CLIMATE CHANGE: AWARENESS, RESILIENCE AND

SUSTAINABILITY
INTRODUCTION: THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability has made significant progress over the decades. Since the 1980s, various
global efforts have been undertaken to implement sustainability agendas, gradually
turning it into a mainstream cause. Key milestones in this journey include:

 1983 – Brundtland Commission: Established to highlight the importance of

sustainable resource management, setting the foundation for numerous
subsequent reports, studies, and international summits;
 1987 – Our Common Future Report: Introduced the widely accepted definition
of sustainable development, emphasizing the balance between economic growth,
environmental protection, and social equity. Prepared by the World
Commission on Environment and Development, the Brundtland Report
stated that critical global environmental problems were primarily the result of the
enormous poverty of the South and the non-sustainable patterns of consumption
and production in the North. It called for a strategy that united development and
the environment – described by the now-common term «sustainable
development». Sustainable development is defined as follows: «Sustainable
development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs»;
 2000 – UN Millennium Declaration: Led to the development of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), which were established by the United Nations as a
global framework for addressing critical challenges such as poverty, education,
and environmental sustainability to be achieved by 2015. These goals
underscored the interdependence between social and environmental objectives.
The relationship between development goals and environmental objectives has
historically been marked by tension;
 2015 – Agenda 2030: Established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
to create a universal blueprint for sustainable progress. This comprehensive
framework, consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets, aimed to eradicate poverty,
protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. Later that same year,
the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was adopted under the UNFCCC.
This landmark accord brought nations together to combat climate change by
limiting global warming;
 2023 – UN SDG Summit (New York); Provided a comprehensive assessment
of global progress, establishing a monitoring framework that requires countries
to publish reports on their advancements;
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, progress toward sustainability targets was already
off track due to systemic slowdowns and a lack of integration of sustainability principles
into economic and social policies. Key challenges include:

No Poverty (1): Despite


economic growth, poverty
levels have risen across
all income groups, leading
to greater social
exclusion, with an
estimated 20% increase in
affected populations. As a
matter of fact, 140 million
people more fell into
extreme poverty and
faced food insecurity;
 Zero Hunger (2): Food
insecurity has escalated,
even in developed
countries, as access to
nutritional food remains a challenge because of economic instability and global
conflicts;

 Good Health and Well-being (3): Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were

already major causes of mortality worldwide before the pandemic. The health
crisis further deteriorated the situation, with fragile healthcare systems
struggling to cope;
 Gender Equality (5): Instances of sexual and child exploitation have risen.
Addressing gender disparities remains critical, requiring systemic integration of
gender equality measures across all sectors of society;
 Climate Actions (13): Regarding climate action, greenhouse gas emissions
have continued to rise without any significant reduction. This persistent increase
has far-reaching consequences, particularly for mobility and migration
patterns. Climate change exacerbates displacement by intensifying extreme
weather events, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity, all of which
contribute to forced migration. Additionally, it presents challenges to the
protection of refugees, as existing legal frameworks struggle to accommodate
those displaced by climate-related factors.

Overall, sustainability is built on three interconnected pillars:

1. Social Pillar: Focuses on lifestyle choices, human rights protection, and ensuring
safe and inclusive communities through basic necessities attainable by all people
and families;
 2. Economic Pillar: Aims for economic prosperity while balancing intergenerational
equity. Conflicts between private and public sector interests often complicate
achieving sustainable economic growth;
3. Environmental Pillar: Advocates for "decoupling," ensuring economic growth
without overexploiting the planet’s limited resources by maintaining environmental
balance.

TRACKING GLOBAL PROGRESS: THE SDG 2024 REPORT

Each year, the SDGs provide a report on global progress. While some indicators show
improvements, significant challenges remain. The world is severely off track to realize the
2030 Agenda. Of the 169 targets, 135 can be assessed using available global trend data
from the 2015 baseline to the most recent year, along with custodian agency analyses;
34 targets lack sufficient trend data or additional analysis. Among the assessable targets,
only 17 per cent display progress sufficient for achievement by 2030. Nearly half (48
per cent) exhibit moderate to severe deviations from the desired trajectory, with 30 per
cent showing marginal progress and 18 per cent moderate progress. Alarmingly, 18
per cent indicate stagnation and 17 per cent regression below the 2015 baseline levels.

