Transition: international pressure is mounting, but Italia is lagging behind
The 2026 report on the state of the green economy by the Sustainable Development Foundation. Key concerns include: rising emissions, slow uptake of renewables and the plastics crisis
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‘We are seeing growing international momentum towards the transition. Although in Europe the rise of eco-scepticism risks calling into question both the EU as an institution and the European model itself. And in Italia, the green economy faces challenges in key areas: rising emissions, slow uptake of renewables, high water consumption; whilst there are some positive trends in the circular economy, these must still address the core issues of the plastics crisis.”
This is how Edo Ronchi, president of the Foundation for Sustainable Development, sums up the mixed picture of the progress of the transition, which will be presented on 3 November at the 2026 Green Economy General Assembly. Now in its 15th edition, the event – organised by the Foundation itself under the patronage of the Ministry for the Environment, the European Commission and the Ministry for Enterprise – is one of the opening events of the Ecomondo trade fair, which runs in Rimini until 6 November.
“In a critical geopolitical context characterised by ongoing wars, growing economic difficulties, and regressive and denialist policies,” Ronchi emphasises, – “there is a very high and widespread risk of being swept along by narrow-minded views, offering illusory solutions that do not resolve the problems and thus fail to recognise the real priorities, opportunities and positive forces at work.”
The 2026 Report on the State of the Green Economy, on the other hand, begins precisely with these developments, which have emerged from the very same international crises, starting with rising energy prices: in 2026, Europe’s annual gas bill could exceed 240–250 billion euros (it stood at 40 billion in 2019), whilst the oil bill is set to rise by around 45 billion, according to the Foundation’s calculations. Hence the need for greater energy self-sufficiency, which depends on renewables. A similar dynamic applies to critical raw materials: the number of export restrictions imposed by various countries has increased fivefold between 2019 and 2024, leading to rising prices and supply difficulties. This is a situation that a more circular economy could help to address.
“The transition is not only a necessity but also an economic opportunity,” emphasises Ronchi, pointing out that nature is the foundation of our well-being and that the erosion of natural capital can undermine resources we take for granted. Ronchi cites the 2026 ‘State of Finance for Nature’ report by UNEP (the UN Environment Programme): “The decline in ecosystem services is having worrying economic impacts, starting with food production and soil fertility.”
