Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings

Maritime piracy remains a persistent security challenge across several global regions, with violent incidents posing the greatest threat to crew safety and vessel operations. This study investigates the relationship between violent escalation in piracy incidents and a set of contextual and operational variables using classical categorical data statistics. A dataset comprising reported maritime piracy and armed robbery events from 2015–2024 was compiled from IMB, OBP, and IMO sources and analysed through chi-square tests of independence, followed by Cramér’s V to quantify the strength of association. The results demonstrate that violence is not randomly distributed across incident characteristics. Geographic region exhibits the strongest measurable association with violent outcomes, reflecting the influence of regional security dynamics and the presence of organized criminal networks. Attack type and weapon type show additional, though weaker, associations, indicating that close-range engagement and the presence of firearms increase the likelihood of escalation. Vessel type, flag state, and seasonal timing display only marginal effects. Overall, the findings highlight that the probability of violence during piracy events is primarily shaped by spatial context and tactical execution. The study confirms that chi-square and Cramér’s V offer a transparent, interpretable framework for identifying key risk factors and can serve as a foundation for operational threat assessments and maritime security planning.

Urban lighting is evolving from a basic technical infrastructure to a strategic tool for sustainable regeneration, energy efficiency, and public space reactivation. This paper explores the potential of smart and adaptive lighting systems as enablers of 24 h services, equitable access, and environmental resilience. By integrating lighting strategies with urban planning instruments (PRIC, PEC, PMU), cities can reduce energy consumption, limit light pollution, and foster new urban centralities. The study outlines regulatory gaps, technical solutions, and cultural shifts needed to transform lighting into a key asset for livable, inclusive, and digitally enabled urban futures.

The Strait of Messina occupies a strategic position in the Mediterranean, representing an environmental and territorial peculiarity. The Strait area today is at the center of the political debate for the stable crossing project, a strategic infrastructure work for Italy and Europe. With the Strait Bridge, territorial arrangements, sea fronts, infrastructure systems, and urban and architectural dimensions will change. It appears necessary to prepare the territories and take advantage of all the opportunities related to future scenarios. The Strait area is not only marked by the crossing, but the whole territorial and urban system—the coastal strip and inland areas—becomes an active part of the processes of territorial regeneration and development.