COPENHAGEN, 27 October 2020 – The Bureau of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s economic and environmental committee held an expert consultation on 23 October with the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA). The discussion focused on COVID-19, environmental security and ways to promote science-based policymaking.

OSCE PA members learned about the innovative research conducted by SIMA on the impact of pollution on public health and, more recently, on the correlation between SARS-Cov-2 virus transmission and the concentration of atmospheric particulate matter.

The parliamentarians underscored the desire of the OSCE PA to better frame these issues, as well as to advocate a more holistic and interdisciplinary approach to environmental security. It was noted that by better protecting the environment it is possible to both mitigate climate change and safeguard public health, thus addressing both challenges at the same time. These environmental threats share common root causes and urgently require co-ordinated counter-measures, including the massive reduction of greenhouses emissions and of other air pollutants.

Participants included Doris Barnett (Germany), Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine) and Elona Gjebrea Hoxha (Albania), the Chair, Vice-Chair and Rapporteur, respectively, of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment. Also participating was OSCE PA Special Representative on Arctic Issues Torill Eidsheim (Norway).

SIMA was represented by Alessandro Miani, President of SIMA, Prof. of Environmental Prevention; Prisco Piscitelli, Vice-President of SIMA, Environmental Epidemiologist; Leonardo Setti, SIMA Scientific Committee, Prof. of Industrial Biochemistry; Gianluigi de Gennaro, SIMA Scientific Committee, Prof. of Environmental Chemistry; and Paola Adinolfi, SIMA Scientific Committee, Director of the Interdepartmental Center for Research in Law, Economics and Public Administration Management.

The event was a follow-up on a Parliamentary Web Dialogue held on 22 May 2020, entitled “COVID-19: A turning point for environmental protection?” It was meant to continue the PA’s efforts to build partnerships with the scientific community to better understand and effectively respond to the top environmental security threats of the 21st century.

Practical implications of the SIMA studies on COVID-19 containment for the attention of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - 17 November 2020