Only 17 out of 151 Spanish municipalities According to the Climate Change Act, which must be implemented Low Emission Zones (ZBE) That’s what they’ve done so far, as reported by the central government, which describes the “backwards” in terms of mobility by municipalities like Logroño as “highly reactionary”.
This was expressed by Teresa Ribera, Acting Deputy Head of Government and Minister for Ecological Transition, at an event on mobility and air quality in cities held in Madrid; Ribera also announced that a map will be announced with information on the municipalities that have obligations. Installing ZBEs.
So far, they have only fulfilled their duties. Climate Change Law 14 of the cities with a population of more than 50,000 and 3 of cities with a population of more than 20,000 (again had to activate ZBEs due to high air pollution), Marta Muñoz, deputy general manager for clean air and industrial sustainability, informed the meeting. .
The minister reminded Air pollution is the leading environmental cause of premature death In the European Union (it is estimated that 20,000 premature deaths per year in Spain are caused by air pollution caused by nitrogen oxides (NO2), ozone (O3) and suspended particles below 2.5 µm (PM2.5), environmental, social and effect on economic costs.
Ribera complained that the model for which Spanish cities were designed had “an unequal occupation of the public sphere.” 65 percent go to the carand entails a “significant cost in healthcare systems, care systems, especially in emergencies, which are the most expensive in terms of health management”.
Accompanied by a group of experts on health, mobility and urban planning, the minister underlined the difficulty of promoting changes in public administrations, despite being aware of the level of social awareness that supports this urban transformation among the public, saying, for example, the demonstration in defense of the Madrid Center in the summer of 2019.
“I have the impression that what we saw being done in Logroño only 15 days ago would not be possible in cities like Pontevedra; ‘reopening to traffic,’ said Ribera, emphasizing: “Freedom is enjoying the street, not the car.”.
David Lois, a researcher at the Transport Research Center at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, assured that most people are “for this change, we are on the right side of history” but “we need strong and determined political leadership”.
car abuse
“It has been said that many people cannot give up any form of motor travel, but it turns out that Let alone medium and small ones, about 30% of journeys in cities are less than 2 kilometers”, Lois stressed.
From a communications standpoint, Cristina Linares, a researcher at the National School of Health at the Carlos III Institute of Health, suggested that more attention should be paid to the benefits of transforming the urban model in favor of active mobility (by walking or cycling). – and among these benefits he mentioned: reduced risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, obesity, diabetes or mental health.
He pointed out that at the moment “the zip code is more important than the genetic code” and added: “A lot of money is spent on healthcare but if the same amount was invested in improving the urban environment, i.e. the area in which one lives, the risk factors would be greatly reduced”.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]