Labbro and Alta Valle dellAlbegna" data were collected attesting the presence of 403 different taxonomic entities, of which 367 identified at the species level and 5 at the subspecies level. Six alien and 2 endemic species were identified. In terms of environmental legislation, 38 protected species and 7 endangered species were detected in the area. The most relevant aspect that emerges from the collected data is the consistent number of protected species. This confirms the environmental value of the area and the need for management and conservation plans for the entire site.

The volume analyses the decision-making process of public entities and defines a regional environmental accounting methodology according to which the environmental variable contributes to the definition of strategic choices. The first part describes the regional public expenditure related to the environmental field and deals with the theoretical and methodological aspects commenting the principles applied to the cases of Campania, Calabria and Basilicata regions through the analysis of the regional financial statements. The second part offers a deep analysis on the relationship between economy and environment through a system of indicators that represent the economic and social context and environmental quality, that is the application of the DPSIR Model (Driving forces-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses) to the regions examined. From the set of information provided by the analysis of the economic, social and environmental context, public decision-makers can draw an informed judgement on the convenience of specific operations to be planned and implemented.

As part of the strategies to promote health in urban areas, the Italian Society of Hygiene (SItI) has updated its recommendations for healthy, safe and sustainable housing. They were issued by an ad hoc SitI working group on the basis of the best available evidence retrieved from a review of the scientific and legal literature on the topic and in line with World Health Organisation, European Union, and other international bodies statements. SItI document includes recommendations for environmental comfort, mental and social wellbeing, environmental protection as well as the safety of people who dwell houses. In addition to typical issues (such as relative humidity parameters, ventilation, and safety rules), SItI recommendations address innovative aspects such as building compatibility between different functions, building safety management and green area design. In this context, SItI recommendations emphasise the need of a strengthened interaction between architects and public health experts to ensure the complete wellbeing in houses where people spend more than 50% of their lives.

Nowadays the urban regeneration is the main tool through which the Italian Regions strive for the limitation of land consumption. This new objective for planning is not only a way of balancing different general interests, but it is becoming a benchmark for social, economic, and cultural interests too. The essay examines the concrete samples of the urban regeneration in Italy by comparing those coming from the Regional legislators with the ones based on civic initiatives. The author underlines both positive aspects and negative sides of them both. At the end, nevertheless, the Author tries to draw a more general conclusion, by arguing the environmental sustainability is a comprehensive curb even beyond the normative provisions. That way he considers that environmental sustainability is the main driver for territorial policies.

Since the 1990s, the food supply chain has become increasingly global and complex, with clear repercussions also in terms of the minimum standards and guarantees needed to protect the safety, and quality of food. At the same time, there has been an increased focus on the environmental sustainability of the food chain and on the consequences of climate change on food security. Aim of this paper is to discuss the fundamental aspects underlying the globalisation process of the agri-food system and the specific aspects related to food security, focusing on the measures for consumer protection and environmental sustainability introduced by the European Union. ; A partire dagli anni Novanta le filiere agroalimentari sono diventate sempre più globali e complesse, con evidenti ripercussioni anche in termini di standard e garanzie minime necessarie per tutelare la sicurezza, la salubrità e la qualità del cibo. Al tempo stesso, si è registrata una maggiore attenzione per la sostenibilità ambientale e le relazioni che intercorrono tra cambiamento climatico e sicurezza alimentare. Scopo di questa trattazione è di discutere alcuni aspetti fondamentali che sottostanno al processo di globalizzazione del sistema agroalimentare e degli aspetti specifici legati alla sicurezza alimentare, con particolare attenzione alle misure per la gestione del rischio alimentare e per la sostenibilità ambientale introdotte dall'Unione Europea.

The thesis analyses the main issues posed by the implementation of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) within the Italian physical planning system in the perspective of sustainable development principle, as elaborated in the supranational and European context. The proper implementation of the European Directive 2001/42CE in the national legal framework has revealed problematic as regards the definition of its scope and, specifically, the procedural patterns to be followed and guaranteed in order to ensure an high level of environmental protection in planning processes through early and effective integration of sustainability objectives in public decision-making. After more than ten years since Directive 2001/42CE adoption, sensitive issues still remain to be addressed in order to assess the effectiveness of the implementation both at legislative and administrative level. Taken previously into account the contents and main critical aspects of planning traditional discipline and practice, yet to be reformed at national level, the research work attempts to highlight the pre-conditions to be fulfilled for SEA proper implementation and the need of institutional adaptation of planning instruments and their relationships, in accordance with environmental systems complexities.

Agro-environmental measures (AEMs) are policy instruments in the European Union that pay farmers for voluntary environmental commitments and protection of the European countryside. The first AEMs were introduced by Reg. 2078/1992, thank to the MacSharry Reform. In this time they were "accompanying measures" and they were used to sustain rural income after decoupling and the abolishment of internal price support. In the following programming period it became mandatory to every Member State to consider Agro-environmental measures part of their Rural Developing Programs and they became one of the most important instrument of the EU for rural areas. Investigating literature about AEMs, we understand that the determinants of farmers' participation were not only to be searched on farm structure and farmers' characteristics, but also in personal attitudes using the Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (1991). We collect 227 questionnaires of farmers participating in Agro-environmental measures in Lombardy during the last programming period in order to evaluate the perceptions of the respondents on the policy and explore motivations that drive farmers in the participation, evaluating both farm structural factors and their attitudes. The study is composed by two main parts: one is focused on the construction of the identikit of the "standard participant" through a Likert scale survey and a qualitative analysis, and the other one is focused on modeling factors affecting the subscription of agro-environmental contracts. In the first part, farmers answer questions concerning their perceptions about the role of conventional and environmental friendly agriculture, the impact of AEMs in their daily practices and economic aspects associated with them. They identify the reasons that push them to participate, the functions of the farm and the future they imagine for their business. Through a classifications of farmers using personal and farm characteristics, we subdivides the sample and we try to understand how this parameters influence the answers and to typify the AEMs' participant. In the second part we implemented a logit model in order to answer the question "which are the determinants for the participation in agro-environmental measures in the next programming period?", matching farm characteristics and farmers' personal attitudes. Farmers choose to participate in AEMs for environmental reasons and to value their own production on the market. Most of them are interested in increasing their income through the measures. They are strongly aware of agriculture's role of environmental manager and public goods producer but they aren't satisfied with the recognition that is given by the decision-maker. In particular farmers criticize the Administration for procedures, bureaucracy and inspection but, finally, they want to continue to participate in AEMs. Factors affecting the participation are linked to farm characteristics, such as its UAA or its membership to organic farms, and to the farmers perceptions on some issues, such as stiffness of control and satisfaction on the environmental performances of the measures.