Papers by Francesco De Pascale
Dialoghi Mediterranei, 2025
Come è noto, la globalizzazione dei mercati, a partire dagli anni Novanta ha intensificato la con... more Come è noto, la globalizzazione dei mercati, a partire dagli anni Novanta ha intensificato la concorrenza basata sui prezzi anche nel sistema agroalimentare, spingendo, soprattutto le piccole e medie imprese, a cercare la differenziazione dei prodotti per ottenere un vantaggio competitivo . Se da una parte, anche il settore agroalimentare, uno dei principali emettitori di gas serra, deve affrontare gli impatti del cambiamento climatico, che si ripercuotono sulla produzione e sulla sicurezza alimentare (Pitto, 2023), dall'altra, la riduzione del "capitale naturale" e la costruzione di sistemi alimentari resilienti possono portare a una diminuzione della diversità e della qualità dei prodotti. I regolamenti dell'Unione Europea sulle produzioni tipiche, come DOP, IGP e STG, hanno strutturato sistemi di qualità a sostegno della qualità agroalimentare . Nonostante le critiche, i marchi di qualità possono contribuire ad affrontare gli impatti dei cambiamenti climatici garantendo la qualità dei prodotti e promuovendo la sostenibilità . Queste certificazioni possono anche contribuire a mitigare gli effetti del cambiamento climatico attraverso nuove varietà, espansione geografica, gestione del rischio e governance locale . Nel contesto italiano, dove è sempre più evidente il legame tra normative, prodotti e paesaggi rurali , si assiste sempre di più alla promozione di un turismo sostenibile che dovrebbe generare un ciclo virtuoso per l'intera filiera nella tutela del territorio. A tal proposito, il concetto di Terroir centrale nella certificazione di qualità, evidenzia il rapporto tra territorio e saper fare, offrendo opportunità di sviluppo rurale e crescita sociale (Leedon, 2021;. Tuttavia, l'ottenimento di un marchio di qualità, visto come parte di questo processo, è solo l'inizio del percorso di "differenziazione", e può portare -paradossalmente -a costi più elevati per la produzione o a modifiche colturali che minano la biodiversità . Questo perché, molto spesso, i processi di branding possono contribuire alla patrimonializzazione, impattando negativamente sui territori, come si è visto in regioni come il
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2026
This study investigates the relationship between memory and the perception of hydrogeological ris... more This study investigates the relationship between memory and the perception of hydrogeological risk in the context of climate change, focusing on the metropolitan area of Florence, Italy. Adopting a mixed-methods approach that combines historical-literary analysis with a large-scale questionnaire survey (734 respondents) and statistical modelling, the research provides an original contribution to the understanding of how collective and individual memory shape risk perception, preparedness, and institutional trust. The results show that direct memory of past events reduces panic and enhances preparedness but weakens trust in institutions, while the absence of memory increases reliance on authorities but limits operational knowledge. Sociodemographic factors such as age, education, and degree of urbanization selectively influence risk perception, with floods and heatwaves perceived more strongly in urban areas and landslides in rural ones. By explicitly integrating memory as an analytical dimension within risk perception studies, the paper highlights a persistent gap between awareness and adaptive behaviour and underscores the need for territorially differentiated communication and governance strategies in local climate risk management.
Sustainability, 2025
The unique features of high-quality agri-food production are rooted in the specificities of ecosy... more The unique features of high-quality agri-food production are rooted in the specificities of ecosystems, interpreted through an anthropocentric lens. In Italy, such products are nationally certified with labels that enhance both their market value and their territorial identity. However, climate change amplifies risks such as land degradation and reduced arability, threatening the value systems tied to ecosystems, places, and products. As a result, the relationship between environmental conditions and certified quality is becoming more fragile across the Italian peninsula. This paper investigates how producers and consumers perceive the risks posed by climate change to the ecosystem characteristics of Terroir, focusing on Calabria-a southern Italian region marked by socio-environmental vulnerability and a limited number of certified products. This fragility may further hinder certified agri-food production, with serious implications for the local agribusiness sector. Using a qualitative methodology, the study draws on questionnaires administered to producers and farmers, alongside interviews with key stakeholders and exploratory fieldworks. Eventually, this research aims to identify major environmental risks impacting certified production in Calabria, examine the adaptation strategies adopted by local producers, and assess the perceived effectiveness of institutional support. It also explores whether certifications such as PDO and PGI can act as tools to mitigate climate-related impacts while enhancing product value and territorial resilience. These findings can inform more effective policies for promoting sustainable, high-quality agri-food systems under changing climate conditions in a transcalar perspective.
