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Suolo

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Pagina Ultima modifica 15/03/2023
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Il suolo sostiene il 90 % di tutta la produzione di alimenti, mangimi, fibre e combustibili e fornisce materia prima per attività che spaziano dall’orticoltura al settore delle costruzioni. Il suolo è essenziale anche per la salute dell’ecosistema: purifica e regola le acque, è il motore per cicli di nutrienti nonché un serbatoio per geni e specie, a sostegno della biodiversità.E’ un bacino di carbonio globale, che svolge un ruolo fondamentale nel potenziale rallentamento del cambiamento climatico e del suo . Inoltre, conservando le tracce del nostro passato, costituisce un elemento importante del nostro patrimonio culturale.

Tuttavia, il suolo è soggetto a continue, spesso contrastanti, esigenze da parte della nostra società. La capacità del suolo di fornire servizi ecosistemici, in termini di produzione alimentare, come riserva di biodiversità e come regolatore di gas, acque e sostanze nutritive, è dunque sotto pressione. I tassi osservati di impermeabilizzazione del suolo, erosione, diminuzione della materia organica e contaminazione riducono la resistenza del suolo o la sua capacità di gestire i cambiamenti ai quali esso è esposto.

Nel lasso di tempo di una vita umana, il suolo può essere considerato una risorsa non rinnovabile. Dobbiamo gestirlo in modo sostenibile per poter godere dei suoi benefici a livello collettivo. Nonostante la gamma di attività legate all’uso del suolo, non vi è alcuna normativa UE in materia. Fino ad oggi e, a differenza dell’acqua e dell’aria, la protezione del suolo è contemplata indirettamente o all’interno di politiche settoriali: agricoltura e silvicoltura, energia, acqua, cambiamento climatico, protezione della natura, rifiuti e sostanze chimiche. La mancanza di una politica coerente per il suolo a livello UE si riflette anche nella scarsità di dati armonizzati correlati.

Tuttavia, negli ultimi dieci anni sono stati compiuti progressi nello sviluppo delle politiche e nell’armonizzazione dei dati. La strategia tematica per la protezione del suolo della Commissione europea del 2006 mette in evidenza la necessità di proteggere il funzionamento del suolo quale elemento essenziale dello sviluppo sostenibile. A livello globale, le questioni legate al suolo vengono affrontate sotto il più ampio concetto di degrado del suolo (finora limitato alle zone aride) dalla Convenzione delle Nazioni Unite contro la desertificazione (UNCCD). Più di recente, la nozione di preservazione delle funzioni del suolo è stata integrata nel concetto di “neutralità del degrado del suolo” ,  dall’Assemblea generale delle Nazioni Unite nel 2015 con l’obiettivo di garantire uno sviluppo sostenibile. Questi obiettivi includono riguardano la qualità del suolo, la contaminazione del suolo, la gestione delle sostanze chimiche e dei rifiuti. L’attuazione degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile può costituire un importante veicolo per le misure di protezione del suolo in Europa. Gli sforzi intesi ad armonizzare e standardizzare le informazioni relative al suolo per uso pubblico procedono di conseguenza, tanto a livello mondiale quanto a livello europeo.

L’AEA produce valutazioni basate su indicatori riguardantiil suolo e al suo utilizzo nell’ambito del gruppo tematico degli indicatori in materia di suolo e suo utilizzo (insieme LSI). Tale insieme di indicatori comprende indicatori relativi a occupazione del suolo, impervietà, gestione di siti contaminati, umidità del suolo, erosione del suolo e carbonio organico nel suolo. Sono in programma indicatori sulla frammentazione e sul riciclaggio dei terreni. I servizi di monitoraggio del territorio Copernicus facilitano gli aggiornamenti regolari di molti di questi indicatori. L’AEA pubblica altresì valutazioni ad hoc su specifici argomenti relativi al suolo, quali l’efficienza delle risorse del suolo nelle zone urbanizzate o i carichi per l’ambiente dei metalli e nutrienti presenti nel suolo.

In funzione del tema, l’AEA collabora con i colleghi della Commissione europea [in particolare il Centro comune di ricerca (JRC) e DG Ambiente], con i rappresentanti di Eionet del Centro nazionale di riferimento per l’uso del suolo e del terreno e la pianificazione territoriale o con altre reti ed esperti europei. I partner globali comprendono: il segretariato UNCCD, il partenariato mondiale per il suolo, l’iniziativa Global Land Indicator (facilitata da UN-Habitat) e il programma delle Nazioni Unite per l’ambiente.

