sustainable development in italy

8/3/2019 Sustainable Development in Italy

1/4

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ITALY

The population of industrialized countries exploits ten times more natural resources per capitathan those living in developing countries. On the other hand, nowadays and in the years tocome, our wealth standard requires unpolluted air, water and food, unspoilt landscapes.

Our civilization conceived sustainable development, designed to meet present needs whilepreserving the expectations and requirements of future generations , pursuing at the same timedifferent aims such as quality of life, peace, an equitable wealth and a clean and healthyenvironment. This is not a brand new concept. In fact, many cultures have thoroughlyaccepted the need to strike a balance among different economic, social and environmentalrequirements. Today, this standpoint has been restated in industrialized and developingcountries eventually aware of the of global natural resources . However, sustainabledevelopment urges a changeover of growth patterns and socio-economic relations.

A developing economical system can be regarded as sustainable only if it exploits natural

resources up to a set quantity and quality limit within the earth renewal capacity. Newsustainability-oriented projects are most needed in order to reset ecological balances, tochange consumption and production patterns, to promote ecological efficiency and to restoresocial equity conditions.

Social sustainability has to do with distributive equity, human and civil rights, socialconditions of children, teenagers, women, elderly and disabled people, immigrationand cooperation between countries. Sustainable development targeted actions andcommitments are closely linked to the implementation of policies to eliminate socialexclusion and poverty. Such objective, as expected by the 2001-2003 National Action Plan ofInterventions and Social Services, can be achieved through a fair distribution of resources, a

decrease of the unemployment rate, the accomplishment of economic measures by means ofinvestments in the national health system, in education and, in social programs that guaranteethe access to services and social cohesion.


2/4

The inspiring principles of the environmental action strategy for sustainable development inItaly are the following:

*integration of environmental issues into other*policy making processes;*the preference for an aware economic and environmental lifestyle;

*an increase in the global efficiency of resource usage;*general waste reduction;*stretching the lifetime of goods;*development of local markets and local productions;*promotion of typical products and traditional cultures;*involvement of social parties in setting goals, commitments and sharing responsibilities.

GDP 2011 estimate - Total $1.828 trillion - Per capita $30,165GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate - Total $2.245 trillion - Per capita $37,046

Population growth rate:


3/4

GDP growth rate

Italy's agriculture is typical of the division between the agricultures of the northern and

southern countries of the European Union. The northern part of Italy produces primarily

grains, sugarbeets, soybeans, meat, and dairy products, while the south specializes in

producing fruits, vegetables, olive oil, wine, and durum wheat. Even though much of its

mountainous terrain is unsuitable for farming, Italy has a large work force (1.4 million)

employed in farming. Most farms are small, with the average farm only seven hectares.

Annual population growth rate. Population is based on the 'de facto' definition of population,

which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not

permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the

population of the country of origin.

Life expectancy at birth total population: 80.2 years woman and men 85 years (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 5.51 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.07 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.91 deaths/1,000 live births


4/4

Therefore, in order to make the development sustainable, some modifications are required.

For example, the best thing that could happen is that the government should decentralize

economic activity, establish private ownership through clearly defined property rights, and

allow people to trade freely both locally and internationally. Moreover, I believe that

consumption is another problem, so the solution might be: the more you consume, the better

incentive you have to improve your efficiencies and, consequently, improve the environment.

Talking about the agricultural field, it seems that the government has been most focused on

the industrial sector, because that sector is the most visible sign of economic progress.But, as

a result, the industrial sector has barely moved in the past 50 years. Actually, there is no other

way to develop economically but to improve and move from one sector to another - primarily

to move from agriculture to industry and to services, to move from physical resources to

human and intellectual resources. But returning at the agriculture, it is important to outline

that increased agricultural productionis contributing to environmental improvement rather

than the other way around. Thus, the sustainability dependes on many factors.

sustainable development in italy

Documents