Disaster Resilience and Human Settlements in the Anthropocene
Disaster Resilience and Human Settlements
Sustainability
This contribution proposes a study on how young people aged between 16 and 18 who live in Catanza... more This contribution proposes a study on how young people aged between 16 and 18 who live in Catanzaro, the capital of Calabria (southern Italy), perceive climate change. Through ethnographic interviews, based on the use of an open questionnaire and on participatory observation conducted in a secondary school, an attempt was made to reconstruct the degree of awareness of the students interviewed regarding the climate change underway, asking them to indicate which are the forms of knowledge involved and the possible causes of the phenomenon, as well as the critical issues and solutions currently available, both locally and globally, to limit any irreversible damage. The results show that students are aware of climate change and of the decisive human action in determining it, but show gaps in differentiating it from weather. Furthermore, they do not trust politics as regards mitigation and adaptation actions but are convinced that each individual can make his/her own contribution by chan...
Sustainability, 2020
The consequences of climate change can involve various ambits and be very severe. For this reason... more The consequences of climate change can involve various ambits and be very severe. For this reason, the social perception of climate change is a fundamental issue since it can influence the decisions of the policymakers, by encouraging or discouraging political, economic and social actions. In this paper, a sample of 300 interviews, collected through a standardized questionnaire and carried out among two municipalities located in southern Italy, was exploited to investigate the perception of climate change. Specific issues, regarding perceptions about climate change, concerns about its impacts, level of information, behavior and actions, exposure to extreme natural events and trust, were addressed to give answers to the research questions: (i) Is climate change perceived by the population? (ii) What is the degree of the community resilience to extreme natural events and climate change? As the main findings, this survey highlighted that the spatio-temporal dimension affects population...
PRISMA Economia - Società - Lavoro, 2019
La storia della Terra è piena di fenomeni naturali che, per la loro imponenza, hanno influenzato ... more La storia della Terra è piena di fenomeni naturali che, per la loro imponenza, hanno influenzato il clima, modificato i paesaggi e la conformazione stessa della superficie del pianeta. Solitamente, essi sono un continuum di eventi che ricorrono periodicamente. I terremoti e le eruzioni vulcaniche, e i maremoti che a volte ne conseguono, non sono che la manifestazione superficiale dei movimenti delle placche tettoniche e della dinamica interna del pianeta, così come le alluvioni, gli uragani e i tornado non sono che gli effetti di dinamiche meteorologiche e-su scala globale-climatiche, mentre le frane sono la risposta agli agenti che tendono a modificare i rilievi. Gli stessi impatti tra corpi celesti rispondono alla dinamica che regola l'universo. È l'interferenza con le attività antropiche che trasforma gli eventi naturali in disastri. E maggiore è l'aumento della popolazione umana sulla Terra, con la ricerca continua di nuovi spazi che porta l'uomo a vivere e costruire in zone a rischio, maggiore è la possibilità che le catastrofi avvengano. In particolare, l'Italia è un paese che, per caratteristiche fisiografiche ed esposizione ai rischi idrogeologico, sismico e vulcanico, ben rappresenta la coesistenza, talvolta la contrapposizione di due coscienze: quella della responsabilità e quella del fatalismo. Il confronto è reso più complesso dalla presenza di interessi e speculazioni. Cosa è possibile fare per lenire, se non evitare, gli effetti dannosi dei fenomeni naturali? Una valida impostazione per ottenere delle soluzioni è basata sull'investimento nella conoscenza, finalizzata alla prevenzione, utilizzando le conquiste scientifiche e tecnologiche per la diffusione e il miglioramento delle reti di monitoraggio ed applicando efficacemente criteri di salvaguardia ambientale e di sviluppo sicuro e sostenibile. È l'attuale società umana disponibile a questo? Non si può non essere pessimisti, viste l'inadeguatezza delle risorse finanziarie e la scarsa fluidità della burocrazia, a fronte della frequente costruzione di opere, spesso inutili se non dannose. Inoltre, si continua a registrare una continua e sconcertante carenza di chiarezza sul concetto di rischio. Largamente utilizzato quando si parla di catastrofi, l'uso del termine non è, tuttavia, chiaro ed univoco. Per evitare ambiguità, è opportuno esprimere il rischio in termini analitici attraverso una formula che lega pericolosità, vulnerabilità e valore esposto. Il rischio è il prodotto della probabilità di accadi-Copyright © FrancoAngeli N.B: Copia ad uso personale. È vietata la riproduzione (totale o parziale) dell'opera con qualsiasi mezzo effettuata e la sua messa a disposizione di terzi, sia in forma gratuita sia a pagamento.
