V8 Lunacy - Green Olympics Legacy At Risk
Thursday, 03 July 2008 21:03
“The Sydney 2000 Olympics were a major landmark in sustainability. Management of Sydney Olympic Park since the games has built on this legacy and has been a showcase in sustainability development. The V8 plan is environmentally and politically insane – we don’t need to go the expense of so-called feasibility studies to tell us the obvious,” said Jeff Angel, Director of TEC.
The race would require the removal of up to 700 native trees and result in massive quantities of greenhouse gasses and hazardous air pollutants being released into the atmosphere.
TEC has also warned that the race would jeopardise millions of dollars in investment at Olympic Park and result in long term economic damage.
“Development of the commercial and residential precincts at Olympic Park depends on maintaining the clean, green marketing edge. For the sake of a weekend of noise and pollution the government is placing at risk the economic viability of Olympic Park,” Mr Angel said.
TEC has called on the government to abandon the plan or destroy its environmental credibility.
“With a motor racing circuit just down the road at Eastern Creek there is simply no justification for this vandalism at Olympic Park. The environmental record of the Iemma Government is on the line,” Mr Angel said.
“We expect to be able to quickly build a major campaign against the scheme. We call on the Premier to announce a permanent ban on the V8 race.”
