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The focus of this work is to outline the actions that in the next years, at international and national level, will be implemented as a tool to contrast climate change and reduce the contribution of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These actions go through an important transformation of the energy sector, with the progressive decrease in the use of fossil fuels for the energy production, starting with coal which is the most polluting. This conversion process can represent a possibility of a technological renewal of the current plants operating in Italy and an opportunity for an employment growth with reference to the construction of the new plants and to the decommissioning of the existing plants which will close in the future.

The present study aims to analyse the land market trend with particular reference to the main typologies of crop in Sicily (1992-2010). More specifically, after examining the trend in agricultural land average prices, both in current and constant terms, the dynamic formulation of Shift and Share Analysis (DSSA) was carried out, in order to check the growth gap between the average prices in the Sicilian provinces and the correspondent regional ones over the period, and trying to identify its causes also on the basis of the relationship between land values and the agro-food markets dynamics in the investigated period. The analysis of average land values shows a positive trend in current terms, but a steady erosion in constant values. The application of DSSA highlights that the average land values expressed in current prices have a positive market dynamics (except for the province of Palermo), but lower than the overall regional trend, whereas Agrigento and Ragusa growth rates are higher than the regional one. On the contrary, the analysis in real terms shows a heavily erosive dynamics of provincial average prices which is more marked than the overall regional one, with the exception of Agrigento where the negative growth rate is lower than the overall trend. The analysis also measured the growth differential between the dynamics of the average values for each crop typology and the overall regional trend. More specifically, the study pointed out the dichotomy characterising the Sicilian land market in the period 1992-2010: on the one hand, the positive data of arable and horticultural crops and, to a lesser extent, permanent grassland due to a good structural framework capable of absorbing the shortcomings at local level, on the other hand, negative growth differential recorded for tree crops, due almost exclusively to substantial structural weaknesses.

The limited scientific knowledge on relationship between exposure and health effects in relation to geothermal activity motivated an epidemiologic investigation in Tuscan geothermal area. The study aims to describe the health status of populations living in Tuscany municipalities where concessions for exploitation of geothermal resources were granted.This is an ecological study, so it is not useful to produce evidence to sustain a judgment on the cause-effect link. The major limits of this type of study are the use of the residence at municipal level as a proxy of exposure to both environmental and socioeconomic factors and the use of aggregated data of health outcomes that can lead to the well-known ecological fallacy.Sixteen municipalities were included in the study area: eight are part of the so-called "traditional" geothermal area, defined as Northern Geothermal Area (NGA) and eight located in the Amiata Mountain defined as Southern Geothermal Area (SGA). In 2000-2006, the average resident population in the overall area was approximately 43,000 inhabitants. Thirty-one geothermal power plants were active, with a production capacity of 811 MW, 5 of them with 88 MW located in the SGA. Statistical analyses on the entire geothermal area, NGA and SGA subareas, and the sixteen municipalities were performed.Mortality data were obtained from Tuscany Regional Mortality Registry for the 1971-2006 period, analysing 60 causes of death, of interest for population health status or consistent with "Project SENTIERI" criteria. Hospital discharge records of residents in Tuscany Region in 2004-2006, anywhere admitted to hospital, were analyzed considering only the main diagnosis, excluding repeated admissions for the same cause. The causes taken into account are the same analysed for mortality were considered. Age-standardized mortality rates (TSDM) and the temporal trends of TSDM for four periods (1971-1979, 1980-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2006) were computed. Age-standardized mortality/hospitalization ratios (SMR/SHR), with and without adjustment for the deprivation index based on 2001 census data, were calculated: mortality in the years 2000-2006 and hospitalization in 2004-2006. The expected number of events were computed using rates of residents in neighbouring municipalities (municipalities included in 50 km radius circle centred on the study area). Bayesian estimates of mortality/hospitalization ratios (BMR/BHR) at municipal level only and relating maps of the Bayesian risk estimators were elaborated. Congenital malformations (MC) were analysed using data from Tuscan Registry of Birth Defect in 1992-2006 period, relative to outcomes of pregnancies in women resident in the municipalities of study area, wherever the birth or termination of pregnancy occurred. The ratio between observed and expected cases (O/A), with expected defined according to regional rate, were calculated and O/A Bayesian estimates (BMR) are showed only at municipal level. The low weight and the males/females ratio at birth were analysed using data from Tuscany Birth Certificates, covering period 2001-2007, excluding births occurred in facilities outside Tuscany Region. For Low birth weight ( 64 years). Among females resident in SGA a mortality excess from digestive system diseases was observed (72 observed, 55 expected). The hospitalization in the overall Geothermal Area did not show any excess for all causes and all tumours in both genders. Statistically significant excesses for hospital admission from stomach cancer among males (49 observed, 38 expected) and females (42 observed, 28 expected), and from lymphohematopoietic tumours among females, particularly from lymphatic leukaemia (15 observed, 5 expected), were observed. As mortality analysis highlighted, also hospital admissions by geothermal areas and gender showed a worst picture in SGA than in NGA. In the latter, a significant excess of hospital admissions from all causes among females (1,357 observed, 1,284 expected) but not among males (1,193 observed, 1,141 expected) and an excess - close to statistical significance - from all tumours only among females (297 observed; 272 expected) were observed. Furthermore, statistically significant excesses of hospital admissions from digestive system diseases in both genders (M: 392 observed, 350 expected; F: 300 observed, 268 expected), from dementias (16 observed, 8 expected) and from lympho hematopoietic cancers among females, particularly from lymphatic leukaemia (9 observed, 2 expected), were observed. In the SGA, statistically significant excesses of hospital admissions for stomach cancer (M: 32 observed, 21 expected, not significant after adjusting by DI; F: 29 observed, 18 expected), for respiratory diseases (M: 408 observed, 351 expected; F: 339 observed, 277 expected) and for renal failure (M: 61 observed, 41 expected; F: 52 observed, 34 expected) were observed in both genders. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

