Ravenna, 3 November 2023 – Extreme weather events caused by climate change are increasingly frequent also in Tuscany, and the disaster that occurred in the Emilia-Romagna region last May should have increased the need for action to
prevent the consequences of floods and landslides.
In the region of Tuscany, the municipalities where 100 per cent of the inhabitants are at risk of landslides are as many as six: Pisa and Cascina, Chiesina, Uzzanese, Ponte Buggianese and Agliana in the province of Pistoia, and Campi Bisenzio in the province of Florence. But many other municipalities are also at high risk. If we look at the provincial capitals, the possibility of the Arno and its tributaries overflowing is 91.6 in the Florentine municipalities. Also at high risk are the municipalities of Grosseto (95.41%) and those of Prato
(96.12%), while in Siena the danger is very low, affecting only 9.98% of the population.
These are the data that the Study Centre for Climate Change promoted by Greenway Group Srl and Ecogest Spa recently published, shortly before the tragedy of the past few hours, and made available to the relevant regional authorities.
“Climate change is a phenomenon that is affecting and will affect most aspects of our lives, including transport infrastructure. – commented Valerio Molinari, leading shareholder of Ecogest Spa and founder of the Climate Change Study Centre – As the seasons change, we are witnessing increasingly dramatic events, but we cannot remain inactive. In the field of road infrastructure, for example, if we want to
that are resilient to the climate we need to reinforce all maintenance services, such as cleaning drainage systems, storm damage removal, road cleaning, clearing and snow and ice removal’.
The study centre’s analysis continues with some climate change projections concerning
precisely Tuscany. Over the next few years, if emissions continue to rise,
drastic changes are expected for the region’s temperatures, reaching an average mid-century (2050) temperature of about 15.96°C and an average of about 19.76°C by the end of the century. By the end of the century, an anomaly compared to the 2014 average of about
+5,89°C.
The Study Centre, among others, released similar insights in 2023 on
Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Liguria and Veneto. Finally, work is underway on the
Trentino Alto Adige.