The finiteness of earth's resources. A focus on the national water balance

Abstract

Since 1970 we have exceeded the carrying capacity of planet Earth: to be able to support global human activities we would currently need 1.71 planets which unfortunately we do not have. Our actions can impact on the water cycle, that is affected by global warming. The area of the Mediterranean Sea basin is classified as a climate hotspot, so it is more exposed to the effects of the climate crisis. In Italy, the average annual temperature is growing faster than the global average, with effects on national water balance. 2022 was the least rainy year since 1961, marking -22% compared to the 1991-2020 climatological average, with lower than normal rainfall (-39%) from January to July. The anomalies were most marked in the North (-33%), followed by the Center (-15%) and the South and Islands (-13%). Furthermore, the national water infrastructure is old and loses 42 liters along the way for every 100 liters distributed; moreover, the per capita water consumption of an Italian citizen is the highest in Europe, with almost 220 liters per day, compared to a European average of 165 liters.