In the past economics ignored the limits of natural resources. In the last few years a new methodological approach comes into economics improving the comprehension of the economic phenomena linked to the satisfaction of the needs of modern man that basic considers the quality of life. The objective of this research is to define the theoretical and methodological aspects of a sustainable economy pointing out the reasons and the grounds on which to build an environmental policy. This one has to consider either the economic matters or the environmental sensitivity of people. This research is divided into three parts. The first one defines the outlines of the sustainable economy and its characteristic features. The second one emphasizes the necessity of replacing the concept of sustainable development instead of development and growth. At last, the third part identifies the basic lines into which the environmental policy has to be realized defining its reasons, its foundations and its valuation systems. Aestimum, Aestimum 47 (2005)

By referring to the wider strategies set up, starting from the middle of the Nineties, by the European cities to promote a sustainable urban mobility and to the more recent concept of soft mobility, which generally includes pedestrian and cycling mobility, this contribution focuses on pedestrian mobility in urban areas, outlining criteria and methods for planning and designing networks of urban public open spaces, such as roads and squares, devoted to an exclusive or prevailing pedestrian use. First of all, the paper analyzes the multiple roles played by roads and squares within the cities: “axes” supporting different mobility flows, including the pedestrian ones, and in the meanwhile urban places in which different activities (commercial activities, meeting, and so on) take place. Grounding on that, the main reasons driving toward an organization of such spaces as urban networks have been outlined. Then, some guidelines and methodological elements, both for planning pedestrian networks and designing their elements taking into account the correspondence between foreseen uses and spatial features of each element, have been provided. Furthermore, the links between the pedestrian networks and the main junctions of other urban mobility networks, as well as between the first ones and the urban contexts have been stressed. Suggested guidelines and methodological elements have been applied and tested both on historical and suburban areas of the city of Naples; nevertheless they represent only a first step towards the setting up of a method for pedestrian networks planning and design in urban areas. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Vol 2 (2009): Selected Papers 2009

The research moves from the current global and local context and from shared development strategies. From the observation and the analysis of contemporary environmental and energy issues and redefined directions of growth of human activity, it is addressing the question of environmental sustainability and energy conservation of building hospital systems. The work has developed a field survey relating the specific topic of energy saving and efficiency of the Park Hospital in the Italian Lombardy Region. This has been articulated in a diagnosis of technology and efficiency of regional hospitals, implemented through a census, and in a subsequent identification of interventional cases, in order to show its economic, environmental and health performance of the energy efficiency consumption and the environmentally sound.