Geomorphology and Philosophy: A STEAM Survey of the Anthropocene
The STEAM Revolution, 2018
Many researchers propose that the Anthropocene represents a new division of geological time, posi... more Many researchers propose that the Anthropocene represents a new division of geological time, positing that our activity by our use of fossil fuels has warmed the planet, raised sea levels, eroded the ozone layer and acidified the oceans. We contend the Anthropocene can only be understood in an interdisciplinary way, integrating ideas from the natural and social sciences with philosophy. That is, by means of STEAM.
Geographies of the Anthropocene: Geoethics and Disaster Risk Reduction Tools Applied to Mediterranean Case Studies
Key Challenges in Geography
Geoethics and Sustainability Education Through an Open Source CIGIS Application: The Memory of Places Project in Calabria, Southern Italy, as a Case Study
Going Beyond
PPGIS applied to environmental communication and hazards for a community-based approach: a dualism in the Southern Italy "calanchi" landscape
AIMS Geosciences
The need of protection of the territory is a priority for the society, which is an integral part ... more The need of protection of the territory is a priority for the society, which is an integral part of it (unfortunately, this coincidence is often forgotten): the new environmental issues require the development of innovative management strategies and of appropriate knowledge and models. The balanced use of resources, essential for the survival and well-being of society, can be optimised through the promotion of the territory. The identification and the sustainable development of local resources can only be achieved by directing development policies towards a path of integration between ecological needs, protection of the landscape and socio-economic and cultural needs. The landscape, read as a result of the interaction between human and natural processes, is a rich heritage to safeguard, enhance and promote. The key requirement underlying each cultural and environmental enhancement project is the knowledge of the territory in its manifold aspects; knowledge that can be properly synth...
Climate services for tourism: An applied methodology for user engagement and co-creation in European destinations
Climate Services
Risk perception and social vulnerability of population in coastal areas subject to climate change in two Mediterranean regions
<p>Coastal areas are particularly sensitive to climate change. Owing to a significa... more <p>Coastal areas are particularly sensitive to climate change. Owing to a significant increase in human activities and pressures, these areas have become particularly susceptible to extreme physical phenomena that increase the exposure and vulnerability of population. The Authorities ought to make strong efforts to: i) take the necessary measures and actions to reduce the negative impacts of the natural phenomena on the coastal areas, which are also due to the climate change; ii) investigate the factors that influence the communities’ perception of natural hazards and the climate change. Indeed, in order to effectively manage the negative impacts of climate change both considerable scientific know-how and of people’s perception of the risk associated to them is paramount.</p> <p>Within this framework, a Research Project funded under the Agreement on Scientific Cooperation between CNR and the University of Malta (UoM) was developed. The Project is organized in order to synergistically combine the various scientific researches of the two partners (CNR-IRPI and University of Malta) in the context of natural hazards, public knowledge and perception of geo-hydrological risk and climate change. Calabria (Southern Italy) and Malta, the two Mediterranean regions considered as target areas for the Project, show different geomorphological and climatic settings but, although with different exposure levels, they are both affected by extreme physical phenomena and climate change.</p> <p>The goals of the Project are the following: i) identify the population’s awareness, perception and preparation concerning the effects that climate change has on coastal areas through online and face to face questionnaires; ii) assess the social vulnerability and develop a specific Index of Social Vulnerability in relation to natural hazards in the target areas (Calabria and Malta); iii) propose useful tools to local authorities and to responsible of territory planning and of risk prevision, prevention and management; iv) raise awareness among stakeholders and citizens around the issues linked to the effects of climate change on the increased frequency of extreme natural events. In the first half of the Project, a survey based on questionnaire for analysing population’s perception of geo-hydrological risks and climate change was carried out and the obtained results were analysed. At the end of the Project, the results will help to perform a wider and more thorough risk analysis that takes into account the potential increase in exposure and vulnerability of coastal areas population as a result of climate change in the two Mediterranean regions.</p>
