Circular Bioeconomy Growth to Face the Increasing Industrial Risk

Damages and losses from disasters triggered by natural hazards are increasingly threatening the development gains of many communities in the whole world. Over the last 20 years, about 90% of disasters were climate-related (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015). Under climatic scenarios, southern Europe will become drier with changes in frequency and strength of extreme weather events (European Environmental Agency, 2017). This is expected to impact on both natural resources and managed systems. Related policies should be oriented to minimize the adverse impacts caused by the so-called NaTech events. By the adoption of the directive n. 2012/18/EU, the European Union takes into account the risks descending by the increased frequency of meteorological extreme events. Anyway, current law provisions appear not satisfactory to tackle the growing hazards coming from climate changes. The unprecedented success of the transition to a bio-circular economy, as auspicated by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, could play a key role also in reducing industrial risk and the economic impact due to climate change. In fact, switching the present linear economic model to develop a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient and competitive economy might be an opportunity to limit the use of hazardous chemicals in the industrial productive cycles. The implementation of the circular economy model needs the promotion of the research on biological elements aimed to the evaluation of the effects of introducing biological materials in new advanced production cycles on society, health and economy and the environment as a whole. Anyway, it is clear that any effort to introduce biological components inside the industrial production cycles to replace chemicals and hazardous substances, could have a profound effect on society both by reaching a greener economy and by ensuring a reduction of the industrial hazards. Reducing the use of chemical substances brings directly to the minimization of the number of hazardous installations and, consequently, decrease the territorial vulnerability. Innovations to boost bio-economy are especially required in Italy, looking both at the high value of the national natural capital, the highest in Europe, and at its vulnerability level.