Lanzarote seems to have reached a moment of opportunity, the result of a consensus between two political realities that were once irreconcilable, which allows it to consider more ambitious objectives, overcoming the short-term policy and easy backstabbing that has characterized the inaction of the island council in the last ten years.
We live on an island that at different times in its history has been at the forefront in different fields and that has the foundations to be so again. The imprint of César Manrique is in the minds of all of us and marks a course that seems unavoidable of respect for the natural environment and a commitment to authenticity based on art and design. His genius was joined by the vision and determination of the political class of the time, personified in José Ramírez Cerdá in the late sixties and early 70s.
In the eighties, the island was the chosen place to visit for important international personalities, given its special atmosphere and uniqueness, along with a small but well-maintained tourist infrastructure. At the end of the eighties and the beginning of the 90s, a process of containment of the territory was undertaken, from which we now benefit, which is easy to verify if we compare ourselves, without going any further, with the population, traffic and construction density of other nearby islands. In 1993, the island achieved the title of Biosphere Reserve.
These are undoubtedly very important milestones, but they have never had the necessary continuity, harmed by the revanchism, myopia and servility of the political class.
Perhaps the containment efforts were not accompanied by a strategy that would definitively drive political action towards a model of progress. Manuela Armas tried it in 2008, failing to make people understand what her Sustainable Lanzarote Development Plan consisted of and immersed in an adverse political climate.
Paradoxically, the island has the most important asset, the undoubted environmental sensitivity of a very important part of the population, which was evident in the various historical demonstrations in defense of the territory and against oil, or even today with the resounding success of attendance at the various centenary events organized by the César Manrique Foundation.
We therefore have neither the conviction nor the direction to be able to succeed with a successful development model for Lanzarote. This popular sensitivity has not been accompanied by the political class, which for too many years has been the barrier to the opportunities offered by a development model that is natural for our local society.
The idea that sustainability is a left-wing thing is disproved by the successful case of Vitoria, my hometown, where the phenomenon occurred exactly the opposite to what we experienced at the island level. There, it was the political class that had to convince the wary population of the goodness of the model to follow, from initial incomprehension to general recognition over the years. José Ángel Cuerda (PNV) was the visionary whose recipe, based on a city that prioritizes services for citizens and is respectful of the environment, was followed by all the political parties that succeeded him in power (PSOE, PP) over the years. This collective effort led to Vitoria being named European Green Capital in 2012, and this positioning is now proudly shared by both the population and all political forces.
Historically, economic and business orthodoxy has led us to believe that ecologism is at odds with economic development, although there are many success stories at European level that demonstrate that the transformation of the economic fabric towards a sustainable model brings with it the well-being and economic progress of its inhabitants. The case of Copenhagen and other Nordic capitals is particularly representative in this regard. There, the economic opportunities that the shift in economic model has brought in the field of urban transport, energy and its services, organic agriculture and food or sustainable tourism can be clearly seen and would be perfectly extrapolated to any other location in southern Europe.
A strategic plan provides the opportunity to establish links with the population and with the various economic sectors, involving them in the selection of alternatives and the search for solutions. Initiatives such as the Smart Island could become the measurement framework for compliance with the key variables identified in the strategic plan.
Since the time of Adán Martín, strategic approaches that set long-term objectives in order to mobilize collective momentum have been lacking in the Canary Islands. In that case, the plans pursued the promotion of connectivity between islands to bring the citizens of the different islands closer together.
In Lanzarote, the time has come to decisively commit to a new economic model of sustainable development, especially in the current context of mobilization against climate change. A strategic plan is the necessary tool to promote public management based on participation and transparency, which lays the foundations for a competitive and responsible economic model that is compatible with the conservation of natural heritage and social justice.