On October 11 of this year, on the Lazio Region website, the
center-right president Rocca declared: "We have listened to the cry of
alarm of the Roman citizens and given them a concrete response with
respect to a plan inherited from those who preceded us. Today's regional
council, in fact, has confirmed the extension for entry into the ZTL
green zone of Rome for cars and commercial diesel vehicles Euro 4 and
postponed the ban for diesel Euro 5, approving the proposal for the
remodulation by Rome Capital of the interventions regarding limitations
to vehicular traffic, effective from November 1, 2024".
To understand Rocca's victory cry, we need to rewind the tape and go
back two years: in November 2022, in fact, the center-left municipal
government led by Gualtieri, on the basis of the indications contained
in the Air Quality Recovery Plan approved by the then PD-led regional
government, introduced a new ZTL, the so-called "green band", which
includes a large part of the municipal territory, in some areas also
touching the Grande Raccordo Anulare. The measure, in addition to
confirming the limitations already in place for some years, introduces
further progressive limitations within this area for diesel vehicles, in
particular starting from November 2023 for Euro 4 and from November 2024
for Euro 5.
This does not go unnoticed: the protests immediately begin, ridden by
the right that thunders against the radical-chic left of the ZTL. At the
end of 2023, the Capitoline council backtracked and postponed the
restrictions on Euro 4 and Euro 5 diesels by another year. And so we
come to the present day, with the Gualtieri council proposing to the
Lazio Region a further extension of the highly contested restrictions on
Euro 4 and 5 diesels and with President Rocca who, by approving the
extension, can boast of having introduced "a measure to mitigate a plan
that would have put hundreds of thousands of Romans in great difficulty,
unable to change cars in such a short time", as can always be read on
the aforementioned page of the Region's website. Yet another own goal by
the liberal "left", which knows nothing but to give ground and arguments
to the right. The affair of the ZTL in Rome is an example of a
phenomenon that unfortunately we are witnessing more and more frequently
in recent times, and which is becoming the norm in almost all advanced
capitalist countries, namely the polarization and trivialization of
public debate. This in fact now boils down to the comparison between a
reformist left, or so-called, incapable and uninterested in structurally
addressing the ecological crisis towards which capitalism is pushing us,
which struggles to find partial solutions, often focused on the
activation of virtuous behaviors on an individual and voluntary basis,
without any structural perspective and even less in a class perspective
capable of protecting the weakest groups; and an increasingly less
liberal right, which rides the popular discontent towards restrictive
measures in environmental matters, accusing the left of being now
relegated to the good living rooms.
This is a false opposition, which is repeated not only in the specific
case of policies to limit vehicular traffic, but every time we talk
about the environment and ecological transition; and it is false because
both positions have no intention of addressing the causes of the
problem, much less of identifying effective solutions.
That air pollution in urban areas is a real problem is now clear to the
entire scientific community: exposure to high levels of air pollutants
can cause problems to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as
well as increase the risk of miscarriage and neurological problems such
as dementia and cognitive disorders. The IARC (the UN agency for
research on cancer) classifies outdoor air pollution as a type 1 human
carcinogen. The WHO estimated, for 2019, 4.2 million premature deaths in
the world due to outdoor air pollution (including indoor air pollution,
i.e. related to closed environments, the figure comes to 6.7 million
deaths). Of these 4.2 million deaths, approximately 89% are concentrated
in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and
the Western Pacific regions. In 2021, estimates for Europe speak of
253,000 premature deaths due to exposure to high levels of fine
particulate matter in the air and 52,000 related to nitrogen dioxide.
Of course, not all the impact on the quality of the air we breathe is
caused by our cars: the role played by industry and agriculture is also
enormous, as is home heating. The EEA (European Environment Agency)
estimates that in the countries of the European Union, with regard to
airborne particulate matter, approximately 44% of PM10 and 53% of PM2.5
are due to the heating of homes, offices and shops, while road traffic
accounts for only 9%. The agricultural sector is responsible for 94% of
total ammonia emissions, road traffic for only 1%. Only in relation to
nitrogen oxide emissions is road transport the main source, with
approximately 37% of the total.
On the other hand, there are now numerous scientific studies that
highlight the health benefits obtained through traffic limitation
policies, be they ZTLs or urban congestion taxes (such as for example
the area C of Milan); this was supported by a study published last
summer in the scientific journal The Lancet Public Health, which after
reviewing studies and research on the health effects of traffic
limitation policies in various cities around the world, concluded that
such policies "can reduce health outcomes related to air pollution, with
the most significant effect on cardiovascular disease", while keeping in
mind that an evaluation of the long-term effects requires further
monitoring and observation.
Mobility, health and quality of life in large cities are class issues,
which must be addressed with a class approach. The implementation of new
and more sustainable urban mobility systems is certainly a difficult
challenge, which must be accompanied by a profound revision of urban
planning models - which currently increasingly relegate the working
class to suburbs with few services and poorly connected to the center -
and which can only be part of the project to overcome the capitalist
model. On the other hand, this can only happen if, here and now, we
begin to consolidate a grassroots movement capable of both analyzing the
complex reality we live in and of advancing simple primary objectives,
such as the strengthening of public transport and free season tickets or
the drastic reduction of their cost.
https://www.facebook.com/alternativalibertariaroma/posts/pfbid024ZohRC5ozrN9P46RUost93ysLCbdA88kaAPh36qLnma2h3u8MVnhxtrQJBo3oeuKl
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
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A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
center-right president Rocca declared: "We have listened to the cry of
alarm of the Roman citizens and given them a concrete response with
respect to a plan inherited from those who preceded us. Today's regional
council, in fact, has confirmed the extension for entry into the ZTL
green zone of Rome for cars and commercial diesel vehicles Euro 4 and
postponed the ban for diesel Euro 5, approving the proposal for the
remodulation by Rome Capital of the interventions regarding limitations
to vehicular traffic, effective from November 1, 2024".