Climate trends and tourist flows: first results of the case study in the Sila National Park (southern Italy) within the INDECIS Project
<p&amp... more <p>The scientific community agrees that climate change is generating a series of direct/indirect impacts on the environment and on humans that cannot be underestimated anymore. Consequently, it becomes urgent and necessary to know how this phenomenon affects ecosystems, productive activities and human well-being in order to plan measures for mitigation and adaptation. One sector whose performance is closely related to climate trends is tourism. The influence that climate change can have on tourism determines the need for adopting appropriate strategies to guarantee the sustainability of tourist destinations.</p> <p>In order to develop models and tools for the near-real-time acquisition of climate data and for spatial interpolation, visualization and communication of climate monitoring to territorial stakeholders, the INDECIS project has involved a partnership of experts in the climate sector, from 12 European countries. The INDECIS Project intends to develop an integrated approach to produce a series of climate indicators aimed at the high priority sectors of the Global Framework for Climate Services of the World Meteorological Organization (agriculture, risk reduction, energy, health, water), with the addition of tourism.</p> <p>With regards to the tourism sector, the territory of the Sila National Park (Calabria, southern Italy) has been selected as a study area for the acquisition of sectorial data on tourism (in particular, attendance data and tourist arrivals) and for the realization of a Workshop useful for the identification and enhancement of climate services that should be provided to stakeholders of the tourist destination, based on their needs. The Workshop was organized with three focus groups related to the following tourism activities: snow tourism, water and lake tourism, and earth tourism. Within the focus groups, the identified stakeholders - hotel groups, local associations, tourist agencies, parks, etc. - were able to highlight their needs in relation to the climate services that the INDECIS Project intends to offer.</p> <p>From the results it emerges how the stakeholders consider essential, in the case of long-term forecasts regarding both positive and negative weather conditions for their activities, to start a synergy between the institutional, the economic and social networks to undertake a joint action. In the case of a positive forecast, these actions could consist in increasing the tourist offer, building new infrastructures, planning new investments, and in the realization of promotional actions to attract further customers. In the case of negative forecasts, the stakeholders proposed the development of a new tourist destination model, as an alternative to the existing one, with new activities that could adapt to the new climatic conditions.</p> <p>In this context, the local community is the key component of the destination and the main stakeholder in tourism planning. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to communities and work in the context of tourist destinations on a local scale to encourage mitigation and adaptation to climate change.</p>…
The re-configuration of subjectivity during the pandemic: a thematic analysis of some literary texts on the border between humanistic geography and philosophy
Human Evolution, 2021
This article develops a reflection which considers geographical and philosophical discourse as co... more This article develops a reflection which considers geographical and philosophical discourse as contaminated interpretations, not as two separate and distinct areas. Humanistic geography is based on these assumptions: at its core is the analysis of the subjective value of the relationship between individuals and places. Starting from this framework, the article analyses the topos of the pandemic in The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Plague (1947) by Albert Camus, Love in the Time of Cholera (1985) by Gabriel García Márquez alongside contemporary testimonies of the COVID-19 pandemic. This comparative analysis allows to examine the ongoing relevance of this literary for a wider reflection on the relationship between subject and object, between human beings and the world, on historical time, the indefinite past, and on the concept of space. In pandemic periods, temporality appears not as a process, but as a cyclical succession of recurring phases, as it lacks the experience of a transformation directed towards a future end. So, what is subjectivity in a fleeting and fragile space like that of pandemic confinement? To answer this question, the article’s analysis draws on the philosophical work of De Martino and Benjamin, linking them to the current pandemic crisis. What becomes clear, as the article demonstrates is a relationship of mutual co-implication between geography and philosophy, based on a re-configuration of subjectivity and on the relationship between subject and object.