SDG progress assessment is affected by ongoing challenges in the availability and

timeliness of data to monitor all 17 Goals. Overall, commendable progress has been
made in improving internationally comparable data for SDG monitoring. In 2016, when
the global indicator framework for the Goals and associated targets was initially adopted,
only about one third of indicators had good data coverage (that is, data were available
for more than 50 per cent of countries), and 39 per cent of the indicators lacked
internationally established methodologies or standards. Today, 68 per cent of indicators
have good data coverage.

A strong statistical foundation draws on both traditional and innovative data sources.
Traditional data sources include censuses, surveys and administrative data. Population
censuses provide crucial data for national and subnational planning and also serve as
denominators for numerous SDG indicators. Data demand for SDG monitoring has
spurred innovation and the integration of different data sources. Countries worldwide
are recognizing the need to invest in national statistical systems to produce high-quality,
timely data for SDG monitoring. This involves not only financial resources but also
requires building capacity, modernizing infrastructure and adopting international
statistical standards.

A major achievement in tracking progress has been the consolidation of national

statistical offices as key data stewards. For example, Eurostat provides a comparable
baseline across 27 EU countries to monitor progress effectively. Successful SDG
monitoring requires National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to play a strong stewardship
role within the national data ecosystem. While almost 90 per cent of NSOs agreed that
increased data sharing and reuse within the national statistical system were top
priorities, they did not universally recognize active engagement with census and survey
respondents. Furthermore, since the overarching principle of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development is to leave no one behind, it is surprising to know that a
comprehensive review by the Gender Data Compass, however, revealed significant gaps
in disaggregated data for key social, economic and environmental indicators
disseminated online by national statistical offices (NSOs).

The increased openness, accessibility and effective use of data have been crucial to
better data impact. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, countries have made
significant progress in opening up official statistics for public use. According to Open
Data Inventory, the average score on data openness for around 180 countries and
areas increased from 44 in 2017 to 55 in 2022. The openness level was greater in high-
income countries, with a score of 67 in 2022, compared to only 42 for low- or lower-
middle-income countries. Therefore, involving citizens in data production signifies a shift
towards a more collaborative and participatory model of governance, marking a new
chapter in the social contract between State institutions and citizens. Ensuring data
privacy and security is crucial in today’s world, with data produced by both State entities
and non-State actors, such as the private sector and civil society organizations.
Surprisingly, only 30 per cent of NSOs considered this aspect important in their data
stewardship role.

Building partnerships with diverse stakeholders makes SDG monitoring more inclusive
and incorporates different perspectives and needs. According to a 2022 survey on the
implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development
Data, 81 per cent of NSOs had institutional arrangements with the public sector, followed
by international organizations at 66 per cent, academia at 56 per cent and the private
sector at 45 per cent. Partnerships between NSOs and civil society organizations stood at
37 per cent. Partnering with local governments enables NSOs to gather more accurate,
comprehensive and context-specific data, enhancing the overall effectiveness of SDG
monitoring and the responsiveness of development efforts to local priorities. According to
the 2023 data stewardship survey, 49 per cent of NSOs had established a formal
process or dedicated position for collaborating with local officials; 27 per cent had
organized ad hoc meetings for such collaboration; 24 per cent either had rare or no
arrangements or did not respond to this question on the survey. In 2023, only 65 per
cent of countries had fully funded and implemented national statistical plans. However,
disparities between high- and low-income countries persist, underscoring the need for
standardized indicators.

While several mechanisms exist for collective data collection, formalizing these
partnerships is not always required. However, in certain regions, statistical offices face
funding constraints due to internal challenges, limiting their ability to operate effectively.

When national data collection is not feasible due to resource limitations, states should
establish partnerships with external actors to ensure reliable and comprehensive data
gathering.

PROGRESS ON KEY SDGS

POVERTY ERADICATION

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shocks from 2020 to 2022 have hampered
global efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. The global extreme poverty rate increased in
2020 for the first time in decades, setting back progress by three years. The share of the
world’s population living in extreme poverty rose from 8.9 per cent in 2019 to 9.7 per
cent in 2020, driven by increases in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Since then, recovery has been uneven, with low-income countries lagging behind. By
2030, 590 million people may still live in extreme poverty if current trends persist.
Without a substantial acceleration in poverty reduction, fewer than 3 in 10 countries are
expected to halve national poverty by 2030. Despite increasing efforts and commitments
to expand social protection programs, significant coverage gaps left 1.4 billion children
uncovered in 2023. Moreover, climate change is hindering poverty reduction, and
disasters result in millions of households becoming poor or remaining trapped in poverty.

