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Romanians will have their freedom of movement restricted in the name of combating climate change, according to a false narrative that pertains to climate denialism and global warming conspiracy theories.
Romanians will be prohibited from traveling outside the space designated by law
NEWS: “From now on, what was called a “conspiracy theory” is becoming reality in Romania. A bill “on sustainable urban mobility” initiated by the Nicolae Ciucă Government aims to establish total state control over the way citizens move in cities, and even over the living space and the number of residents per hectare.
[…] When the SUMP is issued for each individual city, the “planners” will set a series of “directions”, among which the elimination of personal cars, which is highlighted very clearly. [...] In case you are thinking of resisting the “planners” and not take the bike or the bus, the state knows how to deal with that too, as another direction is to reduce parking/stationary spaces, to “increase the number of users of environmentally friendly means of transportation to the detriment of polluting ones.” [...] Basically, everything will be done to have people travel as little and as close to home as possible, and if, however, one has the audacity to decide and travel anyway, to do it by using public transportation.”
NARRATIVES: In the near future, Romanians will be enslaved by the eco-dictatorship imposed by the global occult in the name of combating climate change.
CONTEXT: A report published in January by the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition and carried out by a team of experts coordinated by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that, after a break due to the Covid19 pandemic and the Russian aggression on Ukraine, in 2022 an explosive increase in climate denialism was seen on social media, something that Veridica anticipated more than a year ago.
Most major cities around the world are experiencing an accelerated increase in air quality issues, which is causing both concern and an increasing focus on finding viable solutions to combat this trend. Studies show that approximately 20% of the excessive pollution of European cities is caused by the burning of fossil fuels used in transportation. In Romania, the share of polluting substances released by motor vehicles is even twice as high. In Bucharest, for example, road traffic generates almost half the amount of such elements in the atmosphere , according to a 2020 report by the National Institute of Public Health.
The presence of toxic gases in the air we breathe causes various lung and heart diseases (asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, disorders of the gastrointestinal system, ischemic heart disease, obstructive bronchopneumopathy, strokes, mental and neurological diseases, diabetes, etc.), because of which thousands of Bucharesters die every year. In this context, the authorities are trying, through the bill on Sustainable Urban Mobility that is currently being debated in Parliament, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by transportation through ecological solutions and, at the same time, to contribute to improving the state of health of the population and reduce the pressure on the health-care system and medical costs.
PURPOSE: To create social discontent and lower the population's trust in the authorities, to reduce and even stop actions that affect economic interests and businesses from polluting activities.
Atmospheric pollution is real and must be reduced as effectively as possible, and as quickly as possible
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: In May 2021, the European Commission adopted an action plan at EU level, entitled Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil”.
According to this action plan, the Commission will introduce stricter requirements to combat air pollution through a series of measures and strategies under the European Green Deal, including sustainable and smart mobility. Previously, in December 2020, the Climate Education coalition was established, which will support the identification of innovative solutions to reduce pollution together with teachers and students, including the development of green skills.
Also, the Erasmus+ program will strengthen the green dimension in education and training and increase, among other things, the number of mobility opportunities in the field of urban planning. What the Bucharest Government’s legislative initiative aims at is to get the Romanian legislation in line with the whole set of European laws. Moreover, the coming into force of the legislation on sustainable urban mobility is a milestone stipulated in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which the Romanian Government committed to.
The implementation of the “15-minute city” concept does not imply in any way the reduction of the population's mobility and its dependence on an exclusively public transportation system owned by the state. It’s an urban residential concept, which provides that most daily needs (supply of food and medicines, visits to the family doctor, going to school, etc.) can be accomplished either by walking or by biking, in very short periods of time. One of the main objectives of the implementation of this concept is to reduce road traffic and, implicitly, reduce the pollution caused by vehicles in the urban space. In no way does it restrict the free movement of people, who are encouraged to use public transportation, bicycles or walk when they have things to do in the city. The benefits of this lifestyle range from more free time to physical and mental health, cleaner air, quality green space and stronger community ties. For example, an area adapted to this concept becomes a much more favorable environment for the development of small local businesses that the sovereignists urge us to support.
The introduction of low emission zones (LEZ) is not a new idea, it was debated before, in 2019, in Bucharest, when, following a “survey” on Facebook, the draft was withdrawn by the Bucharest City Hall, because the then mayor was suffering from exacerbated populism. The comparison with the restrictions on personal vehicle circulation in force during the communist period is a stretch, the reasons behind the bans back them having to do with absurd savings measures imposed by the Ceausescu regime. Currently, if it is voted, the law will restrict the circulation of polluting cars, encouraging the renewal of the car fleet or the use of non-polluting means of transportation. The statement that, in the absence of the implementation of legislation regulating more strictly road traffic in cities, the respective states will be sanctioned by getting a lower share of funds, actually refers to the strategy of encouraging such actions, through financial incentives, in the form of grants or non-reimbursable funds. Under no circumstances will the respective region or country be penalized.
The effects of traffic restrictions were best seen in 2020, during the lockdowns caused by the Covid19 pandemic, which temporarily led to cleaner air and water, as well as reduced noise levels in many places. However, the European authorities have repeatedly stated that the slowdown of all economic activities does not represent the Union's vision of reducing pollution, as suggested by the analyzed narrative.
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