Italy · Sicily · 4 cities
Air quality in Sicily today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Siracusa has the cleanest air of the 4 cities we track in Sicily (AQI 27, Good), and Catania the worst (AQI 56, Moderate). Messina has the most tree cover, at 21.7% — #24 of 44 cities measured in Italy.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
Average right now
AQI 48
Good
- cities tracked
- 4
- average tree cover
- 14.0%
- Italy: 23.6%
- worst air now: Catania
- 56
- cleanest air now: Siracusa
- 27
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Sicily · average AQI 48
Air quality today across Sicily, city by city
| Palermo | 56Moderate | 9.9% | 49.6K | #42 of 44 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catania | 56Moderate | 14.3% | 48.1K | #35 of 44 |
| Messina | 53Moderate | 21.7% | 20.1K | #24 of 44 |
| Siracusa | 27Good | 10.0% | 45.1K | #41 of 44 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Italy.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sicily lost?
Since 2001, Sicily has lost about 27,900 hectares of forest (about 39,000 football pitches): 7.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 6,900 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 27,900 haabout 39,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 7.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 6,900 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 420 ha | 609 ha | 1,030 ha |
| 2002 | 168 ha | 144 ha | 312 ha |
| 2003 | 124 ha | 105 ha | 229 ha |
| 2004 | 559 ha | 431 ha | 990 ha |
| 2005 | 112 ha | 125 ha | 237 ha |
| 2006 | 425 ha | 251 ha | 676 ha |
| 2007 | 546 ha | 447 ha | 993 ha |
| 2008 | 576 ha | 806 ha | 1,380 ha |
| 2009 | 521 ha | 912 ha | 1,430 ha |
| 2010 | 206 ha | 167 ha | 373 ha |
| 2011 | 201 ha | 233 ha | 434 ha |
| 2012 | 232 ha | 257 ha | 489 ha |
| 2013 | 371 ha | 1,780 ha | 2,150 ha |
| 2014 | 259 ha | 830 ha | 1,090 ha |
| 2015 | 273 ha | 957 ha | 1,230 ha |
| 2016 | 360 ha | 1,790 ha | 2,150 ha |
| 2017 | 525 ha | 3,570 ha | 4,090 ha |
| 2018 | 143 ha | 1,540 ha | 1,690 ha |
| 2019 | 122 ha | 458 ha | 580 ha |
| 2020 | 59 ha | 331 ha | 390 ha |
| 2021 | 107 ha | 1,610 ha | 1,710 ha |
| 2022 | 139 ha | 1,070 ha | 1,210 ha |
| 2023 | 161 ha | 1,230 ha | 1,390 ha |
| 2024 | 104 ha | 559 ha | 663 ha |
| 2025 | 184 ha | 778 ha | 962 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 1,190 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 1,780 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 4,090 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Sicily?
- Wildfirescan grow back59% · 16,400 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good20% · 5,660 ha
- Loggingcan grow back13% · 3,650 ha
Also: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. How it's measured
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