By 2022, extreme poverty had returned to

pre-pandemic levels in most countries,
except low-income ones. In 2022, 712
million people (or 9 per cent of the world’s
population) lived in extreme poverty, an
increase of 23 million people over 2019.
Projections suggest that by 2030, 590
million people, or 6.9 per cent of the global
population, may remain in extreme poverty
if current trends persist. In the 75 most
vulnerable countries, which qualify for
concessional lending from the World Bank’s International Development Association, one
in four people live on less than $2.15 a day – more than eight times the extreme
poverty rate in the rest of the world. One in three of these countries are now poorer on
average than before the pandemic.
This obviously has a tremendous impact on global working poverty rate as well, which
slightly increased to 7.7 per cent in 2020 before declining to 6.9 per cent in 2023.
This indicates a consistent downward trend in working poverty worldwide since 2015.
Despite progress, nearly 241 million workers globally still lived in extreme poverty in
2023. Little positive change is expected in 2024. Nevertheless, there are wide regional
disparities amid the overall positive global trend.

Despite a falling working poverty

rate, more than half of workers
living in extreme poverty were still
in sub-Saharan Africa (145
million). Central and Southern Asia
notably reduced working poverty
by 6.9 percentage points
between 2015 and 2023.
Conversely, Northern Africa and
Western Asia saw an increase in
the rate from 2.5 per cent in 2015
to 6.2 per cent in 2023. Working
poverty disproportionately affects
some groups. Globally, youth are
twice as likely as adults to be in working poverty. Women typically experience higher
working poverty rates than men, with the most pronounced gender gap observed in the
least developed countries (LDCs).

In 2023, only 28.2 per cent of children aged 0 to 15 globally received child cash
benefits, up from 22.1 per cent in 2015. This left 1.4 billion children without social
protection coverage. Significant regional variations were evident, and despite a near
doubling of coverage from 4.5 per cent in 2015 to 8.7 per cent in 2023, low-income
countries were still far from universal coverage. High-income countries maintained a
continued progression towards universal coverage, with rates rising from 76.8 to 80.5 per
cent. Achieving universal coverage will require closing a major financing gap by
improving investments.

Based on recent data from about 100 countries, worldwide government spending on
essential services – encompassing education, health and social protection – averages
around 50 per cent of total government expenditure. Among advanced economies, this
figure rises to 60 per cent, while in emerging market and developing economies, it
stands at 40 per cent. Over the past two decades, both groups have seen a slight uptick
in their shares, maintaining a consistent 20-percentage-point gap between them. The
pandemic temporarily skewed these trends, with increased spending on social protection
and health and a decline in education expenditure due to school closures. While these
measures are expected to be short-lived, prolonged health issues and educational losses
among individuals could potentially have long-term impacts on human capital.

ZERO HUNGER
After years of progress, hunger levels have risen, particularly following the global
pandemic. In 2023, about 733 million people faced hunger, and 2.33 billion people
experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. Despite progress, 148 million children
under age 5 suffered from stunting in 2022. If current trends persist, one in five children
under age 5 will be affected by stunting in 2030. In 2022, almost 60 per cent of countries
worldwide faced moderately to abnormally high food prices due to the spillover effects of
conflicts and poly-crise, such as disrupted supply chains.

Based on current trends, one

out of five (19.5 per cent) of
children under age 5 will be
affected by stunting in 2030.
Some 37 million children
(5.6 per cent) were
overweight, while 45 million
(6.8 per cent) experienced
wasting, above the global
target of 3 per cent by 2030.
Three quarters of children
under age 5 with stunting lived
in Central and Southern Asia
(36.7 per cent) and sub-
Saharan Africa (38.3 per cent).
Productive and sustainable agriculture is key to ensuring the attainment and continued
satisfaction of human needs in present and future generations. To assess global progress
in sustainable agriculture, the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators
adopted a new set of seven sub-indicators covering economic, social and environmental
dimensions. Data from 2021 suggested that the world was at a moderate distance from
achieving productive and sustainable agriculture (with a score of 3.4 out of 5) and had
witnessed a slight improvement since 2015. Regional disparities were evident, however,
with the highest score of 4.1 in Europe and Northern America compared to the lowest
score of 2.6 in the LDCs.

