Energia e ambiente. La lunga stagione dei Piani Energetici Nazionali (1975-1988)

This article examines the history of Italy's National Energy Plans during the 1970s and 1980s, in order to understand the reasons behind the country's continued dependence on fossil fuels. It argues that in the second half of the 1960s the Italian government and the main energy companies started paying attention to the environmental consequences of energy policies. However, it was not until the second half of the 1980s that the energy-environment nexus gained political legitimacy. With the end of the First Republic and the privatization of Eni and Enel, though, the Italian government increased its reliance on imported oil and natural gas, making the country particularly vulnerable to international crises.