AIMS Geosciences, 2021
This article aims to analyse the dimensions of vulnerability in the complex territorial ecosystem... more This article aims to analyse the dimensions of vulnerability in the complex territorial ecosystem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, considering some substantial geoethical considerations and guidelines, usefull for the resolution of crisis situation. A thematic analysis was carried out on a gathering of secondary data and testimonies. Specifically, the paper will examine the modalities by which the mitigation process of the various vulnerabilities can be realized if implemented in synergy with some geoethical key points. This could contribute to the disaster risk reduction in DRC. Therefore, this paper will ascertain how the promotion of an environmental and ethical responsibility cannot be ignored in the future. It must be recognized that social, physical, environmental, economic, cultural, institutional vulnerabilities are interwined and interdependent. So, for their resolution, an integrated and multidisciplinary approach and the adoption of strategies shared by all the national and international stakeholders and policy makers are required.
Q-Times - Journal of Education, Technology and Social Studies, 2021
Pubblicato il: aprile 2021 ©Tutti i diritti riservati. Tutti gli articoli possono essere riprodot... more Pubblicato il: aprile 2021 ©Tutti i diritti riservati. Tutti gli articoli possono essere riprodotti con l'unica condizione di mettere in evidenza che il testo riprodotto è tratto da www.qtimes.it Registrazione Tribunale di Frosinone N. 564/09 VG Educating for sustainability. Perceptions and representations of climate change in secondary school. A comparison between the case studies of Palermo and Catanzaro 1 Educare alla sostenibilità. Percezioni e rappresentazioni del cambiamento climatico nella scuola secondaria di II grado: i casi di Palermo e Catanzaro a confronto
The Geoethical Semiosis of the Anthropocene: The Peircean Triad for a Reconceptualization of the Relationship between Human Beings and Environment
Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2021
This article seeks to reconcile, as well as operationalize, two different methodological approach... more This article seeks to reconcile, as well as operationalize, two different methodological approaches on the basis of some important basic affinities: geoethics and Peircean semiotics. For this purpose, Peirce’s triangle is conceived as a “translator mechanism” to parse the human–planet relationship that cannot be dealt with through actions in pairs but must be considered as a triadic relationship in which geoethics comes into play to develop a new relationship between human beings and environment. Following this, the triangle heuristic will employ the vertices Geoethics–Illness of the Earth–Society as a metaphor of the Anthropocene era through the lens of Peircean semiotics. This triangle method will help investigate some research questions: (1) Is planet illness an icon, index, or a symbol of the negative impact of the society? (2) When do we encounter environmental phenomena constituting images of planet illness? (3) What is the salient perspective from which to study the phenomenon of the Anthropocene? In discussing these issues, the authors call into play the concept of noosphere and propose a new ethical framework guiding human behavior toward the environment.
Paesaggi nei mondi virtuali e neogeografia. “Il mio spazio vissuto”: una mappatura delle testimonianze di quarantena durante il lockdown in Italia
Configurazioni e trasfigurazioni. Discorsi sul paesaggio mediato (a cura di Giovanni Messina e Lorenzo D'Agostino), 2021
Il presente capitolo vuole illustrare una ricerca condotta in Italia, durante il periodo di lockd... more Il presente capitolo vuole illustrare una ricerca condotta in Italia, durante il periodo di lockdown, finalizzata a utilizzare la comunicazione digitale e le piattaforme geospaziali per raccogliere e mappare testimonianze discorsive, visive e orali, storie e narrazioni di individui. Lo scopo principale della ricerca è stato quello di esplorare le varie testimonianze relative alla quarantena, al distanziamento fisico, alle resistenze e alle esperienze e pratiche che si verificano negli spazi quotidiani delle proprie abitazioni e nelle comunità locali. La ricerca identifica quali tipi di attività sociali e spaziali siano considerate più significative per gli individui e con quali modalità si siano realizzate queste interazioni sociali e spaziali, nel momento in cui gli individui hanno definito il proprio spazio vissuto “pandemico”.