Modelling Population and Health Profiles in Italian and European Coastal and non-Coastal Areas

This paper examines some aspects of sustainable development, employing a multidisciplinary set of indicators drawn from sources including Istat, ISPRA and Eurostat. These indicators are useful for assessing the health of the population in coastal and non-coastal areas, at two different spatial levels. Italian municipalities and regions within the European Union. The analysis of territorial cohesion is enhanced through the utilisation of geostatistical tools, facilitating the comparison of spatial and temporal phenomena under investigation. In the context of the health domain, it was observed that, prior to the pandemic period, avoidable mortality was higher in Italian coastal areas in comparison to non-coastal ones. A higher incidence of excess mortality was observed in 2020, with the greatest impact being felt by individuals aged 64 and above. Subsequently, the excess mortality rate in coastal areas was observed to be approximately half that of non-coastal areas. During the initial stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some of the highest mortality rates in the EU were recorded in Italian and Spanish regions. In the context of the landscape domain, it is notable that over one-third of low-lying natural coastlines have undergone modifications resulting from erosion or landward migration over the past fifteen years. In terms of climate indicators, there has been a less pronounced decrease in heating needs in Mediterranean European countries, while cooling needs have increased more in northern European countries and southern Europe over the last decade. The objective of this paper is to derive an appropriate synthetic approach to assessing the impact of anthropogenic actions on coastal and non-coastal areas, with the specific aim of evaluating the different demographic, social and environmental dimensions, and their interactions. The reference period of the study is the year 2021.