“Every tree that is burned will be replaced and will grow back. As Minister of the Environment, I have decided to allocate 5 million euros for the reforestation of the areas affected by the fires”. With this commitment, Gian Luca Galletti declares his "war" on those who are destroying thousands of hectares of woods and land. "The arsonists - he says - must go to jail and stay there for up to 20 years as required by the law on eco-crimes". But it's not just burning Italy that keeps the agenda of the Minister of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and Sea in tension. The sea itself is a great resource for a country like Italy in the center of the Mediterranean, but it is also a "special surveillance" threatened by tropicalization and the growing phenomenon of microplastics. We talk about it with the minister who, in this interview with FIRSTonline, touches on delicate issues such as that of off shore oil platforms. And, thinking of US President Donald Trump's possible "repentance" on the climate, he says: "Many of us believe that in the end he will not be able to leave his country behind. The isolation of the USA on environmental issues has become evident and threatens to drive away investments and jobs from the United States. The opposite of what Trump promised the Americans”.
Minister Galletti, just a few days ago in Paris Donald Trump hinted that perhaps some rethinking on the climate is possible: how do you evaluate this surprise exit by the US president?
“I consider the signal launched by Trump in Paris important. There are many of us who believe that the president-entrepreneur will not be able to leave his country behind in the end, with the economy looking to the past, to coal, and keep it out of the business of the future: the green economy. Moreover, after the G7 and the G7 Environment meeting in Bologna and the recent G20, the isolation of the USA on environmental issues has become evident and runs the risk of alienating investments and jobs from the United States. That is, exactly the opposite of what Trump promised the Americans”.
“In short, I think that a transition phase has begun in which the whole world, with the exception of the Trump administration, has confirmed, indeed strengthened, its commitment to the climate through the implementation of the Paris agreement considered irreversible and not negotiable. There is also an international "engine", European and Chinese, which drives the battle on the climate. I believe and hope that in the long run the United States will essentially reconsider their choice to withdraw from the commitment on global warming. Because it would mean withdrawing from the future.
Climate and sea are closely linked. And the sea is perhaps the main attraction in this period for tourists, including Italians, on holiday in Italy. It is still the most beautiful in the world but many dangers undermine its primacy: what are the most urgent fronts on which to intervene?
“The Italian sea is overall in good condition. The quality of the coasts is improving with the growing environmental awareness of communities and institutions. There are obviously still problems, essentially of two types: those related to pollution of human origin, and those related to the effects of climate change. As far as global warming is concerned, we register the phenomenon of the so-called "tropicalization" of the Mediterranean which involves, with the rise in sea temperature, entry and settlement, above all from the Red Sea area. Obviously, overheating in the Mediterranean can only be stemmed with global measures, but we must bear in mind that ours is a closed sea, with very long times for water to change and therefore it must be safeguarded and protected with greater attention and with coordinated initiatives between all countries riparian because there are no borders in the sea.
Then there is the issue of purification, for which we are under infringement by the EU and for which we are intervening with a plan for the construction and maintenance of the plants to prevent further polluting factors from adding to the global greenhouse effect”.
Another question: the marine litter, the immense islands of mainly plastic waste floating on the oceans and not sparing the Mediterranean. Involving the other coastal countries – we are talking about France but also Libya, Algeria, Israel – to adopt common standards is not easy. What can Italy do?
“The issue is crucial for us, which is why we placed it at the center of one of the G7 Environment sessions in June in Bologna. There we outlined a series of actions to address the problem internationally. I refer in particular to the harmonization of indicators and methodologies for monitoring the problem; the development and implementation of large and accessible databases; the dissemination of best practices regarding the prevention and management of waste from land and sea and on removal actions; extended producer responsibility and promoting investment in waste and water management infrastructure, including through cooperation with the private sector; progressive reduction of single-use plastics and microplastics, including microgranules, to avoid the dispersion of plastic materials in the marine environment, also through research into their substitutes”.
What results has the 2011 law which was to prevent the use of plastic bags to be replaced with compostable bags? Frankly, apart from large-scale distribution which has partially adapted to the legislation, plastic bags are still very widespread in the retail trade. How is it possible? Are there not adequate controls and sanctions?
“The spirit of that law was to imprint a profound change in the habits of Italians and promote the birth and development of green chemistry and, therefore, of vegetable-based bags. And this goal has largely been achieved. Certainly, especially in small and very small distribution there are still large gray areas that must be pursued because the plastics of shoppers are deadly if dispersed throughout the territory and above all in the sea where they enter the fish food chain and, consequently, the human one. But we Italians have been the leaders in a cultural change that today, after years, has also involved Europe. We risked the European infringement for the ban on non-biodegradable shoppers and I have always said that if they had notified me I would have framed it and hung it in my office as a certificate of merit.
But the battle against those who break the law must be fought and we do it every day. Last autumn, the Noe announced the results of their campaign The Carabinieri for the Protection of the Environment found non-compliance in 33 companies operating in the sector, mainly present in the industrial areas of northern Italy, seizing over 89 tons (82 only in north) of disposable shoppers that do not comply with European legislation or are counterfeit. And this is just one example of what we do every day. Obviously the commitment is to do more and more and better also to convince Italians to go to the shops with the dear old "shopping bags" that are never thrown away and are used every day".
The oil platforms: there are 136 in the Italian sea from north to south. What data do you have on the impact on the surrounding sea? Leaving aside the controversy over the so-called drills, in the Upper Adriatic we share the deposits with Croatia: does it make sense to block our plants, leaving a free hand to our neighbors?
“In Italy we have legislation on oil platforms which is certainly the most restrictive in Europe and perhaps the most rigid and environmentally conscious in the world. Fortunately up to now, also thanks to the regulations in force and the checks carried out, no major accidents have ever been recorded. Bear in mind that the Upper Adriatic, where dozens of platforms have been operating for years, is also one of the most active tourist-bathing poles in the country.
There is certainly the problem of platforms in the other countries bordering the Mediterranean, and above all in the Adriatic. For some time now we have been consulting with Croatia on this issue, demonstrating in the official forums our interest in participating in the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure of the Croatian government's "Plan and Framework Program for research and production of hydrocarbons in the Adriatic", as provided for by European legislation and by the SEA Protocol to the Espoo Convention signed in 2003 in Kiev.
Being fully aware of what is happening a short distance from our coasts, all the more so because we are dealing with energy interventions with a potential environmental impact, was an essential step for us. For this reason we have moved within Europe, deeming it appropriate to have a broader comparison between all the countries bordering the Adriatic to aim at harmonizing the various regulations and environmental protections in this sector”.
We are in summer, one of the hottest in memory, fires are rampant. What can be done to prevent the devastation of woods and valuable areas from occurring every year, with lesser or greater intensity? Sicily is the region that burns the most and has the highest number of foresters in Italy, is all of this tolerable?
"We are certainly faced with an emergency that particularly alarms us because on the one hand it is fueled by particular weather conditions with the long continuation of drought and above-average temperatures, but on the other hand also by a very serious resurgence of criminal acts such as those committed by arsonists, the cause of the vast majority of fires in recent weeks. Even more worrying is the fact that the targets of these criminals are often national parks and protected areas, I am thinking of Vesuvius, Cilento, Castel Fusano.
The state is deploying all resources and men, including the army, to deal with the situation. On behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, I have decided to allocate 5 million euros for the reforestation of the areas affected by the fires. Each burned tree will be replaced and will grow back. The arsonists must go to jail and stay there for up to 20 years as required by the law on eco-crimes.
The question of Sicilian foresters is ancient and entirely "regional". The events of recent days bring it back to the indignation of public opinion”.