This work was carried out by a consortium of agencies and research institutes, in order to obtain indications on water demand and adaptation of irrigation management of important Italian crops in the coming decades, in the light of climatic scenarios provided by the Agroscenari project. The main results obtained regard integration and improvement of the Criteria crop water balance model and its use to evaluate future irrigation needs of crops like permanent meadows, maize, wheat, tomato, kiwifruit and citrus crops in diverse northern and southern Italy environments. We also developed and implemented an example of "climate service" for early crop classification and seasonal summer irrigation need forecasting in Emilia-Romagna.

DIPENDE è un sistema di supporto alle decisioni che permette di conoscere e visualizzare facilmente dati relativi al patrimonio edilizio residenziale. DIPENDE può essere utile a: - Amministrazioni (pianificatori) regionali e locali - Imprese e organizzazioni commerciali - Distributori di energia, investitori e fornitori di servizi - Associazioni e organizzazioni no-profit ai fini di ricerca/studi Come usare DIPENDE Si possono visualizzare i dati e gli indicatori rappresentativi di DIPENDE tramite due modalità di accesso: GIS DIPENDE (Analisi standard e web-GIS) Mapping tool (In costruzione). Excel DIPENDE_Tabelle/Queries per analisi mirate (informazioni su questo applicativo su richiesta) L’integrazione di diversi tipi di dati (sociali, geografici, energetici, di mercato), aggregati a livello comunale, consente elaborazioni e analisi nuove rispetto agli usi abituali del catasto dei certificati APE: la rappresentatività degli edifici certificati, il miglioramento dell’EE attraverso gli interventi incentivati, il rapporto tra tipologia, età e prestazione energetica media del patrimonio, etc. DIPENDE può facilitare l’individuazione delle aree con priorità di intervento e la definizione di politiche e programmi di miglioramento dell’efficienza energetica sul proprio territorio. DIPENDE- Integrated DataBase for the Energy Planning of Building Districts, is a prototype tool to facilitate the analysis and visualization of the energy performance of the building stock: for public authorities, to enhance control, monitoring, planning and, for private actors, to establish marketing and business strategies. The database was developed usng data from Lombardy region EPCs (CENED energy performance certification database), National Statistics and gouvernment incentives for building renovation. Data dates back to 2012.

The model of co-operative development, which has been the leading idea in the 80s, is now going through a crisis because of its bad results. As a consequence it gives room to more complex and integrated models, such as those of human, participative and sustainable development. Some assumptions underliying it are still valuable, however a major role is now supposed to be played by the interested people, in the framework of Programs suitable to each country. This should be integrated, coherent, well coordinate and must have well defined goals. The interplay between the ideas of development and co-operation will give rise to the way to governance and democracy to be followed. Such process must promote justice and equity and set high value to the people. L’idea di cooperazione allo sviluppo prevalente negli anni Ottanta è entrata in crisi a seguito dei disastrosi risultati conseguiti, lasciando spazio a concetti più articolati e integrati quali quelli di sviluppo umano, partecipativo, sostenibile... Benché restino ancora validi alcuni presupposti strategici di quella visione, un ruolo fondamentale spetta alla partecipazione della popolazione interessata all’interno di auspicati Programmi Paese integrati, coerenti, ben coordinati e finalizzati negli obiettivi. Nella declinazione dei concetti di sviluppo e di cooperazione determinante risulterà l’opzione di governance e di democrazia che si vorranno perseguire all’interno di processi che effettivamente promuovano la persona, la giustizia e l’equità. La idea de cooperación al desarrollo que prevaleció en los años Ochenta ha entrado en crisis después de los desastrosos resultados, dando paso a conceptos más complejos e integrados, tales como el desarrollo humano, participativo, sostenible. Aunque sean validos algunos de los supuestos estratégicos de aquella visión, juega un papel fundamental la participación de la población interesada dentro de Programas País, integrados, coherentes, bien organizados y finalizados en los objetivos. En la declinación de los conceptos de desarrollo y de cooperación será fundamental la opción de la gobernabilidad y de la democracia que se quieren seguir dentro de los procesos que en realidad promueven a la persona, la justicia y la equidad.