The Ecogest Climate Change Study Center sounds the alarm: Umbria is already experiencing the effects of climate change
Rising temperatures, increasing extreme events, and compromised air quality in urban areas: Umbria is under climate pressure. The alarm was raised by Ecogest’s Climate Change Study Center (CCSC), which highlights worrying data for public health, the environment, and regional infrastructure.
According to the report, PM10 particulate matter values exceeded daily limits at the Terni Le Grazie and Terni Maratta monitoring stations, while the ozone picture is even more critical: in 2024, the entire population of Umbria was exposed to air quality classified as ‘poor’ for this pollutant. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), although within legal limits, remains at significant levels in urban areas.
However, it is the climate trend that paints an alarming picture. In Perugia, in 2019, a temperature anomaly of up to +2.4°C was recorded compared to the 1971–2000 average. In Terni, tropical nights (with temperatures above 20°C) rose to 84 in 2024, compared to 39 in 2008. Extreme events, such as heat waves, have doubled in just a few years.
“The Umbria region is exposed to increasingly intense environmental risks. The data speaks for itself: urgent and targeted action is needed to make the area resilient and sustainable. There is no time to lose,” says Valerio Molinari, President of the CCSC and shareholder of Ecogest Spa.
Infrastructure under pressure
Infrastructural vulnerability is another critical issue: 100% of municipalities in Umbria are at risk of flooding. The Tiber River and its tributaries have caused numerous floods over the last century, and the data collected confirm the high hydraulic risk of the region, which is characterized by a wide range of phenomena, including debris flows, flash floods, river floods, and flooding in mountain areas.
In addition, climate projections for 2050 indicate a sharp increase in tropical nights and maximum temperatures.
Among the solutions proposed by the Report are:
- The installation of sensors and advanced monitoring tools for the road network
- The implementation of green technologies for infrastructure management
- The review of urban plans, integrated with climate strategies
“An often overlooked step,” according to Molinari, “concerns the management of green infrastructure. Maintaining existing infrastructure is essential, but a forward-looking strategy is also needed to create new green spaces capable of mitigating or even neutralizing the effects of climate emergencies.”
Green spaces – trees, shrubs, lawns, natural areas – are one of the most effective resources for protecting infrastructure, particularly motorways, from heat waves and torrential rain.
The Ecogest Climate Change Study Center reiterates the urgent need for concrete regional policies, based on scientific evidence and technological innovation, to ensure the environmental, infrastructural, and social security of Umbria in the coming decades.