Sixth National Communication under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - Chapter 6: Vulnerability assessment, climate change impacts and adaptation measures

This Communication comes after an important period of environmental policy re-thinking and re-shaping, hinged in the National plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the National Energy Strategy both approved in March 2013. The new policy framework reflects a structural change of the economic and environmental paradigm undertaken in the last years: the aim of such change was to substantially move from a "simple" objective of decoupling economic growth and emissions to a more "complex" objective of fostering growth with clean technologies development. Green technological novelty, subsequent industrial applications and market diffusion can boost productivity and stabilize economic recovery. The National plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the National Energy Strategy are essential to meet Italian commitments up to 2020. In particular regarding the Kyoto Protocol target, although measures implemented so far together with the economic crisis resulted in a noticeable decrease in emission levels in the last years a gap needs to be filled in: 2008-2012 average value shows National emissions have fallen 3.7 percent referred to 1990 assigned amount level. The most updated estimates show that, taking into account the means already available, the gap still to be addressed is about 1% of the target. The National plan for the reduction of GHG emissions provides for the mechanism to close such gap. The Ministry for the Environment delivers a report containing such estimates and the possible ways to close the gap to the Committee for Economic Planning (CIPE) who is in charge for taking resolution. For the period beyond Kyoto projections show that emissions up to 2020 will go on increasing, and additional measures are needed to meet Italian targets under the "Climate - Energy package". The National plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions identifies a number of additional measures to meet the medium term goals already established and their full implementation will ensure the respect of such goals while putting the country on the right path towards the decarbonisation. There are also clear evidences that there is a need to adapt to climate change impacts: a process to elaborate the national strategy for adaptation to climatic change has been started. Whereas Italy will continue its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at national level, Italy believes that enhancing international cooperation with a view to reduce global emissions so as to hold the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, will continue to be a major global challenge. Italy has invested significant resources to help developing countries adapt to climate change and develop on a low-emission path and wishes that future climate change negotiations will contribute to define an institutional framework to enhance such international cooperation. In such respect Italy welcomes the result of the latest United Nations climate conference of held in Warsaw and is ready to do its part to prepare the ground for the adoption by 2015 of a new legally-binding global agreement containing emission commitments by all countries and enhancing the institutional framework to promote sustainable development both in developing and developed countries.