PEOPLEMariachiara Alberton

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Mariachiara Alberton

Senior Researcher
Institute for Comparative Federalism

T +39 0471 055 232

mariachiara.alberton@eurac.edu

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3227-1182

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About

Research areas:

Multi-level governance of the Environment in different legal systems
Climate change and energy transition
Public participation in environmental decision-making
Water governance

Dr. Mariachiara Alberton (PhD in Law and economics, University of Siena, 2007) is a senior researcher in Environmental Law at the Institute for Comparative Federalism, Eurac Research. Her research focuses on the multi-level governance of the environment and climate change. She investigates in particular how intergovernmental arrangements and dynamics at multiple levels (supranational, national, subnational) enable or hinder environmental protection, participatory processes, and the transition and transformation processes toward sustainability and climate resilience. She is the author of several books and peer-reviewed publications on different environmental topics, such as climate change, environmental impact assessment, public participation in environmental decision-making, water, biodiversity, environmental liability. Through the years she has coordinated and participated to several international and national funded projects on the same topics.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3227-1182

CV with full list of publications:

Scientific Publications

Report2025

Klimarisiken und Anpassung - Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol

Zebisch M, Pedoth L, Pörnbacher M, Renner K, Fritsch U, Alberton M, Bertoldi G, Bisignano J,

Chiara Pellegrini, Mariachiara Alberton, Giacomo Bertoldi, Federica Maino, Uta Fritsch, Andreas Hilpold, Andrea Omizzolo, Wolfram Sparber, Nikolaus Obojes, Lydia Pedoth, Kathrin Renner, Marc Zebisch, Alice Crespi, Philipp Corradini, Giacomo Strapazzon, Chiara Crippa, Christian Hoffmann, Matteo Prina, Giulia Roveri

Project: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy South Tyrol, 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems, Eco-Hydrology of alpine watersheds

Der Bericht „Klimarisiken und Anpassung – Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol“ untersucht die möglichen Klimafolgen und Klimarisiken sowie deren Ursachen für Südtirol für neun Sektoren und schlägt Strategien und Maßnahmenbündel für eine notwendige Klimaanpassung vor. Er soll die Klimaanpassungsstrategie des Landes vorbereiten sowie informieren und setzt daher die Schwerpunkte auf Klimarisiken, die weite Teile Südtirols oder mehrere Systeme, Sektoren oder Handlungsfelder gleichzeitig betreffen und sich kaskadenartig ausbreiten. Außerdem fokussiert diese Studie auf Anpassungsstrategien und Maßnahmen (wie z.B. Politikinstrumente), die auf der Ebene der Provinz eingeführt und umgesetzt werden sollten, und weniger auf technische Maßnahmen in einzelnen Handlungsfeldern.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57749/4ehb-1753

Report2025

Rischi climatici e adattamento - Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima

Zebisch M, Pedoth L, Pörnbacher M, Renner K, Fritsch U, Alberton M, Bertoldi G, Bisignano J,

Project: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy South Tyrol

Il documento “Rischi climatici e adattamento – Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima” analizza i possibili impatti, i rischi climatici e le loro cause per l’Alto Adige in nove settori e propone strategie e pacchetti di misure per il necessario adattamento. Lo scopo è quello di preparare e informare la strategia di adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici della Provincia; pertanto, si concentra sui rischi climatici che interessano vaste zone dell'Alto Adige o che colpiscono contemporaneamente diversi sistemi, settori o campi d'azione e si diffondono a cascata. Inoltre, questo studio si concentra sulle strategie e sulle misure di adattamento (come gli strumenti politici) che dovrebbero essere introdotte e implementate a livello provinciale, piuttosto che sulle misure tecniche nei singoli campi di azione.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57749/q8y8-tv70

Journal article2025

The multi-level governance of water under the climate crisis. Two EU MS at a glance: Italy and Spain

Alberton M, De La Pena A

Mariachiara Alberton

La governance multilivello dell’acqua di fronte alla crisi climatica. Due Stati membri dell’UE a confronto: Italia e Spagna – In light of the current climate crisis, the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts, coupled with the suboptimal efficiency of waterworks, necessitate a new, resilient governance approach that is more flexible, better coordinated, and inclusive. Is the water governance of EU countries prepared for the challenges posed by climate change? This article explores the challenges associated with implementing EU water policy reforms (i.e., the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive) in two EU Member States, Italy and Spain, by examining the evolution of institutional and legislative reforms.

DOI

DOI: 10.57660/dpceonline.2025.2564

Inbook2024

Climate change as a transformative governance challenge: preliminary theoretical reflections and insights from Italy and South Tyrol

Alberton M

Mariachiara Alberton

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

DOI

DOI: 10.5771/9783748944614-113

Journal article2024

Verso la transizione energetica in Alto Adige tra riparto delle competenze e iniziative autonomiche

Alberton M

Mariachiara Alberton

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

This contribution offers an analysis of the competence framework of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen on energy matters and delves deeper into the strategic and legislative initiatives that have been approved at provincial level in the field of energy transition.

