Terra dei fuochi, Italy condemned: it ignored the environmental risk for years
Environment — di Simone Santi
Terra dei fuochi, Italy condemned: it ignored the environmental and health risk for years — a risk that is serious and imminent.
Terra dei fuochi, Italy condemned: it ignored the environmental risk for years
Terra dei fuochi, Italy condemned: it ignored the environmental and health risk for years — a risk that is serious and imminent.
Italy is doing nothing, or next to nothing, to resolve the environmental disaster of Terra dei fuochi, in Campania, effectively undermining the right to health and a safe environment for all citizens in the area, and beyond. This is stated in black and white by the European Court of Human Rights, which has issued a landmark ruling condemning the Italian State for its prolonged inaction: according to the Court in Strasbourg, Italy has violated Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to life), exposing millions of citizens to a health and environmental risk deemed "sufficiently serious, real and ascertainable" and qualifying as "imminent".
Terra dei fuochi, a disaster foretold
L'#Italia condannata dalla #CorteEuropeadeidirittiumani per la #terradeifuochi, il territrio della #Campania dove per anni si sono interrati rifiuti tossici. "A rischio la vita dei cittadini", scrivono i giudici
The case concerns the illegal dumping, burial and burning of waste — often carried out by organised crime — in the area of Campania known as Terra dei fuochi, which encompasses in particular the provinces of Naples and Caserta, and where approximately 2.9 million people live: a phenomenon documented for decades, which has caused the contamination of groundwater and a significant rise in cancer cases among the local population. In its ruling, the Court found that the Italian State had been aware of the situation for many years, yet failed to act with the necessary promptness and diligence to assess the problem, prevent its continuation and adequately inform the citizens affected.
The Court's inquiry highlighted a series of shortcomings on the part of the Italian State, including delays in environmental assessments: the government acted extremely slowly in determining the effects of the pollution, despite well-established scientific evidence. There was also a lack of a coordinated action plan, which prevented effective remediation of the territory.
#Ecoreati, Commissione presenta il report. Il Presidente @Fontana3Lorenzo: "Minaccia da reati ambientali, passi avanti grazie a normativa e forze dell'ordine". Presidente della Commissione @JacopoMorrone: "base documentale, a dicembre, di quasi 56mila pagine".
Furthermore, according to the Court, the health measures introduced were insufficient: oncological screening programmes were only strengthened from 2013 onwards, but the delay compromised the protection of public health. In terms of criminal proceedings too, the Strasbourg judges found Italy wanting, with poor enforcement against environmental crimes — the number of convictions for environmental offences being negligible relative to the gravity of the situation. Last but not least, there was a lack of transparency: for a long time, information on the health and environmental risks remained undisclosed, depriving citizens of the right to know the dangers to which they were exposed.
These accusations are, paradoxically, corroborated by the report on illegal activities in the waste cycle, presented at the very same time by the ad hoc parliamentary commission of inquiry established in Parliament, which devotes an entire chapter to the situation in Terra dei fuochi: in 2023 alone, the report states, over 250 illegal disposal sites were identified and more than 1,200 tonnes of toxic waste were seized. The report also highlighted a rise in the number of arson fires, with over 1,500 incidents recorded in the last year alone, releasing dioxins and other toxic agents into the air, further worsening the health crisis in the region. The report also cites epidemiological studies showing a 40 per cent increase in childhood cancer rates compared to the national average, particularly in the provinces of Naples and Caserta, and itself denounces the absence of an effective monitoring system and deficiencies in the remediation processes.
Two years to resolve the situation
La Corte europea dei diritti dell'uomo ha condannato lo Stato italiano per inazione di fronte all'interramento di #rifiuti tossici per mano delle #ecomafie nel territorio campano. Una sentenza che richiama alla responsabilità un'intera classe politica.
legambiente.it/news-storie/te…
legambiente.it/news-storie/te…
Under Article 46 of the Convention, the Court has ordered Italy to adopt corrective measures within two years. Among the principal requirements are the development of a national strategy to address the environmental crisis, the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism, and the creation of a public platform to gather and disseminate transparent information on the risks and actions taken.
Legambiente, which in 2003 first coined the term Terra dei Fuochi in its report on ecomafias, describes a ruling "that calls to account an entire bipartisan political class that for years downplayed and concealed what was happening in that territory. Terra dei Fuochi is a land 'martyred' in its very essence and ignored for decades by a cross-party political class that failed to adopt serious, concrete solutions."