The Friends of Paros sent a letter to the Minister of Climate Change, Mr Christos Stylianidis, regarding the environmental impact of (public and private) investments in Paros.
In their letter, the FoPA expressed their vital concern about the investments planned in Paros in recent years. They note that these projects are being implemented without the necessary consultation of the local population, who are informed of them too late and do not have the opportunity to discuss them and express their informed opinion, violating national and European legislation. As typical examples, they mention the planning and siting of the otherwise beneficial wind farms, the construction of large new hotels (e.g. in the already burdened bay of Kolimpithres), the siting of a new harbour in Piso Livadi and the oversized extension of the new Paros airport. The FPA believe that all these projects, both individually and in combination, will undoubtedly harm the island’s environment, and some of them are directly contrary to the policy of combating climate change.
The letter also refers to the example of the airport and the tender launched last year by the Ministry of Transport for the extension of its runway from 1400m to 1800m ([1],[2]), to allow the landing of B737 and A320/321 jets. In particular, the FoPA point out that the relevant Study and the environmental permit based on it[3] do not consider at all, in violation of the country’s international and European obligations, the increase in air pollution from the intended (international) flights with larger jets[4] and take for granted the need for expansion without critical examination of alternatives and without taking into account the neighbouring international airports (Mykonos, Santorini).
These studies, the letter adds, ignore other aspects of civil protection, such as the increase in noise pollution or the already problematic high season traffic congestion on the island. A similar burden, which has not been adequately studied or discussed with the local public, will be caused by other projects, such as the new port or the planned large hotel units, which will cause an increase in tourist traffic not only on the island itself, but also in the number of journeys to and from it, resulting in a further increase in polluting activities, either from transport (air, land and sea) or from the already inadequate treatment of trash and wastewater (not forgetting the depletion of the island’s water resources and beyond, while desalination is certainly not a panacea).
In other words, the letter concludes, the “hyper-tourism” that is being cultivated diligently on Paros, combined with the hundreds of new building permits (e.g. for Airbnb) per year and the cruise ships passing through, without taking seriously into account the carrying capacity of the island and the resilience of the local community, can only harm the fight against climate change. In conclusion, the FoPA, being aware of the Minister’s and the Prime Minister’s sensitivity to climate change issues, as expressed repeatedly in the context of sustainable and quality tourism, but also at the global level, request the Minister to act following the country’s international and European commitments in the field of climate change, so that the Government’s grand declarations on climate change, sustainable tourism and “green growth” do not remain empty words.
[1] as well as the increase of the existing facilities from 750sqm to 12.000sqm!
[2] Proclamation 21 PROC 00866647 2021-05-26
[3] Ministry of Environment/DIPA/50085/998/23.9.2019 and Ministry of Environment/DIPA/42510/2472/07.05.2020
[4] which will not be able to take off with a full load even with the new runway, which implies the need to refuel at an intermediate station (e.g. Spata), resulting in a further increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
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