Small-scale food producers play essential roles in agricultural and food production
systems, but in 95 per cent of countries with available data, the average annual income
of small-scale producers is less than half that of larger-scale producers. Small-scale food
producers headed by men typically generate higher incomes than those headed by
women. The latter had incomes that were less than 70 per cent of those earned by the
former in nearly 50 per cent of countries with available data. Malnutrition among
children under age 5 remains a significant concern, posing heightened risks to their
growth and development. Globally in 2022, an estimated 22.3 per cent of children under
age 5, or 148 million, were affected by stunting (being too short for their age), down from
24.6 per cent in 2015.

Between 2015 and 2022, global government spending on agriculture increased steadily,
reaching a record high of $749 billion in 2022. Government expenditure on agriculture
relative to the sector’s GDP contribution, as measured by the agriculture orientation
index, declined from 0.5 in 2015 to 0.43 in 2021 before rebounding to 0.48 in 2022. The
pandemic contributed to the fall as government resources were allocated to other
sectors.

Globally, the proportion of countries facing moderately to abnormally high food prices
rose sharply in 2022, reaching a new record high of 58.1 per cent. This represented a
nearly fourfold increase from the 2015–2019 average level of 15.2 per cent. The share
steadily increased in sub-Saharan Africa between 2020 and 2022.

Major disruptions to logistics and food supply chains after war broke out in Ukraine
resulted in higher food and energy prices, particularly during the first half of 2022. The
war also exerted strong upward pressure on fertilizer prices, adding uncertainty to farmer
planting decisions. Overall, achieving zero hunger requires intensified efforts to transform
food systems so they are sustainable, resilient and equitable. Moreover, accelerating
improvements in diets, nutrition, health and hygiene is crucial to meeting the target of
halving the number of children suffering from chronic undernutrition. Hunger, food
insecurity and malnutrition remain prevalent, calling for intensified.

GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected global health, reversing steady
progress in life expectancy over the past two decades. Prior to the pandemic, global life
expectancy rose consistently, from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.1 years in 2019, reflecting
years of improvements in health and related areas. COVID-19 swiftly reversed this
positive trend, with global life expectancy plummeting to 71.4 years by 2021, back to the
level of 2012.

Before the pandemic, non-communicable diseases had been steadily increasing as the
leading cause of death, accounting for 59.5 per cent of all deaths in 2000 and 73.9 per
cent in 2019. The share of communicable diseases dropped from 32.2 per cent in 2000 to
18.2 per cent in 2019. As COVID-19 emerged as a new infectious disease and started to
take a toll on human lives, the share of deaths due to communicable diseases jumped
back to the 2005 level (28.1 per cent) in 2021, while the share of deaths due to non-
communicable diseases decreased to 65.3 per cent. COVID-19 ranked among the top
three leading causes of death globally in 2020 and 2021, with striking regional variations.

Progressing towards universal health coverage requires addressing the global shortage
of health workers. Yet data from 2015 to 2022 reveal stark disparities, with low-income
countries experiencing the lowest health worker density and distribution.

Global under-5 deaths reached a historic low of 4.9 million in 2022, down from 9.9
million in 2000 and 6.0 million in 2015. Nearly half these deaths (2.3 million) occurred
during the neonatal period (the first 28 days of life). The under-5 mortality rate was 37
deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, a 51 per cent reduction since 2000 and a 14 per
cent reduction from 2015.

The global neonatal mortality rate fell to 17 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, a 44
per cent reduction since 2000 and a 12 per cent reduction since 2015. Unfortunately,
the annual rate of reduction in under-5 mortality contracted from 3.8 per cent in 2000–
2015 to 2.1 per cent in 2015–2022. If current trends continue, an estimated 35 million
children will die before reaching their fifth birthday by 2030. If all countries met the
target for under-5 mortality, an estimated 9 million lives could be saved by 2030.

The world has made significant strides in combating HIV. In 2022, an estimated 1.3
million new infections represented a 27 per cent decrease since 2015 and a 38 per cent
reduction since 2010. Sub Saharan Africa, the region most affected by HIV, has more than
halved new infections annually since 2010. In 2022, 29.8 million of the 39 million people
living with HIV were receiving life-saving treatment. The reported number of people
newly diagnosed with tuberculosis reached 7.5 million in 2022, the highest figure since
global monitoring began in 1995 and above the previous historical peak of 7.1 million in
2019. Worldwide, an estimated 10.6 million people developed tuberculosis in 2022, up
from 10.3 million in 2021 and 10.0 million in 2020. The disease remains the world’s
second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with an estimated 1.3
million deaths in 2022.

