Madrid housing strike: green groups warn of rent trap

Madrid’s housing strike draws two environmental groups into protests planned for the following day: they warn that greener neighbourhoods could become too expensive for the people who live there. On Tuesday, 10 November, Amigas de la Tierra and Ecologistas en Acción say they will join the housing protests. Members of Amigas de la Tierra also plan to take part in other cities and towns.

The link between housing and the environment

Miguel Díaz of Amigas de la Tierra says the same investment funds that drive up housing costs buy rural land for large livestock farms or mines. He also wants rented homes to be made more energy-efficient and easier to keep at a comfortable temperature as the climate changes.

Díaz says cities need more greenery as temperatures rise. But without limits on rents, he warns, those improvements could make neighbourhoods more expensive and force people out.

Why the groups are joining the protests

Erika González of Ecologistas en Acción says speculation treats essentials such as housing, food, energy and water as businesses, harming both people and the environment. She says environmental problems hit people in poorly insulated homes, those who cannot afford basic utilities and those whose work exposes them more to environmental harm.

Her group plans to join the demonstration. It also plans actions to publicise the strike and encourage people to take part.

Topics: Housing · Environment

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com