The lifestyle of the inhabitants of Lamezia Terme, Italy does not fully reflect the principles of sustainable development. Local governments have not implemented education programs to raise awareness of sustainability issues among residents. People live focusing only on short-term gains without considering long-term environmental, social, and economic impacts. This is due to a combination of historical economic disadvantages compared to northern Italy, lack of funding, and influence of criminal organizations. To improve the situation, a national policy on sustainable development is needed to provide clear guidance and plans to local governments, and more partnerships between public and private sectors could help address the issue.

1. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that
is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be
improved?
IE Application: MIM 2016
Author: Emiliano De Dominicis

2. sustainable development
The concept of sustainable development was
introduced by the World Commission on
Environment and Development’s report
“Our common Future” in 1987, as
“development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own
needs”.

3. What does it mean?
Meeting the needs of the future depends by our capability to balance
economic, environmental and social goals when making decision today

4. What does it happen in my hometown, Lamezia Terme?
Lamezia Terme is a town located in Calabria, a small region in the
South of Italy.
In previous years local governments had not implemented education
programs towards population about sustainable development ; for
example, there are not either school courses to aware youngest ,
or specific meetings that concern about these themes.
Inhabitants lives their lifes without looking at long term, just thinking
about how to exploit to the maximum all kind of social, economic and
environmental sources.

5. (1) What does it depend on?
a) because of a historical condition we are suffering of a competitive
disadvantage versus north Italy; as result, a lot of investments had
been addressed to the North and central Government had not been
able to relocate funds coming from European institutions in a proper
way, in order to establish a sort of social and economic equilibrium
between parts

6. (2) What does it depend on?
b) A lack of money brought to an economic condition in which even
local politicians could not afford policies able to look further, and
sustainable development is seen as a so far topic to deal with

7. (3) What does it depend on?
c) social problems affected the whole political process: just for
mentioning one, criminal organizations spread all over the territory,
looking for taking control of institutions and influencing decision-making
government process, taking care of their interests

8. (1) Is it just a «local» problem?
Does not exist a concrete national, central policy about this theme
both to fit with all local governments and able to be conveyed through
them in a proper way, with a clear and unitary plan of action as asked
by World Economic Forum’s report in 1987.

9. (2) Is it just a «local» problem?
An example:
Some villages have developed individual “smart” policies about
energies, digital world, sustainable mobility , being limited by inertia of
government above them.

10. Improvements
One way in order to close this gap should be to draft a strategy
between governments and private companies: long term vision of
the latter could face public myopia over this strategic topic.