Vienna has its first green hydrogen plant
The facility will be able to power 60 buses daily
Leading the way in climate change action with socially conscious measures
Yesterday, 3 May, the Lisbon Municipal Assembly approved the proposal to make public transport free to use for young up to the age of 18, higher-education students up to the age of 23 and for elderly residents above the age of 65.
The measure, which is seen as a tool “to combat climate change”, as indicated by the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, will have a total annual cost of around 14.9 million euros, and should come into force in the coming months. The City will conclude an agreement with the public transit operator TML, which will extend the provision of free rides for the above-mentioned groups until 31 December 2025.
The mayor of Lisbon is a firm advocate of the measure, which he sees as historic and as a way to make the Portuguese capital a model city in the fight against climate change.
"This step is social justice, it is justice for those who want to change the world and who really want to make the world better so that we have a planet we can live on. This measure is also justice in the decarbonization of the planet that we need so much, and this measure is to improve people's lives," he declared, as quoted by Jornal de Negocios.
Despite the mayor’s appeal for unanimity in approving the proposal, the Liberal Initiative (IL) municipal group decided to abstain, criticizing the urgency of voting when there is a "lack of information", including on the budget estimate of 14.9 million euros per year. They also spoke out against the "votes first, questions later" logic.
IL municipal deputy Rodrigo Mello Gonçalves in addition stated that mobility has to be seen in a metropolitan logic, since "three in four vehicles come from outside" the city of Lisbon, and that free public transport has to be implemented "according to need and not age".
Nevertheless, the other political parties in the assembly united around the idea and it is set to become a reality. It is also a social welfare act given that it seeks to lighten the burden of rising energy prices on some of the most vulnerable groups in economic terms.
Children up to the age of 12 have already been benefitting from free public transport in Lisbon, on the Metropolitano and Carris networks, since 2017.
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
The previous mayor was forced out of office following a no-confidence vote in the city council
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
The German Aerospace Center in Cologne is looking for volunteers for its next bed rest study
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
The intervention has affected the mountainous districts of the Catalan capital
Two million euros will go towards the effort that will try to refresh its original splendour
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
The project aims to urge pedestrians to live even healthier lives
The blaze has been dubbed the Danish capital’s own “Notre Dame” tragedy
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team