The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated in Ponta Delgada that the issues regarding the adaptation to climate change are "very important" for an island region such as the Azores.

Fausto Brito e Abreu pointed out that, despite the efforts to combat climate change at a global level, the processes that are already ongoing in the atmosphere, as a result of many years of pollution, will cause some changes in the climate and, as such, we have to be prepared."

The Regional Secretary spoke at the Conference "Climate Change Adaptation and Low Carbon Technologies," an event organised by the Regional Fund for Science and Technology. It was attended by the Director of Adaptation and Low Carbon Technologies at the Directorate General for Climate Action of the European Commission, Humberto Rosa, and the Regional Director for the Environment, Hernâni Jorge.

This addressed the issues of climate change and the respective environmental and social impacts as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of low-carbon technologies.

"Climate change will affect different sectors, with an impact on the regional economy," stressed Brito e Abreu. In this regard, the government official noted that in the case of fisheries, there might be significant changes in the route of migratory fish, such as tuna. This species has a major impact on regional economy because it not only affects fishers, but also fish canneries.

"Tuna species can change their routes and fishers might have increased difficulty in catching them," the Regional Secretary said, adding that that climate change could also affect tourism, transport and agriculture, among other sectors.

The government official also stated "the erosion of the coastline tends to increase and, in this context, the Regional Government has struggled to tackle this phenomenon."
Fausto Brito e Abreu mentioned studies that indicate Portugal as "one of the countries that will be most affected" by climate change, especially "by drought and issues regarding the management of water resources," pointing out that "islands are more vulnerable to extreme weather events."

"The mitigation of climate change requires the adoption of more efficient technologies," the government official defended, considering that "the, despite being a small region on a global scale, must find models of sustainability that can be replicated elsewhere in the world."

According to him, the Azores will benefit if they become a more autonomous region from the standpoint of energy resources, without the need to import fossil fuels.
"The issues of sustainability also encompass an economic logic," said the government official.

At the conference, the Regional Director for the Environment stressed that the Government of the Azores is working on the creation of Regional Plan for Climate Change, which will be presented until 2017. It complies with the obligations arising from the goals set at the Kyoto Protocol and the energy-climate package - Europe 2020.