The Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix must “get into the car of ecological transition”, said Mayor Valérie Plante on Friday, inviting the organizers to say clearly “what they are going to do” to reduce their impact. environmental.
Posted at 12:45 p.m.
“It’s a pretty complex question. I want to know what the F1 organizers are going to do to get on the train, or rather the car of ecological transition. For me, these are questions that are very relevant,” said Ms.me Plante during a Friday morning press scrum.
She was thus reacting to the release of several environmental groups, who are outright asking that we put an end to this kind of event in a context of climate emergency. Montreal, for its part, does not intend to question the holding of this event. The City also has a contract to hold the F1 Grand Prix at least until 2031.
On Monday, the former drummer of the Dashing Cowboys, Dominique Lebeau, launched a petition to end the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal. Supported by several environmental groups, including Mères au front, the Montreal Climate Coalition, the Rivières Foundation, Environnement Jeunesse and the Quebec Association of Physicians for the Environment, he is asking that the event “no longer take place in Montreal, Quebec or in Canada”.
From an economic point of view, the Grand Prix remains “excellent news” for traders who are just emerging from an “extremely difficult” pandemic period, said Valérie Plante. “To see this windfall of tourists and people from everywhere coming downtown to enjoy Francos and the Grand Prix right now is great news,” she said.
“All sectors” must ask themselves questions
That said, the mayor, known for her political commitments in the environment, nevertheless reiterated that all events must now adapt to the climate crisis.
“Yes, there, we look at F1 with reason, because it’s a car race. But when we talk about ecological transition, I think that all sectors must ask themselves questions and show the population how their fields of activity fit into this transition. This is what we must demand and ask of all the organizers, including the Grand Prix, ”she said.
Thursday, in response to groups who want the end of the Montreal Grand Prix, his big boss François Dumontier had indicated that his team is aware “that we have a job to do”. “And we started it, this work. Since 2014, we have hybrid engines. There may have been a lack of communication on this, but we have set ourselves the goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. It doesn’t happen overnight. These are stages that we will go through. Sometimes these are small gestures, but we are aware of that and we will work on it, ”he promised.
According to figures released in 2019, the entire F1 circuit releases the equivalent of 256,551 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHG) annually, the equivalent of around 105,000 cars or 450 Montreal-Paris flights.
With Eric-Pierre Champagne