Back to the drawing board for Marseille airport expansion plan, due to climate and environmental impacts

In a few months, Marseille airport must start work on its extension. However, before submitting a building permit, it must obtain an opinion from the environmental authority on the impact of the construction site on the environment. It recommends airport authorities should resume their studies from scratch. So the airport expansion plan has been blocked (for now) by the French environment agency on two grounds of wrongly estimating economic benefits and environmental harm, and on carbon emissions. The press release from the L’Autorité environnementale says the airport airport should rewrite its expansion plans given that the current project has “major methodological flaws” that make it “underestimate the environmental impacts and overestimate its socio-economic benefits.” The authority also said the airport needs to convince the government of how the expansion project is compatible with France’s plan to become climate neutral by 2050. Marseille airport wants to start expanding a terminal and “straightening” its runways in 2023.
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BACK TO DRAWING BOARD FOR MARSEILLE AIRPORT EXPANSION PLAN:

France’s Environmental Authority recommended on Monday that Marseille airport rewrite its expansion plans given that the current project has “major methodological flaws” that make it “underestimate the environmental impacts and overestimate its socio-economic benefits.” The authority also said the airport needs to convince the government of how the expansion project is compatible with France’s plan to become climate neutral by 2050. Marseille airport wants to start expanding a terminal and “straightening” its runways in 2023.

 

Environmental authority puts zero on airport extension project

By Benoît Gilles

30th July 2019

In a few months, the airport Marseille Provence must launch the works of its extension. However, before submitting a building permit, it must obtain an opinion from the environmental authority on the impact of the construction site on the environment. It has just fallen and it recommends airport authorities to resume their studies from scratch.It continues ….. for subscribers only ….

https://marsactu.fr/lautorite-environnementale-met-un-zero-pointe-au-projet-dextension-de-laeroport/

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The recommendations by the environment agency say:

L’Ae recommande en particulier au maître d’ouvrage et à l’État de démontrer la compatibilité du projet avec l’engagement de la France à atteindre la neutralité carbone à l’horizon 2050, à traduire dans la stratégie nationale bas carbone, notamment en détaillant les modalités de compensation des émissions du projet après évitement et réduction.

which means, in English:

The Ae [ L’Autorité environnementale  ] recommends in particular to the developer and the State to demonstrate the compatibility of the project with the commitment of France to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, to translate in the national low carbon strategy, including detailing compensation arrangements for project emissions after avoidance and reduction.

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