Environmental Issues
Air pollution is a significant problem in Italy. Emissions from factories and chemical centers pollute Florence in specific.
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Many environmental issues consist in Florence, Italy. Florence's problems can be categorized under Italy's issues as a whole. It is more clear to discuss Italy's problems rather than focusing in on Florence. Italy's environmental issues are rapidly growing and increasing in number as well as intensity. It is crucial to recognize Italy's environmental problems, for one thing. But first one must identify what an environmental issue is. In other words, an environmental issue is a problem that brings unfavorable effects to a society. These effects can damage the environment, threatening the lives and existence of the area's inhabitants. Italy has a handful of environmental problems that one should discuss. One of the biggest and most important is air pollution. Water pollution, urban and industrial pollution, acidification, and deforestation are others that are very significant. Taking these five issues into consideration, it is clear that Italy possesses many environmental problems.
Air pollution is one of the several environmental issues in Italy. On a scale of 1 to 100, where 1 is the lowest and 100 is the most, air pollution is a 61.82. This means it is a concern and affects Italy's environment in countless ways. (Using 1 to 100 is simply to show a comparison and describe an idea of where air pollution stands. If 1 is very low, and 100 is very high, then one can notice where 61.82 stands on this scale.) On the same scale, Italy's air quality is a 38.18, which lower than it should be. In Florence, the air pollution stands at a 37.5, and air quality is a 62.5. Between 1985 and 1989, it is approximated that there was an increase in carbon monoxide emissions by about 12%. This made Italy have the tenth highest level of this emission in the world, creating a serious air pollution problem. In addition to this event, air pollution caused harm to the forests, and chemicals in both fresh and salt water have increased. Also, 10% of forests have been damaged due to air pollution. In 1988-1989, Italy's government made it an official crisis when too much pollution forced a deficiency in oxygen in some regions. It has been proved and shown that Italy's intense air pollution has impacted citizens' health. Health problems have arisen because of the contaminated air, and residents suffer because of it. A study completed in eight of Italy's cities, including Florence, proved that in large cities with many industries and manufacturing businesses, several of the health issues are because of the contaminated air. The study compared cities and the result of the air pollution. It seems that the origin of the air pollution in these areas are because of industrial/urban pollution. Going back to Florence, as of February 10, 2011, Florence is the most polluted city in Italy. Although many Italian cities like Rome, Naples, or Milan are larger and more urban with many manufacturing businesses, Florence is listed as number one. When a test was done in Italy to check levels of PM10, it was discovered that Florence’s level was 50 times higher than national law allowed. ‘PM’ is all the particles held in the atmosphere altogether. PM stands for fine particulate matter. Florentines, as the citizens of Florence are called, breathe the most toxic and polluted air in Italy. Piero Baronti, the president of Legambiente Toscana, in Italy, says that they need to create and enforce environmental laws. The legal limit for pollutants was also exceeded in Florence. In fact, it was exceeded by 18 times. Officials have taken action to reduce the air pollution by banning specific places and highways until the issues are mitigated. Not just Florence, but Italy as a whole has been doing much to help the pollution lessen. There is a limit on how long you can keep heat on, because heating systems can affect emissions. Traffic emissions are also being controlled. As one can see, air pollution is a growing environmental problem in Italy. 
This picture briefly shows how air pollution can affect a society.
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 The Adriatic Sea is polluted mostly by chemicals and contaminated waste.
Water pollution is a current, severe environmental issue in Italy as well. On a scale of 1-100, water pollution is a 43.97. This means that it is a noteworthy problem, but not quite as large as the air pollution. Italy's water quality is represented as 56.03 on this scale. This shows that the water quality is only half as good as it could be. Using this scale on Florence, the water pollution would be a 37.5, and the water quality a 62.5. Contaminants that come from agriculture and industry fill rivers and other bodies of water. These contaminants are known as industrial and agricultural effluents. Effluents are simply waste materials. Acid rain also pollutes some bodies of water in Italy, particularly lakes. In addition, Italy's rivers and the Adriatic Sea are polluted by farm chemicals and human waste. The Adriatic Sea is located between the Italian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula, so polluting it affects both countries. At any rate, water pollution is another serious issue in Italy.
After examining the issues which Italy's environment obtains, it is noticeable that Italy hasn't cared for its environmental problems as much as some other countries have, and not much is being done about it. Italy hasn't been putting much time into solving these problems, no matter how important they may seem. Neglecting environmental issues will only make things worse. One of Italy's other environmental problems is deforestation. In a general view, deforestation helps spread malaria, so the spread of terrible diseases could be stopped by solving problems involving deforestation. Also, neglecting environmental issues can start conflict and possibly war. When cities or countries neglect their environmental problems, they need more and more resources, and may begin to fight over the resources. Adding on, preventable diseases might be affected as well. Air and water pollution are accountable for many diseases that can quickly take over a population. So neglecting air and water pollution, which happen to be Italy's biggest natural problems, can make diseases build up and can harm the citizens of Italy. These are only some of the consequences of neglecting environmental issues. These examples of environmental issues in Italy can be connected together. They relate to each other greatly, although it might not be evident at the first sight. For instance, it was mentioned that acid rain is formed when specific chemicals, particularly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, get released into the atmosphere and acid rain is created. These elements that are exposed come from humans, so it comes from industrial/urban pollution. Therefore, the acidification is a result of industrial/urban pollution. Another example of the problems connecting can be seen when it is said that industrial and agricultural effluents fill the rivers and lakes in Italy. This connects to the industrial/urban pollution because the effluents come from industries or businesses in the urban parts of Italy. Because of the industries, the water was polluted. Lastly, the Seveso Disaster can connect two types of pollution: industrial/urban, and air. Because chemicals from an industry were released, the air became contaminated. Ultimately, Italy's environmental issues are very similar to each other and can relate to one another. |
Florence's tightly packed streets cause the factories to pollute a larger area of air. Because everything is so close together and Florence is a rather small province, air pollution is even more of a problem.
(By Kimia)
