COP26: Good intentions, bad execution

Larger problems with research policy are to blame for Italy’s fragmented climate science

Complex and multifaceted issues such as climate change require multidisciplinary approaches that do not blend easily with the classic power structures of academic research based on scientific disciplines. In this respect, Italy struggles as much as any other country. The reality of Italian climate science is one of small research groups dealing with specific questions, in line with their discipline.

But there are additional hurdles. Research on climate change in Italy suffers from chronic underfunding, a lack of planning, lack of priorities and an abundance of red tape—all issues that also plague the wider academic landscape. This is despite two big efforts to funnel money quickly and simply to researchers, namely the Italian National Research Programme (PNR) and the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), part of an EU effort to boost national economies after Covid-19.