DOI

DOI: 10.1443/115728

Journal article2023

Climate change governance: the case of Italy

Alberton M

Mariachiara Alberton

Climate change embodies the essence of a multilevel and cross-sectoral governance challenge where targets and actions are discussed, set, calibrated and implemented at different governmental levels and across different policy sectors. Thus, vertical policy integration and horizontal policy integration are key factors for effective climate actions.

In the context of compound systems, Italy represents an EU Member State holding the status of a regional state facing the urgent need to respond to the current climate and energy crisis. To understand the challenges, obstacles and opportunities of multilevel and cross-sectoral climate decision-making in Italy, this article analyses the distribution of powers in climate related issues among different layers of governments, the modes of cooperation, the role of the Constitutional Court in solving the intergovernmental conflicts, the policy and legislative initiatives enacted. Against this background, the case of the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano is presented.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57645/20.8080.01.5

Journal article2023

Climate Change Law and Federalism: A Comparative Review from the Perspective of the EU Decentralised Member States

Alberton M, Cocciolo E

Mariachiara Alberton

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57645/20.8080.01.1

Inbook2023

Climate Governance and Federalism in the European Union

Alberton M

Mariachiara Alberton

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

Building on its climate change mitigation policies and associated greenhouse gas emissions reductions, the EU aims to become the world’s first climate-neutral economy by 2050. However, meeting the climate change challenge appears complex in the process of European differentiated integration, the (still) problematic 2004 enlargement to include former communist countries, as well as Brexit and the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The EU offers an interesting combination of different federal features although it has not yet been recognized as a federation. Also, EU climate governance development is the product of peculiar federal dynamics and characteristics, namely: the favourable context for decentralized and experimental policymaking; the enhanced prospects for triggering dynamic processes of policy diffusion; and the availability of multiple levels and forums for policymaking. In this realm, however, a number of knots still need to be disentangled, as Member States’ diverging priorities on energy and sometimes conflicting positions on mitigation targets make intergovernmental decision-making in climate policy increasingly difficult. In addition, policy fragmentation and poor or delayed implementation of EU legislation by Member States remain a critical issue.

DOI

DOI: 10.1017/9781009249676.008

Inbook2023

Multilevel Management of Environmental Issues

Alberton M, Cittadino F

Mariachiara Alberton, Federica Cittadino

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

This entry focuses on the allocation of powers in environmental matters in multilevel systems, i.e. systems that have decision-making authorities at different government levels. In the first part, this issue is examined from a theoretical point of view, with reference to the scholarly work concerning environmental federalism. In particular, criteria on how to divide environmental competences, the opportunities and challenges of such a division, and the need for coordination and conflict-resolution mechanisms are discussed. In the second part, two national European cases, Spain and Italy, are examined with a view to understanding how powers are concretely divided, how coordination is concretely achieved, and how conflicts are concretely solved. National cases are preceded by the analysis of how multilateral decision-making in environmental matters is realized in the European Union.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-31739-7_218-1

Report2022

Auf dem Weg in Richtung Klimaneutralität: Szenarien für Südtirol; Ergänzende wissenschaftliche Analysen zum Klimaplan – Update 2022

Sparber W, Niedrist G, Alberton M, Zebisch M, Habicher D

Mariachiara Alberton, Georg Niedrist, Wolfram Sparber, Marc Zebisch

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

Die Weltgemeinschaft hat mit dem Pariser Klimavertrag von 2015 beschlossen, alle Maßnahmen zu treffen um die Klimaerwärmung auf deutlich unter 2°C, wenn möglich unter 1.5°C zu begrenzen. Aktuell (2022) haben wir bereits 1.1 °C Erwärmung. Die neuesten Berichte des Weltklimarats (IPCC) belegen wissenschaftlich, dass ein Überschreiten dieser Grenzen zu massiven, sich beschleunigenden und irreversiblen Klimaänderungen mit katastrophalen Klimawirkungen in allen Teilen der Erde führen würde. Es ist auch belegt, dass das 1.5°C Ziel nur durch eine schnelle und massive Reduktion der Treibhausgasemissionen erreicht werden kann und dass spätestens bis 2050 weltweit und in allen Sektoren Klimaneutralität, also Netto-Null Emissionen, erreicht werden müssen. Das Land Südtirol hat sich mit seiner Initiative „Klimaland Südtirol“ und dem „KlimaPlan Energie – Südtirol 2050“, der seit Sommer 2021 als Entwurf vorliegt1 zum Ziel gesetzt, Treibhausgasemissionen erheblich zu reduzieren und so zu Erreichung der Pariser Klimaziele beizutragen. Die vorliegende Studie versteht sich als Unterstützung und Ergänzung zu dem sich derzeit (Stand Juli 2022) noch in Überarbeitung befindlichen neuen Klimaplans der Autonomen Provinz Bozen.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57749/jy00-p949

Internet2022

IPCC warns world against “irreversible” impacts of global warming: How is the EU responding to the climate crisis?

