LIVORNO. The association “Livorno Clean Port” disputes the data on air pollution detected by the control units managed in Livorno by Arpat and speaks of an “attempt to minimize the environmental impact of cruises on our city”. The association continues to believe that the measurements of the fixed control units in Viale Carducci and Via La Pira, three kilometers away from the port, and that of Piazza Cappiello in Ardenza do not conform to reality.
The appeal
“Livorno Porto Pulito” continues to loudly call for the introduction of fixed control units inside the port and/or in its immediate vicinity and underlines «we must note that the unsustainable impact of cruises on the population should not be measured only through ultra-fine dust and toxic gas sensors: in these days of continuous presence of various ships, many inhabitants who live near the port, some tens of thousands of Livorno residents, have had to keep their windows closed because of the unbreathable air, despite the oppressive heat».
Abroad
The association then recalls that at an international level something is moving. «In recent days – it explains – the Parliament of Edinburgh has banned advertising for cruises, as well as for airlines, oil companies and SUVs. In a word, for the production companies most responsible for the climate disaster. The Guardian tells us that cruises alone release a quarter of the total waste into the sea and pollute the air four times as much as flights in the world. Various European cities such as Venice, Barcelona and Marseille are moving cruises away from residents’ homes, due to the great inconvenience and pollution they cause. Furthermore, very fresh news, the Greek Government has just announced the limited number of landings for next year, due to their impact on the environment and on the liveability of people and in consideration of the dubious economic advantages for the population».
The Labronian case
As regards the situation in the port of Livorno, the association relaunches the cruise quotas, practiced more and more widely at an international level and also proposed in the recent electoral campaign, «given that in Livorno the enormous energy-intensive ships this year will be almost 400, or a third more than in 2023. Given this situation, the Port Authority announces with satisfaction that an even higher number of berths have already been booked for 2025. Perhaps it would be appropriate for some of the environmental and health awareness achieved by other national communities to also reach our administrators.”
