Harmony or disarray: Italy’s environmental (im)mobility in the precautionary conundrum

This chapter will not delve into the individual agency within mobility processes, as this
subject requires thorough examination in its own right (Harvey, 1982), involving considera-
tions such as the loss of land capital and shifts in the labour force. For the scope of this
text, we define climatic and environmental (im)mobility to include both gradual degradation
(like desertification) and sudden disasters (such as landslides). Even in cases of seismic and
volcanic disasters, not strictly ‘climatic’ in nature, we acknowledge the relevance of mobil-
ity concepts, leading us to ponder the broader implications of the ‘civil protection model’
and the utility of mobility as a preventive or post-catastrophe strategy. After introducing the
concept of the precautionary principle, we will analyse some of the preventive and post-event
measures mandated by civil protection in Italy, commenting on certain contradictory aspects
through the lens of the ‘mobility paradigm’ via a thematic review encompassing diverse cata-
strophic events in Italy.