To understand Rocca's victory cry, we need to rewind the tape and go
back two years: in November 2022, in fact, the center-left municipal
government led by Gualtieri, on the basis of the indications contained
in the Air Quality Recovery Plan approved by the then PD-led regional
government, introduced a new ZTL, the so-called "green band", which
includes a large part of the municipal territory, in some areas also
touching the Grande Raccordo Anulare. The measure, in addition to
confirming the limitations already in place for some years, introduces
further progressive limitations within this area for diesel vehicles, in
particular starting from November 2023 for Euro 4 and from November 2024
for Euro 5.
This does not go unnoticed: the protests immediately begin, ridden by
the right that thunders against the radical-chic left of the ZTL. At the
end of 2023, the Capitoline council backtracked and postponed the
restrictions on Euro 4 and Euro 5 diesels by another year. And so we
come to the present day, with the Gualtieri council proposing to the
Lazio Region a further extension of the highly contested restrictions on
Euro 4 and 5 diesels and with President Rocca who, by approving the
extension, can boast of having introduced "a measure to mitigate a plan
that would have put hundreds of thousands of Romans in great difficulty,
unable to change cars in such a short time", as can always be read on
the aforementioned page of the Region's website. Yet another own goal by
the liberal "left", which knows nothing but to give ground and arguments
to the right. The affair of the ZTL in Rome is an example of a
phenomenon that unfortunately we are witnessing more and more frequently
in recent times, and which is becoming the norm in almost all advanced
capitalist countries, namely the polarization and trivialization of
public debate. This in fact now boils down to the comparison between a
reformist left, or so-called, incapable and uninterested in structurally
addressing the ecological crisis towards which capitalism is pushing us,
which struggles to find partial solutions, often focused on the
activation of virtuous behaviors on an individual and voluntary basis,
without any structural perspective and even less in a class perspective
capable of protecting the weakest groups; and an increasingly less
liberal right, which rides the popular discontent towards restrictive
measures in environmental matters, accusing the left of being now
relegated to the good living rooms.
This is a false opposition, which is repeated not only in the specific
case of policies to limit vehicular traffic, but every time we talk
about the environment and ecological transition; and it is false because
both positions have no intention of addressing the causes of the
problem, much less of identifying effective solutions.
That air pollution in urban areas is a real problem is now clear to the
entire scientific community: exposure to high levels of air pollutants
can cause problems to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as
well as increase the risk of miscarriage and neurological problems such
as dementia and cognitive disorders. The IARC (the UN agency for
research on cancer) classifies outdoor air pollution as a type 1 human
carcinogen. The WHO estimated, for 2019, 4.2 million premature deaths in
the world due to outdoor air pollution (including indoor air pollution,
i.e. related to closed environments, the figure comes to 6.7 million
deaths). Of these 4.2 million deaths, approximately 89% are concentrated
in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and
the Western Pacific regions. In 2021, estimates for Europe speak of
253,000 premature deaths due to exposure to high levels of fine
particulate matter in the air and 52,000 related to nitrogen dioxide.
Of course, not all the impact on the quality of the air we breathe is
caused by our cars: the role played by industry and agriculture is also
enormous, as is home heating. The EEA (European Environment Agency)
estimates that in the countries of the European Union, with regard to
airborne particulate matter, approximately 44% of PM10 and 53% of PM2.5
are due to the heating of homes, offices and shops, while road traffic
accounts for only 9%. The agricultural sector is responsible for 94% of
total ammonia emissions, road traffic for only 1%. Only in relation to
nitrogen oxide emissions is road transport the main source, with
approximately 37% of the total.
On the other hand, there are now numerous scientific studies that
highlight the health benefits obtained through traffic limitation
policies, be they ZTLs or urban congestion taxes (such as for example
the area C of Milan); this was supported by a study published last
summer in the scientific journal The Lancet Public Health, which after
reviewing studies and research on the health effects of traffic
limitation policies in various cities around the world, concluded that
such policies "can reduce health outcomes related to air pollution, with
the most significant effect on cardiovascular disease", while keeping in
mind that an evaluation of the long-term effects requires further
monitoring and observation.
Mobility, health and quality of life in large cities are class issues,
which must be addressed with a class approach. The implementation of new
and more sustainable urban mobility systems is certainly a difficult
challenge, which must be accompanied by a profound revision of urban
planning models - which currently increasingly relegate the working
class to suburbs with few services and poorly connected to the center -
and which can only be part of the project to overcome the capitalist
model. On the other hand, this can only happen if, here and now, we
begin to consolidate a grassroots movement capable of both analyzing the
complex reality we live in and of advancing simple primary objectives,
such as the strengthening of public transport and free season tickets or
the drastic reduction of their cost.
https://www.facebook.com/alternativalibertariaroma/posts/pfbid024ZohRC5ozrN9P46RUost93ysLCbdA88kaAPh36qLnma2h3u8MVnhxtrQJBo3oeuKl
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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