Italy’s Environmental and Social Challenges: A Stark Appraisal by the European Environment Agency
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has issued a comprehensive report, Europe’s Environment 2025, which highlights the overlapping social and environmental problems in Italy. The report, published on September 29, 2025, identifies significant gaps in various areas, including wages, energy poverty, land use, emissions, mobility, food systems, and policy design.
A Social Crisis with an Environmental Face
According to the EEA, Italy has experienced a prolonged period of wage stagnation, resulting in a widening economic gap between generations. Younger people are disproportionately affected, with low and stagnant wages leading to rising energy hardship. The report notes that energy poverty affects millions of households, with 7.7% of households unable to afford adequate energy and 9.5% unable to heat their homes properly. This vicious circle of wage weakness and high utility prices has severe consequences for health, comfort, and social inclusion.
Environment and Climate: Some Progress, But Challenges Remain
While Italy has made some progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a 20% decrease over the last 30 years, the country still falls short of EU targets. The EEA projects a 41% reduction in emissions by 2030, compared to the EU target of 43.7%. Additionally, soil sealing and land take remain critical issues, with over 120,000 hectares of land sealed since 2006, primarily in northern regions. This loss of permeable land exacerbates ecosystem pressures and increases flood and heat risks.
Energy System: Dependence and Slow Change
Italy’s energy system remains heavily dependent on imports, with a dependence rate of 76.1% in 2023, down from 83% in 2010. While renewables have grown, the pace of deployment must double to meet 2030 goals. The EEA notes that permit delays, administrative hurdles, and local opposition slow the development of new renewable projects, emphasizing the need to address these institutional issues to accelerate the transition.
Mobility and Transport: Road Dominance, Regional Divides
Road transport dominates Italy’s mobility system, accounting for over 90% of the sector’s energy use. Petrol and diesel remain the primary fuels, with car ownership among the highest in Europe. The EEA recommends promoting shared mobility, low-emission zones, cycling infrastructure, and pay-per-use services to reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
Food Systems and Biodiversity Pressures
Italy has made progress in organic farming and protected areas, but challenges persist. The useful agricultural area has declined by 22% since 1982, partly due to land abandonment. The use of fertilizers, packaging, and certain pesticides remains high, with these substances detected in 56% of surface water samples and 32% of groundwater samples. Food waste is also a significant issue, with the EEA estimating that systemic loss equals about two-thirds of calories produced.
Policy, Finance, and Governance Shortfalls
Public spending on environmental protection accounts for 2.6% of GDP, mostly from private sources. However, environmentally harmful subsidies still have significant weight, which the EEA considers paradoxical. The agency recommends fiscal shifts, moving the burden away from productive assets and towards pollution, and urges the use of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the National Sustainable Development Strategy to finance the green and social transition.
The EEA sets out key priorities, including ramping up renewable energy, reducing energy consumption, tackling wage stagnation and energy poverty, rebalancing subsidies, and protecting more land to reach the EU’s 30% target for protected areas. For more information, read the full report Here