“Nature is has a lot to say, and it is time for us, her children, to stop playing deaf. And perhaps even God will hear the call coming from this Andean country and add the eleventh commandment that he forgot in the instructions given to us from Mount Sinai: ‘Thou shall love nature, of which you are part of’.”
Eduardo Galeano, 2008
To: Mr. Mauricio Rodas, Elected Mayor of Quito
From: The Collective for the Rights of Nature and Good Living
Topic: The Quito we don’t want : air, water and the city
PURPOSE
To provide the newly elected major with important considerations about what we believe are the most crucial environmental issues that need to be addressed in the city as an initial input before the agreed meeting to identify possible…show more content… Quito was declared the Prime Cultural Heritage for Humanity by the UNESCO; it has won several prices from the World Travel Awards and was recently proposed as host for the Habitat III conference in 2016. All of this shows that it is a thrilling and thriving city with a lot of activity and potential.
Quito continues to grow and so does the demand for services. In order to improve the quality of life of the citizens it is important to think strategically for the present and for the future. Quito needs to be an example for cities around the world, a sustainable city that honors the Rights of Nature and the concept of Good Living stated in the Constitution.
This brief focuses in two of the most important problems of the city from two different perspectives: Air pollution as a social problem and water as a rights holder.
CURRENT SITUATION AND KEY CONSIDERATIONS
- AIR…show more content… So the problem may be even worse than we think (see Bravo Alvarez, et. al. 2012; and Caballero A, et. al. 2008 for a better understanding of the problem).
Pollution and the transport system
Air pollution in Quito is directly related to the use of fossil fuels and their bad quality: 66% comes from vehicles (Municipio del DMQ. 2011. p.132). Nowadays, the demand for mobility is around 4.5 million trips per day, of which 44.6% are in private transport (Gesambconsult-EVREN, 2012, p.2-2). The evident preference for private transport may be explained by two factors: a) the bad quality of the public transport system; and b) the lack of security in the city.
a) Bad quality transport system
The public transport system in Quito is deficient and unable to satisfy the current demand (Gesambconsult-EVREN. 2012. p.2-2). Not even higher taxes to purchase private cars and initiatives like the mandatory yearly vehicle inspection and Pico y Placa , have been able to reduce the use of private cars, as the vehicle sector in Quito continues to grow 7.4% annually (Municipio del DMQ. 2011.
