The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated in Horta that the Regional Government "expresses its solidarity" with the Student Climate Strike that is currently taking place all over the world and on six islands of the archipelago.
 
Gui Menezes spoke to several students at Manuel de Arriaga Secondary School who joined the protest, mentioning that the Government has taken political measures to mitigate the impact of climate change. On the occasion, he pointed out areas such as renewable energy, where the Region's use of renewable and endogenous energy use reached 40 percent last year, and the protection of oceans.
 
The Regional Secretary emphasised that marine litter is one of the Government's main environmental concerns, namely plastic pollution, adding that "several awareness-raising actions have been implemented to reduce the use of disposable plastics in the Region, such as the case of "Azores Zero Straws" campaign.
 
"Combating climate change and protecting the oceans are major challenges that lie ahead of us," said Gui Menezes.
 
The international student strike taking place today in more than a hundred countries strives for the implementation of urgent measures against climate change and is inspired by young activist Greta Thunberg, who began to skip school on Fridays to demand measures for the environment.
 
The President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, participated this week in the 8th European Summit of Regions and Cities in Bucharest, Romania, where he stated that "the European Union should value the work of the regions in combating climate change."