The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism expressed in New York her “immense satisfaction” that the Azores are at the “forefront of world positions” in the fight against climate change.
 
“There is a huge focus and a lot of concern on more effective climate action with commitments that must be taken by all institutions,” said Marta Guerreiro. The government official spoke on the sidelines of the opening session of the 11th Climate Week, an event promoted by The Climate Group, an international non-profit organisation, which runs until September 29.
 
The first day featured speeches delivered by world leaders, namely the President of the Government of Spain, the President of the Republic of Costa Rica or the Prime Minister of Denmark, as well as by the Secretary-General of OECD and CEOs of leading companies. According to Marta Guerreiro, they addressed the “urgent and necessary changes, highlighting what has been done in optimistic tones and showing great concern for what is urgent to do."
 
"In the Azores, climate change is not a new concern," the Secretary for the Environment said, adding that it currently "acquires another operational dimension through the recent approval of the Regional Programme for Climate Change, which now has to be followed up."
 
The Regional Secretary also highlighted some public policies pursued to mitigate climate change, namely the implementation of electric mobility, the increased penetration of renewable energy sources and the focus on energy efficiency.
 
Marta Guerreiro stressed that “climate change, due to its universal scope, calls on the various sectors of activity and levels of world, European, national and local powers to take effective measures to fight against it.”
 
“This is an inspiring event that continues to grow in terms of size and significance, given the global importance of climate action issues,” said the government official.
 
Each year, Climate Week annually attracts political and business leaders, and investors from around the world, who recognise at the event an opportunity to share knowledge to establish the best policies on this matter.