The future of Italy’s infrastructure
Direct climate damage to Italy’s infrastructure could hit €5 billion a year by 2050 – but every euro invested in adaptation already saves five. CMCC’s new Future Brief maps four possible pathways for the country’s water, energy, transport and digital networks, setting out possible directions for a “climate-proof” future.
This summer put Italy’s infrastructure under real pressure. Data from Rome’s climate monitoring service, through CMCC’s DataClime platform, recorded extreme heat conditions on 32 days over the summer – including a stretch of 18 consecutive days in August alone. The figures come against a clear longer-term trend: according to CMCC’s climate monitoring for Rome, 2025 recorded more than 40 days with temperatures above 35°C, ranking fourth since 1991, while the year also ranked among the top five for the number and duration of heatwaves.
“The summer we just went through put extraordinary pressure not just on us as citizens, but on every infrastructure system built across multiple sectors,” said CMCC researcher Alfredo Reder , during the launch of Ecosistema Futuro’s new Future Brief – “Building Resilient Infrastructure for Italy in 2050“ – where he was joined by Riccardo Barbieri (Italy’s Treasury Department, MEF), Simona Camerano (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti) and Davide Ciferri (Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport). The session was moderated by economist Enrico Giovannini, ASviS Scientific Director and Italy’s former Minister of Infrastructure.
That pressure has a price tag. By 2050 direct climate damage to Italian infrastructure could reach around €5 billion a year – more than ten times the historical baseline of €0.42 billion (1981–2010). Factor in the macroeconomic knock-on effects, and total losses could hit €11.5–18 billion a year, equivalent to up to 0.55% of GDP.
“The costs of inaction, which recent CMCC research quantifies, are clearly higher than the costs of action,” said Giovannini in his opening remarks. “From now on, every new public or private infrastructure investment needs to be climate future-proof – not just for safety’s sake, but because the economics leave little room for inaction.”
“Every euro spent on adaptation corresponds to a return on investment of around five,” echoed Reder.