CO2 emissions: virtuous Italy

According to the Foundation for Sustainable Development’s 2014 Climate Dossier, Italy continues on the virtuous path of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

After meeting and surpassing its 2012 Kyoto objective (-7.8% compared to 1990), in 2013 Italy further reduced emissions by 6% and is set to meet the 2020 energy/climate package target.
Indeed, 2013 greenhouse gas emissions in Italy were reported at 435 MtCO2eq, meaning a more than 6% drop (30 Mt) compared to the previous year, according to which there has been a significant reduction in consumption of fossil fuels: -5% (3.4 million tons) of petroleum, -6% of gas (4.8 billion m3) and -14% coal (3.7 million tons).
Behind this dynamic, there is certainly the effect of the economic recession, even though estimates for 2013, which indicate a GDP of 1.8%, explain only about a third of the emission reductions. The remainder has to do with the growth of renewable energy, energy efficiency and more sustainable lifestyles. This in spite of the fact that 2013 was a spotty year for environmental policy in Italy, as shown by the abrupt slowdown in development of new plants producing electric energy from renewable sources. For more information, see the climate dossier 2014, “Toward new CO2 reduction commitments for Italy”, edited by Edo Ronchi, Andrea Barbabella, Toni Federico and Stefania Grillo and published in February 2014  (www.fondazionesvilupposostenibile.org).