According to several reports published this year and some recent news from ESA, Sicily is one of the most polluted regions in Italy and the entire Mediterranean basin. There are many reasons that have allowed one of the most beautiful islands in Europe to obtain this record.
According to Mal’ Aria report by Legambiente, most of the provincial capitals of Sicily emit excessive quantities of PM10 and PM 2.5atmospheric particulate matter which, in addition to causing damage to the environment and our health, can cover cities, forming a thick blanket of asphyxiating smog.
By 2030, European directives require all municipalities in the Union to reduce emissions, but given the pollution levels recorded on the island in recent years and the high number of petrol vehicles still circulating on its roads , experts predict that the limits introduced by the new laws will be largely exceeded from the main Sicilian cities, which currently remain unprepared for future environmental challenges.
Above all, they are worrying the NO2 measurements in Palermo and Catania, which are on the list of the most polluted cities in Europe. The current levels of this substance – 33 micrograms per cubic meter – are in fact more than 40% higher than the limits set for 2030.
Also indicative is the fact that these two cities, together with other smaller communities such as Gela or Marsala, are responsible for the release of large quantities of plastics in the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Sicilian Channel. Waste that international space agencies have begun to observe from space and study in depth.
“Unfortunately, there is no reason to worry about our health” he declared in recent months Tommaso Castronovopresident of Legambiente Sicilywithin a press statement. “In recent years, little or nothing has been done to eliminate the causes of emissions of air pollutants and improve air quality. Almost all the Sicilian capitals would now be in violation of the more stringent limits set by the European directive for 2030, and again more than the values recommended by the World Health Organization.”
According to the environmental association, it is necessary to immediately apply solutions aimed at reducing the quantities of pollutants produced by Sicilian cities, for example by encouraging projects that have the task of guaranteeing new forms of public transportin a region where vehicular traffic is responsible for a large part of the emissions.
The data relating to sampling carried out on the main Sicilian coasts are also interesting. Although there are magnificent places where it is still worth taking a bath to best experience the naturalness of the area, in Sicily there are long stretches of coastline that are unfortunately polluted or subject to illegal building.
It is no coincidence that 61% of the sampling carried out last year by Green schooner on the Sicilian coasts it has ascertained the presence of pollutants, well beyond the current legal limits.
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