Italian Emission Inventory 1990-2024. Informative Inventory Report 2026
The report describes the estimate of atmospheric emissions that Italy officially reports in accordance with the UN Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CRLTAP/UNECE) and the related Protocols for the reduction of emissions of these substances.
The documentation includes an explanation of the trends in the historical emission series from 1990 to 2024, a description of the analysis of key sources and their associated uncertainty, references to the estimation methodologies, as well as the sources of the basic data and emission factors used for the estimates, a description of the Quality Assurance/Quality Control system, and the verification activities performed on the data.
The purpose of the report is to facilitate understanding of the emission calculation procedures, providing a comparison of the relative contributions of the various emission sources, thus facilitating the identification of reduction policies.
Over the period 1990-2024, emissions show a decreasing trend for most of the pollutants described. Reductions are particularly significant for the main pollutants (SOX -96%; NOX -75%; CO -77%; NMVOC -58%) and lead (-96%). The main factors driving this trend are reductions in the industrial and transport sectors, due to the implementation of several European directives that introduced new technologies, plant emission limits, sulfur content limits in liquid fuels, and the transition to cleaner fuels. Emissions have also decreased thanks to improved energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy.
The energy sector is the main source of emissions in Italy, accounting for over 80%, including fugitive emissions, for many pollutants (SOX 90%; NOX 90%; CO 91%; BC 87%; PAH 85%, HCB 91%; and for PM2.5, just below at 79%). The industrial process sector is a significant source of emissions, at least for particulate matter, heavy metals, POPs, and SOX emissions; on the other hand, the solvent and other product use sector is characterized by NMVOC emissions. The agricultural sector is the main source of NH3 emissions, accounting for 91% of the national total. Finally, the waste sector, particularly incineration, represents a significant source of BC (12%), Cd (10%), HCB (9%), and dioxins (19%).
Publication available only on-line