Environmental and civil society associations expressed their opposition to the expansion of Humberto Delgado airport over noise and pollution to the mayor of Lisbon on Tuesday and said the focus should be on expanding the railway.
Dozens of environmental associations and residents of the city of Lisbon are speaking this afternoon at an extraordinary public meeting of the municipal executive to discuss the consequences of increasing the capacity of Humberto Delgado Airport.
In a short initial speech, Lisbon City Council President Carlos Moedas (PSD) assured that the executive branch agreed with the flight restrictions, but stressed that “there must be a balance with tourism and economic activity.”
However, those interviewed expressed opposition to the airport expansion, warning of consequences that were “already visible”, particularly in terms of noise and pollution.
The President of the League for the Defense of Nature (LPN), Pedro Amaral, stressed that “the increase in supply will increase demand, worsening the already negative impacts of the Humberto Delgado airport.”
“Government funds should be directed towards rail transport,” he said.
In the same vein, the president of the Zero association, Francisco Ferreira, stated that the Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) of Lisbon Airport dates back to 2006 and that it predicts the closure of this infrastructure in 2015.
“It’s incredible that no organization questions this,” he said.
José Rodríguez of GEOTA (Group for Territorial Planning and Environmental Studies) defended the complete abolition of night flights and investment in the railway, “making Beja airport viable.”
“It is quite possible to travel from Beja to Lisbon by train,” he noted.
In turn, several residents’ associations, such as Associação Residentes do Alto do Lumiar and Serafina, described the negative impact that the airport’s activities have on their daily lives, especially at night.
“We cannot sign up for this extension. We also ask the Chamber and the President not to sign up for this extension,” said Jose Almeida of the association.
A discussion on increasing the capacity of Humberto Delgado Airport is taking place this afternoon in the Archives Room of Lisbon City Hall, at the request of PS.
According to the Socialist Council, “around 100,000 people live in the parishes surrounding the airport, which are already negatively impacted in terms of noise, pollution and traffic congestion.”
To participate in the debate, the Chamber invited, at the suggestion of the PC, the Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency (APA), the National Council for Environment and Sustainable Development (CNADS), Zero – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável, GEOTA – Study Group Spatial Planning and Environment, the Nature Defence League (LPN) and the Morar em Lisboa movement.
The other political forces with representation in the chamber – PSD/CDU, PCP, Cidadas for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), Livre and BE – can nominate other organisations, while the blockers invite the civic platform “Airport out, Lisbon is improving”, which, from 2022, demands the end of night flights and compliance with the General Noise Law.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.