Environmental crisis and solutions for sustainability and adaptation

Abstract

With a term now entered into common language, the historical period we are experiencing is defined as "Anthropocene", to underline the serious responsibility of human activities for the global impacts produced and for the quality of life on our planet. At the same time, we are in an era of transition, characterized by a necessary transformation of society, which, starting from the current economic model, based on the logic of consumption of resources, production of waste and pollution and energy dependence from fossil fuels, we are moving towards a new, more sustainable future characterized by the search for solutions to multiple environmental criticalities and strategies for adapting to their now irreversible effects. Numerous examples of responsible citizenship and bottom up initiatives, such as student living labs, demonstrate the importance of active participation, a more aware knowledge of sustainability issues that lead to the adoption of effective initiatives on a local scale for the health of our cities.