In an interview with AGERPRES, Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu stressed that the problem of air pollution in large cities, including Bucharest, has multiple causes, including the fact that those who lead these cities are used to supporting projects in a purely mathematical, economic approach, from a perspective of only the very near future.
"There are very few authorities and very few representatives, today, at the local level, at the national level, who, when they bring a project to the table, also think about the long-term impact or think about the long-term costs of that project," said Minister Buzoianu.
This approach has led to the situation in which in Romania, the life of a citizen is on average four years shorter due to air pollution, and the European Commission constantly draws attention to environmental problems. Instead of being treated as an essential element of development, the environment was considered a fad that ''confuses'' investments, Buzoianu said.
She also stressed that urbanization without a strategy - building blocks on green spaces, increasing traffic, lack of infrastructure - has contributed to worsening pollution and decreasing the quality of life. In her opinion, cities must be developed with priority for the health of communities, not for short-term gains.
The minister of Environment also pointed to the lack of coherence in the authorization system, giving the example of the same economic operator receiving authorizations with different conditions in different counties for the same activity, and showing that in some areas many more authorizations are issued as a result of corruption or local interests.
The solution, Buzoianu said, is to change the way of thinking and introduce clear and objective standards: transparent authorizations, reducing corruption, strict checks and policies that prioritize air quality and people's health.
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