Montreal City Weblog

Kate 10:43 on 2025-05-29 Permalink Reply  

• su 12:08 on 2025-05-29 Permalink

  A small example of how the global middle class consumer population growth ponzi scheme is decimating what is left of the biosphere. Infinite growth on a finite planet.

• su 12:11 on 2025-05-29 Permalink

  ACI World projects 22.3 billion passengers by 2053. !!!!

  New 30-year forecasts highlight robust growth, despite short-term uncertainties
  Montreal, 26 February 2025 – Airports Council International (ACI) World today unveiled its anticipated Airport Traffic Forecasts 2024–2053, projecting significant long-term growth in global passenger traffic. Over the next three decades, global passenger numbers are expected to reach 17.7 billion by 2043 and 22.3 billion by 2053, the later nearly 2.4 times the projected volume for 2024.

  The new forecasts, which cover 99.8% of global markets across 161 countries, highlight a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.4% from 2024 to 2043, with a slightly slower CAGR of 3% from 2024 to 2053. The projections indicate a steady upward trajectory in global aviation, driven by factors such as rising middle-class travel demand in emerging markets, strengthened international travel, and continued investments in airport infrastructure.

• Ian 16:21 on 2025-05-29 Permalink

  While I agree that air travel is very problematic in terms of ecology, this particular “nature park” is small potatoes considering the vast majority of Quebec’s land mass is so wild it isn’t even accessible by road.

• Nicholas 16:58 on 2025-05-29 Permalink

  I’m not sure what to say here. My first thought was Ian’s, that this area is 230 hectares (about half being a highly manicured golf course), in a province with a land area of 136,512,800 hectares, nearly all of it left to nature. One in half a million, or 0.0005%, for the second most important airport in the country, and you can’t easily move it. And the quote about “increased health risks for everyone working and living in the area,” I mean, it’s fully surrounded by industrial with tons of trucks every day, and after that there are some homes, yes, but this isn’t a mixed residential and commercial neighbourhood. It being a reserve could make sense, though I get the bird strikes, but who wants to go to a park next to the airport? I go to Terra Cotta sometimes, it’s really nice, but the planes and the cars on the 20 don’t help the experience, and this would be worse, just 500 m from an active runway.

  But then I saw their plans…solar panels??? I gather Quebec has experience in bringing clean energy long distances to where the people are, and a fair amount of clean energy, do we really need this here? Can’t we put that somewhere else? Is that the greenwashing commitment? Fuel storage seems reasonable, but page 110 of the report says they have a fuel hub north of the golf course, on Saint François Rd just west of André Ave, that is connected by underground pipes to oil refineries in the east end and also to the airport, for efficient refueling. I guess they will need different pipes for the new fuels (though “The current kerosene infrastructure is also capable of processing SAF [sustainable aviation fuel]”), but there seems like some adjoining lots that are empty and could be used for that. I’m not an airport fueling logistics expert, but the plans on pages 113-115 seem a little vague.

• Chris 08:28 on 2025-05-30 Permalink

  >this area is 230 hectares…

  And for comparison, about 10 000 000 hectares are on fire every year in Canada.

• Em 09:46 on 2025-05-30 Permalink

  While there’s a lot of land in the province, you still need green space in the south where there is a lot of biodiversity and ecological pressures.

• Meezly 10:35 on 2025-05-30 Permalink

  I guess I can blame our capitalistic mindset in trying to find practical worth in 230 hectares of “undeveloped” land. It’s not about how much wildland Quebec already has. This parcel of land is home to 200 species of birds and other flora and fauna. They don’t need to cross a highway to get to Tim Hortons. But perhaps this piece of land is part of the migratory routes for birds and monarch butterflies. We hear how important it is to have pockets of wild spaces in the concrete sprawl of urban areas so migratory animals can stop, rest, refuel. Perhaps in our eyes it’s just 230 hectares of undeveloped land, but to other living beings, it’s a green oasis.

• Kate 10:45 on 2025-05-30 Permalink

  Nicely put, Meezly!

• Kate 11:03 on 2025-05-30 Permalink

  Yes, and people need access to a little nature now and then. Especially those of us who don’t drive.

• Ian 23:06 on 2025-05-30 Permalink

  Going to a field by a golf course by the airport wouldn’t be my first choice, but apparently some disagree.