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The management of biodegradable waste in landfills is associated to a range environmental impacts and refers to a linear model regarded as unsustainable. At the same time, many agricultural and urban soils present low organic matter content. Composting is emerging as a good practice for converting organic waste into a new resource able to improve soil properties, thus providing regulation Ecosystem Services. Considering a territorial metabolism perspective, this work discusses the potential contribution to regional planning of a transferable methodology for quantifying environmental impacts and benefits associated to waste management, based on a combined use of Life Cycle Assessment and Geographic Information Systems, and considering Ecosystem Services deriving from the application of compost in agricultural soils. The approach was tested through a site-dependent analysis based on primary data, referring to year 2019 and focusing on the Veneto Region, Italy. Results indicate that direct benefits associated to the use of compost and the thermal energy to district heating are compensating from 29 % to 51 % of the impacts associated to compost production, while waste transports represent the largest share of the impacts, covering between 52 % and 78 % of the total flows considered. The proposed methodology is applied for comparing the reference condition to alternative scenarios, in the perspective of providing support in Strategic Environmental Assessment procedures. In this context, results shown markedly lower impacts associated to compost production, with respect to organic waste treatment, for 5 out of 6 of the considered categories (freshwater eutrophication 100:1, climate change 5:1), with the notable exception of water resource depletion. Scenarios produced are discussed with respect to the choice between centralized and non-centralized plants, and the characterization of potential benefits at the territorial scale associated to compost use for urban green infrastructures. With respect to this latter point, results showed an underdeveloped use of compost-related ES flow, compared to its capacity, suggesting an interest for further research aimed at estimating compost requirements by urban and peri-urban soils. • LCA-GIS analysis allows evaluating interactions associated to compost flow. • Quantifying ecosystem services flow and capacity requires a spatial approach. • Transports highly contribute to the impact, which is lower than organic waste treatment. • Direct benefits are partly compensating impacts of compost production. • Evaluation of ecosystem services for urban soils at the regional scale is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change triggers increasing stresses on urban settlements and coastal areas. The intensification of climate-connected impacts requires municipalities and communities to undertake adaptation measures and plans. These interventions should be capable of reducing negative climatic effects on human habitat and regional bioregions. On the one hand, the international scientific community recognized the supported adaptation planning approach as the more suitable to cope with local needs and criticalities. On the other hand, there is a lack of practical guidelines and examples that can be used to implement the theory. From a perspective of growth of global awareness and sensitivity to the climatic emergency, it is necessary to develop a practical methodology able to link together impacts perception and public decision process at the local scale. The paper aims to fill the gap between the theoretical approach and the practice, through a replicable experience of integration among climate change adaptation concepts and decision-making processes. The proposed methodology is described in a 4-step process to support decision-makers in selecting tailored adaptation policies and measures. The article is based on the experience developed within the Interreg It-Hr project "iDEAL – Decision support for Adaptation pLan" project. The research combines a quantitative and qualitative methodology in local participation processes. The approach is tested on five Mediterranean coastal cities and allowed to support the development of tailored adaptation measures. Furthermore, the interaction with local actors during the process led to an acceptance of the implemented measures, designing each measure to stakeholders' ambitions and expectations. • Local participation in climate change adaptation processes. • Climate impacts management and risk perception. • A decision support system to enhance local decision making. • Developing transboundary Adriatic coasts adaptation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at addressing the problem of what characterises decision-aiding for public policy making problem situations. Under such a perspective it analyses concepts like 'public policy', 'deliberation', 'legitimation', 'accountability' and shows the need to expand the concept of rationality which is expected to support the acceptability of a public policy. We then analyse the more recent attempt to construct a rational support for policy making, the 'evidence-based policy making' approach. Despite the innovation introduced with this approach, we show that it basically fails to address the deep reasons why supporting the design, implementation and assessment of public policies is such a hard problem. We finally show that we need to move one step ahead, specialising decision-aiding to meet the policy cycle requirements: a need for policy analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the issue of mitigation and the balance of greenhouse gases in the rural contexts of the Emilia–Romagna region (Italy) due to climate change. The approach is based on the experimentation of a methodology, populated by available spatial databases and refined with a series of technical meetings, where it was possible to weigh availability and alternative choices within the identified assessment model. The objective of the research is to create a regional GHG balance map, in order to classify the territory for this specific dynamic. The aim of this approach is supporting policy decisions related to the Common Agricultural Policy at a regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adversities of climate change represent a serious risk factor on both food production, rural territories and landscapes. In light of these irreversible trends, the process of adaptation of the rural territory is a necessary step, in order to increase its climate resilience. In this study, the vulnerability assessment was the tool used to evaluate the specific phenomenon of "flooding and backwatering" in the case study of Emilia Romagna region (Italy). The approach was based on the IPCC's risk analysis methodology, populated by different layers regarding specifical proxies related to the adaptive capacity and the sensitivity of the territory to water stagnation, then we assessed with the normalization process of the different information levels. The aim of the research consisted in the realization of a regional map of the vulnerability to floods and backwaters, in order to rank the territory to this specific phenomenon. The final result could be useful both for the relationship with planning choices and for local-based actions in agricultural policies that in Italy are taken at regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]