Galway Ring Road decision called ‘a catastrophic choice’ for climate targets
The approval of the Galway City Ring Road is not a step in the right direction if Ireland is to meet its climate targets for 2030, a climate change professor explained.
Enda McGovern, climate change professor, PhD, and Galway resident was among many to submit objections to the Ring Road application.
In his submission, Mr McGovern stated the “build more roads” mentality adopted by local authorities creates a car-dependent dynamic, and that the Galway City Ring Road only supports that mindset.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr McGovern also raised concerns about how transport will evolve in the future, pointing to places such as California where there has been an increase in autonomous vehicles.
By that logic, he said: “In 20 years’ time, it would suggest a lot of us won't own a car. We will just call it in and it drives us to wherever we go.”
“Here we are looking at building a road, that would take 10 years to build, without an understanding as to the direction of private transport versus other forms of transport.”
The estimated completion time of the project is set for 2031 at this time.
Mr McGovern added that the lack of full understanding of how vehicles may evolve, combined with the Ring Road’s capacity, may further contribute to rising carbon levels in the atmosphere, which have exceeded 430ppm.
“The scientists for years talked about 450ppm as being catastrophic events with regard to tipping points. It's really a catastrophic choice to build the road.”
Ireland is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51pc by 2030, based on 2018 levels of 61.58 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, according to the EPA. It also aims to achieve a net-zero carbon economy by that time.
“Our climate emissions are still rising. The tipping points are now occurring across the world, whereby there's no going back,” Mr McGovern said.
To the dismay of Ring Road objectors on environmental grounds, the approval comes shortly after the introduction of a new Critical Infrastructure Bill.
The bill supports a “fast-track” approach for key infrastructure and requires all public bodies “to cooperate and to coordinate” in doing so.
Under the new legislation, every public body will be required to do everything within its power to accelerate approval of any designated projects or programmes to the maximum extent possible.
Galway City Councillor Alan Curran told the Irish Independent: “It looks remarkably like the government are not going to allow any objections to critical infrastructure based upon climate grounds and that's truly obscene in some ways.”
“This is going backwards,” Mr McGovern said, referring to the new bill. “This is opening the door to more climate emissions and to the consequences. The road is an indication of that ignorance to deny that climate change is a problem.”
A big supporter of the GLUAS proposal, a light rail system connecting Galway from east to west, Mr McGovern said it is the most feasible way to introduce a sustainably focused transport solution.
“That's the direction that we must be going, is building out our public transport infrastructure aligned with walking, cycling, and driving,” he said.