In 2021, the level of expenditure in the Italian economy for environmental protection amounted to 46.6 billion euros, equivalent to 2.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This ratio is the highest recorded since 2016, although it remained substantially stable between 2016 and 2021. Expenditure on environmental protection mainly concerns waste management and wastewater management. Other environmental protection purposes include, in order of importance, soil protection and remediation, groundwater and surface water protection; biodiversity and landscape protection; protection from radiation, research and development, other activities; air and climate protection; noise and vibration reduction (excluding workplace environmental protection).

The indicator measures the energy consumed by end users and the total energy consumed by the country. Since 1990, there has been a general upward trend in the energy available for final consumption, reaching a peak in 2005. This was followed by a reversal, with consumption declining to a minimum in 2014. From then until 2018, a recovery in final consumption was observed, followed by a decrease in 2019 and a sharp drop in 2020 due to the lockdown of economic activities aimed at containing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Consumption then rebounded in 2021, before declining again in 2022. In 2022, the energy available for final consumption—calculated according to the methodology adopted by Eurostat—amounted to 112.0 Mtoe, a 6.9% decrease compared to 2021.

The indicator evaluates the demand for freight transport (also in relation to economic growth) and the evolution over time of modal split. The transport demand is increasingly met by road freight transport, which continues to dominate other transport modes in terms of growth and modal share (approximately 62% in 2023).

The analysis of the contribution of different primary energy sources to gross inland energy consumption shows that the dominant role of petroleum products is declining, while natural gas (37.9% of the total in 2022) and renewable sources (19.0% of the total in 2022) are increasing. Greater diversification and the growing role of renewables have a positive impact on Italy’s energy self-sufficiency level, which remains among the lowest in industrialized countries.

The indicator measures passenger transport demand (according to different modes) and compares its trend with that of economic growth and population. Transport demand is increasingly met by individual road transport (passenger cars and motorcycles), which, due to its growth and modal share (approximately 81% in 2023), remains dominant compared to other transport modes.

In 2020, the share of energy from renewable sources in Italy reached 20.4% of gross final energy consumption, exceeding the national target of 17% set for 2020. In 2021, the share decreased to 18.9%, and in 2022 it slightly rose to 19.1%, recording an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.

The indicator evaluates the pressures on the environment and the efficiency of resources used by the economy to generate wealth, as well as its progress toward achieving a circular economy. In 2022, the ratio of national waste production to gross domestic product (GDP) was slightly above the European average (66 kg/1,000€ vs. 60 kg/1,000€). Overall, the economic system still appears unable to limit waste production in relation to the wealth produced. 

The indicator represents the historical series of national greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2022, broken down by sector. The data analysis shows a significant reduction in emissions in 2022 compared to 1990 (-21%), which can be explained by the economic recession that has slowed consumption in recent years, as well as by an increased use of renewable energy, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions from the energy sector (-20% compared to 1990).

Statistical information on environmental taxes can be broken down by tax category, paying units, environmental activity class, and revenue destination. In Italy, environmental tax revenues amounted to €41.5 billion in 2022 (a decrease of 24.4% compared to the previous year). In 2022, environmental taxes accounted for approximately 5% of the total tax and social contribution revenues and about 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The European Commission has adopted the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (SEB 2030, COM(2020) 380 final), which sets the objective for Member States to protect at least 30% of their national territory and 30% of their seas, with at least one-third of these areas being strictly protected. These objectives are also incorporated into the National Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (SNB 2030).

The indicator integrates spatial data from the main biodiversity protection systems existing in Italy (protected areas and the Natura 2000 Network), calculating the current protected surface both on land and at sea. It evaluates the variation from 1991 to 2023 and highlights the gap between the percentage of protected land and marine areas and the 30% target set by SEB 2030. The data used to calculate the extent of the protected area come from CDDA and the Natura 2000 database. Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM) are not included, as the types of areas that may fall within this category have not yet been defined.

As of today, the total national coverage of protected areas, after accounting for overlaps between protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, is approximately 4,068,476 hectares at sea, equivalent to 11.62% of Italian territorial waters and the Ecological Protection Zone (ZPE), and about 6,532,341 hectares on land, covering 21.68% of the national territory. The extent of overlapping areas, i.e., those falling within both a protected area and a Natura 2000 site, has increased over time, reaching 862,631 hectares at sea and 2,447,046 hectares on land in 2023. The trends indicate that the percentage of protected national surface has stabilized since 2006 for marine areas and since 2011 for land areas. To meet the 30% target set by SEB 2030, an additional 18% of marine areas (approximately 6,600,000 hectares) and 8% of land areas (approximately 2,500,000 hectares) still need to be protected.

This indicator tracks the share of road vehicles complying with the most recent emission standards during the 2005-2022 period. In 2022, passenger cars still showed a non-negligible proportion (13.7%) of Euro 0 gasoline vehicles, while for diesel cars this share was significantly lower at approximately 2.9%. More concerning is the commercial vehicle fleet situation - predominantly diesel-powered - where 11.2% of light commercial vehicles (vans) and 27.1% of heavy goods vehicles remain at Euro 0 standard.

The circular material use rate measures the share of material resources reused by an economy. In the period 2004–2022, Italy's circular material use rate increased from 5.8% to 18.7%.
 

The number of areas and the extent of protected marine surface have steadily increased over time. Currently, Italy has 39 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), established in 10 Italian regions; of these, 29 are Marine Protected Areas (AMPs). Sicily and Sardinia are the regions with the highest number of marine protected areas, both in terms of quantity and protected marine surface.

Between 2012 and 2019, the national surface area of MPAs increased by 1.9%, thanks to the establishment in 2018 of two Marine Protected Areas: Capo Testa - Punta Falcone in Sardinia and Capo Milazzo in Sicily.

The indicator provides the percentage of groundwater monitoring stations divided into quality classes based on the average nitrate concentration recorded over a four-year monitoring period (2016–2019). Specifically:

• 68.1% of stations show an average nitrate concentration below 25 mg/L,
• Only 12.6% of monitored points recorded an average concentration equal to or above 50 mg/L.

Additionally, an analysis comparing the trend over the last four years (2016–2019) to the previous four years (2012–2015) reveals predominantly stable nitrate concentrations, a decrease in average concentration at 37.9% of common stations between the two periods, and an increase at only 22.7% of the same stations.

In Italy, as of today, 843 terrestrial protected areas (including those with a marine component) have been established, covering a total protected surface of over 3 million hectares, which corresponds to approximately 10.5% of the national terrestrial area. Analyzing the historical series (1922-2019), it is possible to observe, especially from the mid-1970s onward, a positive trend in terms of both the number and surface area of terrestrial protected natural areas. However, since 2008-2009, there has been a certain stabilization in the growth trends.