Italy

This chapter analyses the evolution of Italian environmentalism in the decade following the successful anti-nuclear referendum of 1987. Although the number of national protests contracted over the decade, the overall presence of environmental organizations in the national media and in local protest was actually stable if not on the rise. Altogether, Italian environmentalism only partially fits the model of a movement engaged in sustained, large-scale collective challenges to authorities. Especially at the national level, environmental action emerges rather as action promoted by a set of public interest groups, mostly institutionalized in their forms of action, and whose control over the issues is less and less challenged by other political actors such as parties or economic interest groups.