An estimated 249 million malaria cases occurred globally in 2022, 16 million more than
in 2019 before the pandemic. Since 2015, insecticide-treated net use among young
children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa has stagnated at around 56 per
cent. In 2022, an estimated 58 per cent of at-risk pregnant women did not receive the
recommended preventive malaria therapy, and about one third of children with fever did
not receive care from a health provider. Before the pandemic, global life expectancy was
improving. However, the crisis caused a reversal due to limited healthcare access,
particularly for vulnerable populations. Despite these challenges, some important
achievements sustain progress towards elimination in many countries with a low malaria
burden, with 25 countries reporting fewer than 10 cases in 2022. Thirteen countries have
been certified malaria-free since 2015.
 Total net official development assistance (ODA)
for medical research and basic health sectors
has significantly increased in recent years,
primarily driven by the global response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. ODA for basic health care
from all donors more than doubled in real terms
between 2015 and 2022, rising from $10.5
billion to $21.1 billion (in constant 2022
prices). It rose 4.4 per cent in 2022 compared to
2021. In 2022, COVID-19 control constituted the
largest share of ODA for basic health care at 42
per cent, with a total of $8.8 billion, of which $1.6 billion was for COVID-19 vaccine
donations.

GENDER EQUALITY

The world continues to lag in its pursuit of gender equality by 2030. Harmful practices are
decreasing but not at a rate keeping up with population growth. One in five girls still
marry before age 18. A staggering 230 million girls and women have been subjected to
female genital mutilation. Far too many women still cannot realize the right to decide on
their sexual and reproductive health. Violence against women persists, disproportionately
affecting those with disabilities. Parity in women’s participation in public life remains
elusive, and in management positions, at current rates, parity will require another 176
years. Women carry an unfair burden of unpaid domestic and care work, spending 2.5
times more hours a day on it than men. Existing evidence shows that the prevalence of
intimate partner violence, in all forms, is higher among women with disabilities than
those without disabilities. Data from four countries in Asia and the Pacific indicate that in
Mongolia, 41 per cent of women with disabilities has experienced physical violence by a
partner compared to 28 per cent of women without disabilities.

Data from 120 countries

show that from 2019 to
2023, 56 positive legal
reforms focused on
removing discriminatory
laws and establishing legal
frameworks to advance
gender equality. Twenty-
two reforms centred on equal rights to employment and economic benefits and 18 on
stopping violence against women. The reforms included lifting restrictions on women
working in specific sectors, guaranteeing equal remuneration for work of equal value and
prohibiting marital rape.
 Data from 69 countries show that 56 per
cent of married or in-union women aged 15–
49 can decide on their sexual and
reproductive health and rights, ranging
from 38 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa to
over 80 per cent in Europe. Although 89 per
cent of women can autonomously decide to
use contraception, one in four cannot make
health-care decisions or say no to sex. New
data from 32 countries show that 19 have
seen a positive trend in women’s ability to
make decisions on sexual and reproductive
health, particularly in Eastern and
Southern Africa. Conversely, Western and
Central Africa has experienced notable declines. Socioeconomic factors such as
household wealth, education and place of residence may shape these outcomes.

For instance, data reveal shifts in the urban-rural gap, with some countries seeing
decreased disparities and some, such as Armenia and Uganda, experiencing widening
gaps.

CLIMATE ACTION

Climate records were shattered in

2023 as the climate crisis
accelerated in real time. Rising
temperatures have not abated
and global greenhouse gas
emissions continue to climb.
Communities worldwide are
suffering from extreme weather
and increasingly frequent and
more intense disasters,
destroying lives and livelihoods
daily. Meanwhile, fossil fuel
subsidies hit a record high. In
2022, global greenhouse gas
emissions reached a new record
of 57.4 gigatons of CO2
equivalent, according to the
United Nations Environment Program’s Emissions Gap Report 2023. About two thirds of
emissions comprised CO2 from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes. Except
transportation, emissions from all major sectors have rebounded since the pandemic and
now exceed 2019 levels. The energy sector, responsible for 86 per cent of global CO2
emissions, remains the largest contributor, driven by the expansion of coal- and gas-fired
power generation.

