Leaders, take advantage of what we have learned

PalmI was reminded of an environmentalist the other day, while preparing the dossier on the first quarter of the 21st century, that when they mobilized against highways (the Ibiza case is still shameful today), in the early 2000s, there were still many people who were completely convinced that more asphalt, despite it being a small territory, was the best solution.

Clearly, time has proven the conservationists right, who for decades have understood that engineering solutions can make sense in large areas, but in a micro-territory, what we humans need to do is adapt to reality, rather than try to change it. During these 25 years, we have also seen how victories like the Cabrera National Park, which dates back to the previous century, are always hard-won and achieved against the wishes of those who consider protecting nature very dangerous.

Let's not forget that the president of the hotel owners' association at the beginning of the 21st century mobilized people against the creation of a natural park, the Levante Natural Park, using absurd arguments such as people not being able to keep chickens or the government confiscating their eggs.

To see the inability to make decisions for the common good, one only needs to look at what has happened with the ecotax, which has been implemented and repealed three times. The truth is, most people are in favor of protecting the natural heritage we have inherited. But the minority who profit from its destruction manage to create such a stir and instill fear by saying "we will return to poverty," that all the leaders tremble. Please, leaders, take advantage of what we have learned in 25 years, and the destruction will at least have served that purpose.