The Po Valley

Set against the mountains, extending from the Apennines in the south to the Alps in the north, the Po Valley, climate-wise, has always been at a disadvantage with air pollution at rates among the highest in Europe.

Set against the mountains, extending from the Apennines in the south to the Alps in the north, the Po Valley, climate-wise, has always been at a disadvantage with air pollution at rates among the highest in Europe.

Wind is rare and there are frequent and prolonged episodes of climatic inversion, characterized by a high density of anthropogenic emissions and by the frequent occurrence of stagnant meteorological conditions. This means that the air is colder in the plains than in the mountains, and it remains still. In the vast plain, a quarter of the pollution is caused by road traffic, 45 percent by domestic heating and the rest by industrial and agricultural emissions. The region produces vast amounts of animal waste, a big contributor to pollution. It delivers more than 40 percent of Italy's milk production, and over half of the Italian pig production is located in the Po Valley.