Resource exhaustion and territorial fragility: rethinking hydropower in the Valtellina Valley, Italy

The concept of ‘planetary boundaries’ highlights the limits of Earth's biophysical systems, yet their manifestation within specific territories remains little explored. This article applies this framework to the Valtellina Valley, in the Alpine Region: a long-established water-based energy landscape that supplies 14% of Italy’s hydroelectricity. As climate change and hydrological shifts push this regional system toward water scarcity, renewed hydropower development exposes critical environmental, economic and social tensions. Through a spatial and contextual analysis, the study argues for reinterpreting ‘planetary boundaries’ at the territorial scale to inform adaptive planning, emphasising the interdependence of energy infrastructures, spatial transformations and governance processes.