The Pinheiro and Rosa School Grouping, from Faro, says that «oil prospecting without environmental impact assessment is difficult to explain to students».
In a statement sent to the newsrooms, signed by the director of the Group (Francisco Soares), by the deputy director (Nelson Brito) and by the three assistants (André Lara, Paulo Leandro and Bruno Fernandes), the direction of that Grouping of Schools from Farense expresses its « displeasure at the fact that one of its main partners in the environmental area, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) waived the need for an environmental impact assessment for the construction of an oil exploration well off Aljezur, by the ENI/GALP consortium» .
«The assessment of the environmental impact is an instrument supported by scientific studies and public consultation, which aims to guarantee, with a preventive nature, the identification and prediction of the environmental effects of a project on the environment», stresses the Group.
"The mission of the APA leaves no doubt that it must itself be the guarantor of our collective interests in matters of the environment and the position it took on this matter, above all, calls into question the confidence of citizens", adds the statement.
The Grouping of Schools of Faro recalls that it has developed «environmental education and sustainable development programs, in line with international decarbonization strategies, promoting participatory citizenship and alignment with the Paris agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and the National Strategy for Environmental Education -ENEA 2020- in a perspective of education for the XNUMXst century». Therefore, they argue, it is now difficult to explain the APA's decision to students.
Hence, the signatories recommend to the APA that "reconsider the urgent need not to dispense with the environmental impact assessment of this project, in order to ensure the transparency of the process, the trust of citizens and consistency with the values of the mission and vision of the APA on environmental issues'.
"It would be impractical to work in environmental education with a partner who, being responsible for promoting and supervising the National Strategy for Environmental Education -ENEA 2020-, does not respect the most basic principles of protection, prevention and enhancement of environmental systems, which , in the specific case, are the environmental impact assessment of this oil drilling hole», concludes the Pinheiro e Rosa Schools Group, from Faro.
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