Understanding to act, acting to change

by Anna de Polo

It was renewed until 2011 the SEE Campaign, Sustainable Energy for Europe, launched in 2005 by the European Commission and aimed at raising awareness on issues of climate and the environment and promoting sustainable energy to public and private companies, NGOs and citizens. The European Community has set itself the objective 20;20;20 by 2020": i.e. 20% reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, taking the use of renewable energy to 20% of total energy consumption and 20% increase in energy efficiency. Achieving this ambitious target should involve all levels of society, not only governments but also the other players in the energy landscape. «Our country, however, has developed over the last decade a top-down approach to the problem - noted the manager of the SEE Italy Campaign for the Ministry of Environment, Antonio Lumicisi, according to which - We have not been able to develop a national energy policy that would involve all energy users».

In Italy the SEE Campaign, active since 2006 under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, has been realized so far in activating a hundred partnerships in the five thematic areas of the Campaign, one of which is Promotion, Communication and Training. This is the one that showed the most interest, including 41% of partnership activated up to date. Particular attention, in fact, was paid to information on climate and energy issues and to the spreading of good environmental practices. The aim is “Understanding to act more consciously in the path of environmental and energetic sustainability." From this need of training and information was established in 2010 the publication "Energy and Climate: understanding to act", by Luca Mercalli and Daniele Cat Berro, published by the Italian Meteorological Society. This document is of remarkable clarity but also full of scientific information, answers to many questions about climate change, climate and environment in general, that the average citizen stands, often without finding reliable and comprehensive responses by normal means of information.

What are greenhouse gases? Is global warming an unequivocal fact? Are biofuels a solution? Which is better, tap water or bottled? Nuclear: yes or no? Few of us can say they have clear ideas on these issues, which, although now daily heard by everybody, are rarely addressed with clarity, thus leaving room for doubt and questioning. The text is divided into two sections: the first, called "Understanding", explaining the processes that regulate climate and climatic changes occurring on our planet. The second section, entitled "Acting", outlines what has been done, is done and should be done at international, national, local and private sectors to combat global warming and create a more sustainable society.

The 66-page publication comes from the idea that the development of an environmental awareness is the first step towards the adoption of more rational and sustainable practices by all levels of society, from national governments to individual citizens: everybody must know how to change, and change is the only way to overcome the environmental problems that afflict our planet and of which global warming is only the most extensive.