Alberton M

Mariachiara Alberton

Project: 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems

On 28 February 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report "Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". This new report gives the clearest indication to date of how a warmer world is leading to irreversible impacts and is pushing natural and human systems beyond their ability to adapt. The report’s findings clearly reinforce the urgency of climate change action and calls for efforts far beyond current commitments. To this end, the European Commission, following the adoption of the European Green Deal (2019) as the EU’s new growth strategy involving all economic sectors, and of the European Climate Law (2021) as the EU’s binding instrument to pursue a climate-neutral economy by 2050, published the "Fit for 55" package in July 2021.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57708/B113485262

Report2022

Scenari per l’Alto Adige verso la neutralità climatica: analisi scientifiche per il Piano Clima – Update 2022

Sparber W, Zebisch M, Niedrist G, Alberton M, Habicher D

Mariachiara Alberton, Georg Niedrist, Wolfram Sparber, Marc Zebisch

Con l’Accordo sul clima di Parigi del 2015 la comunità globale ha deciso di adottare tutte le misure necessarie per limitare il riscaldamento globale nettamente al di sotto dei 2°C, se possibile al di sotto di 1,5°C. Attualmente (2022) l’aumento di temperatura è di 1,1°C. È scientificamente provato dagli ultimi rapporti del Gruppo intergovernativo sul cambiamento climatico (IPCC) che il superamento di questi limiti porterebbe a un cambiamento climatico massiccio, accelerato e irreversibile, con impatti catastrofici in tutte le parti del mondo. È inoltre dimostrato che l’obiettivo di 1,5°C può essere raggiunto solo attraverso una rapida e massiccia riduzione delle emissioni di gas a effetto serra e che la neutralità climatica, cioè emissioni nette azzerate, deve essere raggiunta a livello mondiale e in tutti i settori al più tardi entro il 2050. Con l’iniziativa “KlimaLand Südtirol Piano Clima 2050”, disponibile in bozza dall’estate 2021, la Provincia autonoma di Bolzano si è posta l’obiettivo di ridurre significativamente le emissioni di gas serra, contribuendo così al raggiungimento degli obiettivi climatici di Parigi. Questo studio vuole supportare e integrare il nuovo piano della Provincia autonoma di Bolzano, attualmente (luglio 2022) ancora in fase di revisione.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57749/jz3s-j725

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Mariachiara Alberton

About

Scientific Publications

Klimarisiken und Anpassung - Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol

Rischi climatici e adattamento - Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima

The multi-level governance of water under the climate crisis. Two EU MS at a glance: Italy and Spain

Climate change as a transformative governance challenge: preliminary theoretical reflections and insights from Italy and South Tyrol

Verso la transizione energetica in Alto Adige tra riparto delle competenze e iniziative autonomiche

Climate change governance: the case of Italy

Climate Change Law and Federalism: A Comparative Review from the Perspective of the EU Decentralised Member States

Climate Governance and Federalism in the European Union

Multilevel Management of Environmental Issues

Auf dem Weg in Richtung Klimaneutralität: Szenarien für Südtirol; Ergänzende wissenschaftliche Analysen zum Klimaplan – Update 2022

IPCC warns world against “irreversible” impacts of global warming: How is the EU responding to the climate crisis?

Scenari per l’Alto Adige verso la neutralità climatica: analisi scientifiche per il Piano Clima – Update 2022

Science Shots Eurac Research Newsletter

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Scientific Publications

Klimarisiken und Anpassung - Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol

Rischi climatici e adattamento - Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima

The multi-level governance of water under the climate crisis. Two EU MS at a glance: Italy and Spain

Climate change as a transformative governance challenge: preliminary theoretical reflections and insights from Italy and South Tyrol

Verso la transizione energetica in Alto Adige tra riparto delle competenze e iniziative autonomiche

Climate change governance: the case of Italy

Climate Change Law and Federalism: A Comparative Review from the Perspective of the EU Decentralised Member States

Climate Governance and Federalism in the European Union

Multilevel Management of Environmental Issues

Auf dem Weg in Richtung Klimaneutralität: Szenarien für Südtirol; Ergänzende wissenschaftliche Analysen zum Klimaplan – Update 2022

IPCC warns world against “irreversible” impacts of global warming: How is the EU responding to the climate crisis?

Scenari per l’Alto Adige verso la neutralità climatica: analisi scientifiche per il Piano Clima – Update 2022

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