An Empirical Analysis of Environmental and Climate Inequalities across Italian census tracts

Alessandra Drigo
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Alessandra Drigo: University of Milan, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei

No 2025.12, Working Papers from Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei

Abstract: This study offers the first analysis of environmental and climate inequalities at the census tract level in Italy, providing valuable insights into spatial patterns of environmental and social vulnerability. The results highlight significant environmental inequality related to exposure to air pollution (PM2.5), as well as climate inequality linked to thermal discomfort (measured by the Discomfort Index). Among all regions, the Padana Valley stands out as the most severely affected by both stressors, marking its population as particularly vulnerable regardless of their socioeconomic status. At the national level, the analysis identifies a negative correlation between exposure to environmental stressors and income proxies, and a positive correlation with the presence of non-European foreign residents. These associations remain robust even when the focus shifts to census tracts within the same municipality, suggesting that environmental and social inequalities persist not only across regions but also within local urban contexts.

Keywords: Environmental inequality; Environmental justice; Air pollution; Socioeconomic status; Climate Justice; Discomfort Index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 I14 Q53 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-04
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