Fossil fuel subsidies reached a record high of $1.53 trillion in 2022, driven by rising
energy prices post-pandemic and the impact of the Russian Federation’s invasion of
Ukraine, which disrupted global energy markets. The increase widened the gap between
consumer prices and actual energy costs, prompting many governments to introduce
support measures to shield industries and populations from inflation. Public funds shoring
up the production and consumption of oil, coal and gas more than doubled between 2021
and 2022, and more than tripled from their 2015 levels, reversing progress made
between 2012 and 2020 and hindering the net-zero transition. All regions saw higher
subsidies between 2021 and 2022, with the highest in Europe and Northern America
($455 billion), followed by Northern Africa and Western Asia ($327 billion) and Central
and Southern Asia ($322 billion).

Particulate air pollution caused approximately 104 deaths per 100,000 people annually
by 2019, despite a slight decrease in the global mortality rate attributed to household
and ambient air pollution since 2010. 93 per cent of the burden fell on low- and middle-
income countries in 2019, primarily in Asia and Africa. Oceania (excluding Australia and
New Zealand), sub-Saharan Africa and most of Asia have the highest mortality rates
attributable to air pollution.

This is largely due to significant exposure to air pollution in households, a large

proportion of which rely on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, lighting and
heating. Health risks from household air pollution are particularly high among women and
children, who tend to spend more time in and around cooking stoves.

The world continues to shatter

temperature records. The World
Meteorological Organization
(WMO) confirmed that 2023 was the
hottest year on record, with global
average temperatures soaring to
approximately 1.45°C above pre-
industrial levels. Extreme weather
events, including heatwaves, major
floods, droughts, wildfires and
tropical cyclones, have disrupted the
lives of millions of people and
caused billions of dollars in
economic losses. As of June 2024, a
WMO climate update underscored an
80 per cent likelihood of at least one
year temporarily exceeding 1.5°C from 2024 to 2028. In 2015, the probability for such a
temperature spike was near zero. The global mean near-surface temperature for each
year from 2024 to 2028 is predicted to be 1.1°C to 1.9°C higher than the 1850–1900
baseline. At least one of the next five years will likely surpass 2023 as the warmest on
record.

SDG REPORT ITALY 2024

The most up-to-date statistical indicators clearly describe Italy's dramatic lag on all the
17 SDGs. Between 2010 and 2023, worsening can be seen for six Goals: 1 (poverty), 6
(water and sanitation), 10 (inequality), 15 (terrestrial ecosystems), 16 (governance) and
17 (partnership). Very small improvements, less than one point per year, are recorded for
seven Goals: 2 (food), 7 (clean energy), 8 (jobs and growth). 8 (jobs and economic
growth), 9 (innovation), 11 (sustainable cities), 13 (climate) and 14 (marine ecosystems)
and marine ecosystems.

Larger improvements are evident for three Goals: 3 (health), 4 (education) and 5
(gender). The only Goal with an increase of more than one point per year is the one
concerning the circular economy (12). Looking, on the other hand, at territorial
inequalities, there is a reduction for only one Goal (16), an increase for two (4 and 6) and
substantial stability for the remaining twelve for which regional data are available. Of the
37 targets to be achieved by 2030, only eight (21.6%) are attainable, 22 (59.5 per cent)
are not attainable and seven (18.9 per cent) have an uncertain progress.

Despite a significant lack of consensus among Italian institutions, about half of Italians
feel threatened by environmental hazards such as fires, landslides or floods, 62% ask the
government for a rapid and incisive ecological transition and 93% believe Italy should
strengthen its commitments to tackle climate change. Unfortunately, the government has
not followed up either on what it pledged to do a year ago at the UN, namely to prepare
the ‘Transformational Acceleration Plan’ aimed at achieve those Goals for which the
indicators show stagnant or negative trends (for Italy, the majority), nor to the provisions
of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, which precisely provides for the
coordination of sectoral policies sectoral policies. A fundamental strategy for advancing
sustainability is enhancing the awareness and capacity of local governments. The goal is
to create more inclusive and equitable systems that provide opportunities for all,
recognizing that resources and opportunities are not evenly distributed. Addressing these
imbalances is key to achieving long-term sustainability.