Dal 1996 il lavoro dell’AEA in questo contesto tematico è sostenuto dai pertinenti centri tematici europei; il centro tematico europeo sui sistemi urbani, del territorio e del suolo (ETC/ULS), che è attivo dal 2014, sostiene attualmente il lavoro dell’AEA in merito ai suoli. Nel 2007, le attività relative ai dati in materia di suolo sono state trasferite al centro dati europeo sul suolo presso il JRC.

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Imperviousness and imperviousness change Between 2006 and 2009, soil sealing, or imperviousness, increased in all EEA-39 countries by a total of 4 364 k m 2 . This corresponds to an annual average increase of 1 454 k m 2 , or 0.027 % of the total EEA-39 area. During this period, the rate of increase in soil sealing relative to country area varied from 0.001 % to 0.48 %. In 2009, the percentage of a countries' total area that was sealed also varied greatly, with values ranging from 0.15 % to 15.23 %. The highest sealing values, as a percentage of country area, occurred in small countries with high population densities, while the lowest sealing values could be found in large countries with low population densities. The most problematic situation occurs in countries where there is already a high percentage of sealing and where the annual rate of increase relative to country area is high.
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Soil moisture Soil moisture content is already being affected by rising temperatures and changes in precipitation amounts, both of which are evidence of changes in climate. Since 1951, modelled soil moisture content significantly increased in parts of northern Europe and decreased in the Mediterranean region. Projections for 2021–2050 show a general change in summer soil moisture content over most of Europe, including significant decreases in the Mediterranean region and increases in the northeastern part of Europe. Maintaining water-retention capacity and porosity are important to reduce the impacts of intense rainfall and droughts, which are projected to become more frequent and severe. The modelled results are based on natural factors and disregard artificial drainage and irrigation practices.
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Progress in management of contaminated sites Local soil contamination in 2011 was estimated at 2.5 million potentially contaminated sites in the EEA-39, of which about 45 % have been identified to date. About one third of an estimated total of 342 000 contaminated sites in the EEA-39 have already been identified and about 15 % of these 342 000 sites have been remediated. However, there are substantial differences in the underlying site definitions and interpretations that are used in different countries.   Four management steps are defined for the management and control of local soil contamination, namely site identification (or preliminary studies), preliminary investigations, main site investigations, and implementation of risk reduction measures. Progress with each of these steps provides evidence that countries are identifying potentially contaminated sites, verifying if these sites are actually contaminated and implementing remediation measures where these are required. Some countries have defined targets for the different steps.   Thirty of the 39 countries surveyed maintain comprehensive inventories for contaminated sites: 24 countries have central national data inventories, while six countries, namely Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, Greece, Italy and Sweden, manage their inventories at the regional level. Almost all of the inventories include information on polluting activities, potentially contaminated sites and contaminated sites.   Contaminated soil continues to be commonly managed using “traditional” techniques, e.g. excavation and off-site disposal, which accounts for about one third of management practices. In-situ and ex-situ remediation techniques for contaminated soil are applied more or less equally.   Overall, the production sectors contribute more to local soil contamination than the service sectors, while mining activities are important sources of soil contamination in some countries. In the production sector, metal industries are reported as most polluting whereas the textile, leather, wood and paper industries are minor contributors to local soil contamination. Gasoline stations are the most frequently reported sources of contamination for the service sector.   The relative importance of different contaminants is similar for both liquid and solid matrices. The most frequent contaminants are mineral oils and heavy metals. Generally, phenols and cyanides make a negligible overall contribution to total contamination.   On average, 42 % of the total expenditure on the management of contaminated sites comes from public budgets. Annual national expenditures for the management of contaminated sites are on average about EUR 10.7 per capita. This corresponds to an average of 0.041 % of the national GDP. Around 81 % of the annual national expenditures for the management of contaminated sites is spent on remediation measures, while only 15 % is spent on site investigations. It should be noted that all results derive from data provided by 27 (out of 39) countries that returned the questionnaire, and not all countries answered all questions.
Indicator Assessment
Archived
Land take Land take by the expansion of residential areas and construction sites is the main cause of the increase in the coverage of urban land at the European level. Agricultural zones and, to a lesser extent, forests and semi-natural and natural areas, are disappearing in favour of the development of artificial surfaces. This affects biodiversity since it decreases habitats, the living space of a number of species, and fragments the landscapes that support and connect them. The annual land take in European countries assessed by 2006 Corine land cover project (EEA39 except Greece) was approximately 108 000 ha/year in 2000-2006. In 21 countries covered by both periods (1990-2000 and 2000-2006) the annual land take decreased by 9 % in the later period. The composition of land taken areas changed, too. More arable land and permanent crops and less pastures and mosaic farmland were taken by artificial development then in 1990-2000. Identified trends are expected to change little when next assessment for 2006-2012 becomes available in 2014.
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Archived
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