The Italian Environmental Performance. The Role of Ecosystem Vitality

The need to accurately assess the environmental policy of each country and to compare the data has intensified efforts of researchers and experts to build appropriate environmental indicators. The 2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) tracks national environmental results on a quantitative basis. It is grounded in two core objectives of environmental policy: Environmental Health, which measures environmental stresses to human health, and Ecosystem Vitality, which measures ecosystem health and natural resource. In this context, the present paper explores indicators affecting Ecosystem Vitality in Italy and provides potentially useful assistance for the implementation of new environmental policies. Results of multivariate analysis on a data matrix of 232 countries identifies different profiles of countries, through the use of Cluster Analysis. Main results show the need to focus future policies mainly on climate change and energy.