A whopping 4.76 hectares are necessary to meet the consumption and disposal needs of each Italian. This is one of the salient points emerging from the second position paper published by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition. Highlights include agriculture’s impact on climate change (it is responsible for 33% of world yearly greenhouse gas production) and the economic damages of inadequate response measures (Italy bears costs of 3.6 million euros per day for non-compliance with the Kyoto Protocol).
 
The Ecological Footprint indicator shows that world resource consumption is currently more than 130% of the Earth’s capacity. According to current estimates, this value will grow to 200% by 2050. The necessary response measures include: the encouragement of equitable and effective economic policies and incentive/disincentive systems, the relocalization of crops (with a reduction in the incidence of livestock raising and safeguarding of forest assets), and technological innovation to promote sustainable farming techniques.
 

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