Soil consumption, Ispra: in 2021 it is the highest in 10 years. Cost of 8 billion, Pileri explains why

The concrete mixers did not stand still during the Covid-19 pandemic: on the contrary, they turned around like crazy, consuming soil without stopping, instead of using and renovating the existing one. In 2021, over 2 square meters of new soil were consumed per second, the highest value in the last 10 years: with an average of 19 hectares per day, a total of 70 square km of new man-made roofs has been reached in just one year.

It emerges from annual report on land use written by Ispra, the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research. "The consequences are also economic, and the "hidden costs", due to the growing sealing and artificialization of the soil in the last 15 years, are estimated in 8 billion euros a year che could significantly affect our country's chances of recovery” says the Report.

Cement covers 21.500 square km of national land, of which 5.400, i.e. a territory as large as Liguria, concern buildings alone which represent 25% of the entire land consumed.
"If in the last five years we were "still" at about 14 hectares of land consumed per day, now we have shot up to 19: more than 34% in just one year" he says Paul Pileri, full professor of Territorial and Environmental Planning at the Politecnico di Milano. "The least renewable and least resilient resource on which everything and everyone depends, the soil, was cheerfully paved while we were closed at home" says Pileri on Other economics. “Goodbye to the promises of sustainability, goodbye to political slogans that pretend to care about the environment, goodbye to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development: everything goes back ten years ago, everything needs to be redone and there are no glimmers on the horizon, neither of sensitivity nor of wisdom".

Between 2006 and 2021, Italy lost 1.153 square kilometers of natural or semi-natural soil, with an average of 77 square kilometers per year. The loss, the report reads, occurred “primarily due to theurban sprawl and its collateral transformations which, making the impermeable soil, in addition to the increase in flooding and heat waves, causes the loss of green areas, biodiversity and ecosystem services”.

Soil consumption, regional laws under accusation

“Il land consumption of 34% in just one year demonstrates even to the most deaf how unsuccessful the regional laws who have been claiming for years that they have limited their consumption but which instead have not produced any results worthy of note” says Pileri again. “If anything, they helped to achieve the opposite result: the Lombardia it is still the Region at the top of the list with the most 883 hectares of cemented land "and it is the one that more than others waves its urban planning law of 2014, with its regional plans which it says are virtuous", followed by Veneto "where by now it is suffocating so much is the concrete (plus 684 hectares), then it is the turn of theEmilia Romagna, "the Region that claims to be progressive but then has an urban planning law in its pocket that hasn't stopped any overbuilding (plus 658 hectares)". Then, there is Piemonte (plus 630) e Puglia (plus 499).
"Perhaps the seriousness has not yet been understood and it is also for this reason that I praise the rigorous work of Ispra-Snpa (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research - National System for Environmental Protection) which tenaciously continues to publish data, indicators, facts and pictures. Not opinions and "interests to be verified", says the professor at the Polytechnic.

Between municipalities, Roma confirms the trend of the last period and also this year consumes more land than all other Italian cities: in 12 months the capital loses another 95 hectares of land. Furthermore, Venezia (+24 hectares relating to the mainland), Milano (+ 19), Napoli (+ 18), Perugia (+13), and L'Aquila (+12) are the regional capitals with the greatest increases. Only How to Live Aligned with, Impruneta, Marano di Valpolicella have saved land.

Land use brings more taxes to the community

In just one year, 3,46 more square meters of concrete fell on the shoulders of every Italian, adding to the 359 in 2020.

And "since 10 square meters of uncemented land offer collective benefits for around 80 euros a year, this helps us to say that consuming land means fueling public debt or, if you prefer, taxes" says Pileri.

Ai net consumption of land (equal to over 6.330 hectares) we must then add 28.558 hectares of burned territory this year (according to data provided by the European forest fire information system as at 23 July 2022) or more 2,2% compared to the average value of the last 15 years. Furthermore, we must consider the fact that every 45 minutes we have a landslide with a lot of soil loss.

“No one wants to stop construction and urban planning but only the unsustainable ones. These numbers are proven proof of the structural incapacity of our political and technical classes to stem a situation that seriously harms the environment and the health of the country” concludes the professor.