The Toulouse scientific community speaks out in an open letter against the A69 project, the motorway between Toulouse and Castres, notably supported by the president of the Occitanie region.
Atécopol, a collective of 200 Toulouse scientists, including two IPCC authors, is not “favorable to the construction of the A69 motorway” and wish “the cessation of work on this highway project”we can read this Sunday in an open letter to political decision-makers who support the A69 project. “Not a single member is in favor of the construction of the A69 motorway. Not one. Not one. This is a unanimous rejection”they write, asking for a meeting “as quickly as possible” with Carole Delga, the president of the Occitanie region and in favor of the project.
>> Carole Delga cites their book to justify the A69 motorway project, scathing response from Julia Cagé and Thomas Piketty
This open letter comes after the evacuation of environmental activist Thomas Brail, who had been on hunger strike for 23 days in a tree in front of the Ministry of Ecological Transition in Paris.
The signatories of the letter recall the conclusions of the National Council for the Protection of Nature (CNPN) which “does not consider the arguments invoked as sufficient to constitute a compelling reason of major public interest. This file is in contradiction with national commitments in the fight against climate change, the objective of zero net artificialization and zero net loss of biodiversity, as well as in terms of purchasing power”.
A highway in competition with the train line
The A69 motorway will compete with the existing railway line, underline the signatories of the open letter. According to scientists, the Toulouse-Castres car journey currently emits three times more CO2 than the same journey by TER. “This factor would rise to 25 if the Toulouse-Mazamet line, currently covered by a diesel train, was electrified.” they write.
The authors of the letter reject the idea of “environmental compensation” put forward by those in favor of the project. “No, a century-old tree cannot be replaced by five young trees: it is irreplaceable in the time scales that concern us, because of the carbon it contains, which it continues to capture, its importance in regulating the water cycle and local microclimate”scientists estimate.
The action taken by the opponents “may seem disproportionate for a land development project. However, it is up to the challenges, and we salute their courage”declare the signatories of the letter. “Citizen mobilization, organized in several collectives, has brought out exciting alternative development projects that meet the necessary bifurcation for our societies in the face of the ecological emergency […] On the contrary, your highway project, in addition to being harmful to ecosystems and humans, does not convey a desirable imagination.”