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Environmental Impact of the New Mexico City Airport

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Environmental disaster at the door... yet.

airport

Environmental disaster on doors ... still

Mexico City, one of the largest and most polluted cities on the planet, has exceeded its own sustainability. The number of inhabitants is unmanageable, which can be seen every day in the long lines of cars at any time of the day, the shortage of basic services such as water and the quality of the air that one breathes.

The incidence of these factors is affecting the health of its citizens in increasing rates of lung cancer, dermatological diseases and work stress.

Even worse, the city struggles to maintain the few green spaces that it still has to not only purify the air, but also be able to exercise and break free from routine.

The Airport and Lake Texcoco.

Long ago, Mexico City overtook the two-terminal Benito Juárez International Airport, which is notorious for delays, overcrowding and canceled flights. Construction was now underway on a new international airport to the east of this metropolis.

It was expected to be ready by the end of 2020 after three years of construction and $ 1.3 billion, inflated costs and corruption from all the governments involved. However, the biggest impact is not only economic, but ecological. The area chosen for the now in limbo construction project is located on Lake Texcoco, one of the water sources of Mexico City and still a refuge for migratory birds such as the Mexican duck, Kentish plover and other endemic species such as the axolotl.

According to the federal government's environmental impact assessment, 12 threatened species and 1 endangered species live in the area.

By the middle of the 1971th century, the lakes had been almost completely drained. In XNUMX, President Luís Echeverría decreed the area as a federal reserve, citing the critical ecological role of the region for Mexico City. The accumulation of small lakes and reforested lands there now capture and store runoff rainwater and prevent dust storms.

A recovery process had begun which, given the growth of the city, it was decided to stop. The populism of the new government decided, in principle, to go back, stop its construction and build a new airport in Santa Lucía, on the opposite side of the city with new concerns about the environmental impact in that area, and the unfinished ones in Texcoco .

Among ambiguities, changes of opinion, contradictions and absurdities, the plans for the construction of an air traffic spillway that in itself already pollutes the skies of a city that hardly sees the sun or the stars anymore; it affects nature and therefore the inhabitants of the city themselves.

What none of the rulers of the Mexican capital do not understand is that the city has already overwhelmed the capacity to support so many people in an already ecologically depleted geographical space.

Environmental impact that for decades has had the lack of control, organization and vision has led to an uncontrollable situation from the environmental point of view.

The current problem is not allowing more growth, more people, more vehicles or more planes; it is the decongestion of the city. It is moving factories and manufacturing processes out of the city to more remote areas. It is to stimulate people to move out of the city and plan new cities in a sustainable way and reduce the population density of the city.

The solution is not to now have 2 airports for the city, it is to recover the environment and the quality of life of its inhabitants. It is not "moving" lakes and endemic species, it is maintaining and recovering the damage we have caused by laziness and lack of vision. What the city needs are environmental plans not only in the short term, but for 10, 20 and 50 years with the commitment of governments and civil society.

Frequently asked questions from our readers:

The environmental impact of the new Mexico City Airport in relation to ecotourism and conservation is a cause of concern for many users on the network. The construction and operation of the airport is expected to have negative effects on local ecosystems, such as the destruction of natural habitats, air and water pollution, and disruption of the migratory routes of birds and other animals. In addition, there are fears that the increase in tourism and urbanization associated with the airport could put the conservation of nearby natural areas at risk. Read more here: https://www.equilibriumx.com/ecoturismo-y-conservacion/impacto-ambiental-el-nuevo-aeropuerto-de-ciudad-de-mexico
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Last modified: March 21, 2024