Italy’s new Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica) has released an updated National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change, (Piano Nazionale di Adattamento ai Cambiamenti Climatici). The new Plan mentions ICLEI among the organisations and initiatives supporting cities and regions in their climate adaptation efforts, and includes Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030), of which ICLEI Europe is co-chair. The Plan boosts Italy’s capacity to adapt to climate hazards, and maps out a more inclusive approach that supports climate-adaptive actions at the regional and local scale.

Among the updates to the strategy is a restructuring of the National Observatory for Adaptation to Climate Change, which gathers representatives from the regional and local levels to identify “territorial and sectoral priorities” and monitor progress. Based on the new Plan, the observatory’s mandate has expanded to include more stakeholders, whose inputs will complement the Observatory’s existing “technical-scientific support structure,” the Technical Secretariat, and “consultative-dissemination body” known as its Permanent Forum.

These announcements signal renewed commitment to climate adaptation amidst national-level political change in Italy, and expand the scope of stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange as Italy seeks to better adapt to a changing climate.