Bad news about the air that the people of Ravenna breathe. Based on international parameters, Ener2Crowd.com (sustainable investment and savings platform) has updated the air quality index (Air Quality Index), drawing up a ranking of the 10 most polluted cities in our country. Ravenna has recorded a terrible performance, ranking seventh with an index of 46. In first place is Milan with an index of 56, followed by Bergamo with 55. The curators of the survey blame especially road traffic, with consequent Pm10 and Pm2.5 values, aggravated by thermal stress, a direct consequence of climate change.
On the subject we consulted Pierluigi Randi, meteorologist and president of Ampro. We asked him if he was surprised by the result? «Unfortunately, Ravenna is not in a favorable position – he replies – so I am not surprised. It is close, but not that close, to the sea and is far from the Apennines so the air circulation is often weak. In addition, at the gates of the city there is an industrial center and a port that, despite all the policies implemented to limit emissions, affect the air quality. The heavy traffic that persists in the territory is a reflection of these activities. Add to this the urban traffic and domestic emissions during the winter. It is therefore no coincidence that Ravenna is in the top ten of cities with the worst air, while urban centers such as Cesena, Forlì and Rimini enjoy other data».
Ravenna is affected by its geographical location: “In the summer, the sea guarantees Ravenna a certain air circulation, especially in the afternoon, when the winds blow mainly from the East – explains the meteorologist -. Winter, on the other hand, is the period of calm, which affects the Po Valley up to the coast. Ravenna, like Ferrara, is affected by its distance from the Apennines. It does not enjoy that mountain breeze that manages to guarantee Forlì, Cesena, Faenza a precious thermal inversion and air circulation”.
Pollution affects climate change and increasingly hot summers further worsen the quality of life. The seventh hottest June since 1950 has just ended in the Ravenna area: “The numbers show a worrying anomaly,” Randi concludes. “This June recorded a temperature 2 degrees higher than the average for the period. It was hotter than last year’s June and we almost didn’t notice.”
