The press conference with Giorgia Meloni lasted over three hours and there was not a single mention of the climate crisis. There were more than 40 questions from reporters to the Prime Minister, and none aimed at holding the government accountable for its (mostly unaccomplished) actions on the issue.

According to the data released by the Legambiente Observatory Report, the climate crisis in Italy is emerging with increasing strength and frequency. The 2022 trend was sadly overtaken by that of 2023, with the number of extreme events increasing by 22% from the previous year. Renewable Matter explored the hail devastation in Lombardy and the flooding in Emilia-Romagna, though the total tally is 378 extreme events in Italy in 2023 alone.

Given all this, Meloni's government has done very little so far, from cutting NRRP funds earmarked to tackle hydrogeological instability, to the disappointing Budget Law for the environment, to the approval of an already old and flawed National Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

So, it may be disappointing but certainly not surprising that the climate topic was absent from the Prime Minister's speech at the end-of-the-year press conference held on January 4, 2024. This conference was meant to take stock of what her government has accomplished so far and what remains to be achieved. Rather, what is surprising is the absence of climate issues even in the journalists' questions. There were certainly many important topics to cover, from pensions to the ESM, from privatization to migrations, but also the climate crisis is crucial.

The urgency of the issue and the need to act now, because the time left for us to avoid the most disastrous consequences is more and more limited, is apparently not yet clear to the Italian press. Not even the proximity to the ending of COP28, which, albeit with limitations and grey areas, marked the beginning of the end of fossil fuels, seems to have sufficiently stirred the consciences of those in charge of information in Italy.

Greater sensitivity could result from more conscious training and education on the issue at all levels, from young people (who demand it so much) to those who are supposed to be in charge of explaining current affairs to the country (who need it so much). The direction, however, would need to be political for it to be effective on a large scale; it cannot be left in the hands of spontaneous activism or the sensibilities of individuals.

What was discussed at the press conference

Although with quick and fleeting references, during the press conference, Meloni spoke about energy, the Mattei Plan, and artificial intelligence.

Regarding AI, the President used concerned tones, referring to "human intellect that is in danger of being replaced." "Artificial intelligence will also impact high-profile jobs. [...] We are going to schedule a very sharp focus on the topic of artificial intelligence at the G7" (of which Italy holds the presidency in 2024) "and I am already working on a specific initiative on the subject of the impact of artificial intelligence on the working environment" because "nowadays we are facing the risk of replacement."

The other focus of Italy's G7 presidency will be Africa, Meloni further explained, "a potentially very rich continent, especially of critical raw materials, with a destabilization that we pay far more than anyone else. [...] What must be done in Africa is not charity but the building of serious, strategic, peer-to-peer cooperative relationships. [...] The Mattei Plan represents an initial idea of all this, aiming for it to become a model for other European and Western countries as well, which today often work in no particular order."

On the state of progress of the Mattei Plan, the President says, "It is further along than it seems" and is to be presented at the Italy-Africa Conference. The Plan will focus "on energy and energy development," issues that combine the interests of both sides "because Africa is potentially a big energy producer and Europe has an energy supply problem." It was at this point that Meloni made a brief and not more thorough reference to the development of renewable energy in the African continent.

"A mistake we have made in the past is to spread resources across many small projects, instead what I want to do is to choose well the projects in which to invest, and then over time expand the scope of action also with the help of private investors. There are specific projects that I won't mention now because I'm waiting for the official presentation of the Plan." 

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano

Image: official website of Italian Government

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