Yesterday, we published the list of the best and worst environmental facts of 2013 for the non-governmental organization Quercus. Today, let's talk about what awaits us in 2014. The ONGA made the list of the most pressing issues for 2014 â€" the absence of a National Mobility Plan the entry into force of the new community support framework for Portugal.
Keep the list of themes that, over the next 12 months, will be on the table for the environmental sector.
Environmental perspectives for 2014
1. National Mobility Plan
"Still does not exist a national mobility plan, which focuses on serious issues unresolved in major urban centres and in metropolitan areas and also in connection with the interior.
The Country continues to drift to the individual road transport, aggravating its foreign energy dependence and failing dismally the need for an adaptation to a post-oil reality. Urge the strengthening and the reinvention of the railway and maritime transport of passengers and of alternative forms of transport and slight in major cities. There are timid initiatives, but much remains to be done. "
2. Arrangement of Albufeira in the new planning cycle
"We are now in the middle of the second planning cycle in the area of water resources. The second river basin district management plans are being prepared and will be soon put into public discussion. At the same time, Spain shall act unilaterally to proceed to further Transfer Tejo-Safe, expeditiously and without inclusion in their plans. How then can a shared management of common water basins-Minho, Douro, Tagus and Guadiana? There is an urgent need to renegotiate the Arrangement of Albufeira and impose ecological flows, urgency as more urgent as the water resources tend to decrease significantly address climate change. "
3. entry into force of the new community support framework for Portugal
"Lying on the backstretch the negotiations for the agreement of partnership for European Structural funds and investment 2014-2020, between Portugal and the European Commission, Quercus expects that this will not be another missed opportunity to tackle some of the problems which remain inexplicably to subsist in our country. Some of these environmental problems that need solving through lack of treatment of wastewater from villages and by environmental liabilities resulting from industrial activity, but also because of the lack of investment on the railway and on sustainable mobility, renewable energy and energy efficiency, the promotion of recycling of waste to acceptable levels, and on the conservation of natural values, with special focus on conservation of Classified Areas (protected areas, Natura 2000 and RAMSAR sites), avoiding also the public funding of projects harmful to the environment. "
4. crisis, energy and climate
"In context of crisis, pollutant emissions, including greenhouse gases, have been declining, since the transport sector to the industrial sector as well as domestic. However, it is vital that in 2014, with an eventual economic recovery, we are prepared to promote a development betted on consumption reduction, energy efficiency, in parallel with the improvement of the quality of life. 2014 will also be a crucial year for a future climate agreement in 2015, and it is crucial that Portugal take on political positions more suitable for a sustainable development. "
5. effective monitoring of the pós-avaliação phase of projects subject to EIA for public authorities.
"The monitoring of the pós-avaliação phase of projects subject to Environmental impact assessment (EIA) by public authorities, in particular on the part of APA-Portuguese Agency for environment and Nature Conservation Institute â€" ICNF and forests, has been embarrassing. It is expected that, with the publication of new legislation which establishes the legal regime of environmental impact assessment, last October, there is a greater concern for public authorities with one of the most important areas of public policy environment. "
6. stability and firmness of environmental policies in Portugal
"About two and a half years after this Government has initiated functions, the results achieved in the area of the environment are falling short of expectations. They took two years in preparation, restructuring and adaptation on a bet in a MAMAOT that was won, not only due to logistical and bureaucratic issues, but also due to a number of decisions taken in the wrong direction. "
7. forest fires
"With the adoption of the new legal Regime of Afforestation and reforestation, the prospects of sustainable development of the Portuguese forest in terms of public policies are almost non-existent, with the likely expansion of monocultures of eucalyptus, and the absence of fire containment tracks with other species more resistant, so it can be expected that the environmental impacts of forest fires continue to be of concern."
8. Privatization of the company General of Fomento (EGF)
"Despite the Government's determination to move towards privatization of EGF, sub-holding of Ãguas de Portugal for the business of municipal solid waste, it is expected that in 2014 can common sense prevail and that the proposal would be better assessed, to the extent that beyond the inability shown by the Ministry of environment in managing the issue, there are significant environmental risks associated with a privatization of this type."
9. international year of the family agriculture
"In what will be the international year of the family agriculture, expected in 2014 to increase the visibility of family agriculture and small farmers, and sensitize the world population to such important aspects of this type of agriculture, that pass through the role it plays in eradicating hunger and poverty, the improvement of the livelihood of the people, for the proper management of natural resources, and for the protection of the environment and sustainable development. "
10. strengthening of national agricultural production but I sustainably
"According to the intentions announced by the Government, 2014 is expected to be a year in which the national agricultural production should continue to have an increase, as a way the country overcome many of the shortcomings that reveals the level of food production and increase our exports. And this is certainly one of the areas where we can and should invest, is however essential to protect the environment impacts, both in the short and the medium/long term and as such adopted demanding criteria of which should be to develop production, with quality products, environmentally friendly and preferably in less intensive production methods and more sustainablein particular the organic production method. "
Foto:  Rev Stan / Creative Commons
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