Abstract
Water is essential for life and for the economy and is one of the main environmental topics of European Union (EU) policy. Even if most Europeans have historically been shielded from the social, economic, and environmental effects of severe water shortages, the gap between the demand for and availability of water resources is reaching critical levels in many parts of Europe. Climate change is likely to exacerbate current pressures on European water resources. Moreover, much of Europe will increasingly face reduced water availability during the summer months, and the frequency and intensity of drought is projected to increase, particularly in the southern and Mediterranean countries. Thus, the EU is showing increasing concern regarding drought events and water scarcity, and policymakers and utility managers must face the challenge of balancing the increasing human demand for water with the protection of ecosystem sustainability. The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the most relevant European Water Framework, is based on the idea that water management needs to take account of economic, ecological, and social issues and that its prime objective is the sustainable use and management of water resources.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Reference
Istat, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (2013) Italia in cifre. http://www.istat.it/it/files/2011/06/Italia_in_cifre_20132.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Guerrini, A., Romano, G. (2014). Introduction. In: Water Management in Italy. SpringerBriefs in Water Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07818-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07818-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-07817-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07818-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)