Euroopan laajuinen liikenneverkko (TEN-T) – tarkistetut suuntaviivat

Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto (The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation) is the oldest and biggest environmental Non-governmental Organisation in Finland.

We warmly welcome the modernisation of the TEN-T to implement European Green Deal, including Climate targets and do-not-harm principle for biodiversity. Traffic causes a quarter of GHG emissions in the EU and lots of other pollution. Some old-fashioned infrastructure projects have cut ecological corridors, split large wilderness areas and destroyed large amounts of forest and other habitats. They have caused problems for waters, too.

The most interesting option is the third one: boosting digitalisation and innovation in the TEN-E policy.

 

We should see traffic as a service – which can be achieved also digitally, not only physically by cars, trains or planes. The Covid-19 has led to a rapid digital revolution. Now everyone is used to video conferences, so it is not necessary to fly to international meetings anymore. For example, I had  this morning a meeting with our Lapland region people, then a Christmas party with all our sister organisations in the Baltic Sea countries, and then a meeting with the Ministry in Helsinki. The speed in these travels was nearly as fast as a thought! It could not have been possible to have all these meetings at the same day physically in the range of some thousands of kilometers. This is decarbonisation but also very cost-effective working in post-industrial society. This is also something else than old-fashioned plans for “one hour trains” from Helsinki to Turku or Tampere: They need lots of space and raw materials, they cost 1-2  billion euros each, and they are not even economically suitable.

In modern digital society light traffic, like cycling and walking, should get more attention in traffic policy.

On behalf of

SUOMEN LUONNONSUOJELULIITTO RY

 

Tapani Veistola

Head of nature conservation unit

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