Speech delivered by the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

Full text of the speech delivered today by the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, in Horta, during the discussion of the Plan and Budget for 2023:

"The discussion of the Region's Plan and Budget for 2023 marks the closing of the first half of this legislative period.

This is a key moment that requires us to look firmly to the future, but t is also an opportunity to look carefully and with satisfaction at the path followed so far. It is therefore an opportunity to plan all that remains to be accomplished, but also an opportunity to see how much has already been accomplished and the achievements already put at the service of the Azoreans. The Investment Plan of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change (SRAAC) for 2023 includes an allocation of approximately 32.2 million Euros, of which 13.4 million Euros correspond to investment in public works, with special emphasis on coastal protection interventions.

Climate change represents one of the greatest challenges we face. Therefore, it is urgent to take action. In this context, we will continue to implement the LIFE IP CLIMAZ Project, with a total investment of about 3.5 million Euros provided for in this Plan, of which about 1.4 million Euros will be carried out by this department. Under the REACT-EU Programme, important projects will be completed as part of the fight against climate change, which began in 2022, with a planned investment for 2023 amounting to around six million Euros.

Regarding the Roadmap for the Azores' carbon neutrality in 2022, we have begun the production of sectoral and territorial best practice guides and the study for the creation of new competitiveness clusters. In 2023, the creation of fiscal instruments for carbon neutrality is also planned.

Under the project for Improving Knowledge of the Location and Conservation Status of Organic Soils and Peatlands, the analysis of the distribution and identification of peatlands in the Azores began in 2022. By the end of 2023, plots of land will be acquired for the implementation of permanent plots for the protection and restoration of peatlands.

Regarding the risk mapping project for climate change mitigation and adaptation, equipment was acquired in 2022 for capacity building in the field of cartographic production, corresponding to an investment of about 450 thousand Euros. By the end of 2023, the procedures for vector topographic and thematic mapping production will be completed.

Regarding the Project for the implementation of a flood warning system in high-risk hydrographic basins, after the selection of the locations, the installation of equipment, the construction of infrastructures and the creation of the management platform will take place in 2023.

This plan also includes the Legal and Financial Scheme for Emergency Climate Support, which provides for n allocation of 400, thousand Euros to support populations in the aftermath of bad weather events.

The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere - IPMA is also in the process of installing two weather radars on the islands of São Miguel and Flores by the end of 2023, thus significantly improving our weather forecasting capacity.

Nature conservation and the preservation of biodiversity are other priorities of the government action under the competences of this department. In this context, with an investment of about 2.5 million Euros planned for 2023, of which 1.4 million Euros will be carried out by SRAAC, we will continue with the LIFE IP Azores Natura, LIFE Vidalia, LIFE Beetles and Life Snails projects.

It should also be noted the study on the Control of the Proliferation of the invasive algae Rugulopteryx okamurae in the Coastal Areas of the Azores, under a protocol signed with the Environmental Fund.

The environmental quality of the Azores is an extraordinary heritage, which plays a strategic role in our sustainable development. In this context, we will resume the Regional Environmental Education Meetings in 2023, thus strengthening the commitment to environmental education and awareness, promoting the protection of our natural heritage and fostering sustainable development.

As regards the implementation of measures to promote environmental quality, a new project for the bioremediation and restoration of contaminated soils was signed under a protocol with the Environmental Fund, amounting to 500 thousand Euros.

In terms of improving waste management and fostering the circular economy, the revision of the Strategic Programme for Waste Prevention and Management has been completed and it is expected to be submitted to the Parliament by the end of this year.

The development of the Roadmap for Circular Economy and the Digital Platform for Circularity begun in 2022. Additionally, the study for the creation of competitiveness clusters for the Circular Economy is expected to be conducted in 2023.

The project to restructure the Waste Processing Centres in the Region is also underway for the adaptation to the composting process of the selective collection of bio-waste on the islands of Flores, Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa and Santa Maria. By the end of 2022, equipment will be purchased to improve the operation of the six Waste Processing Centres, an investment of more than 2.3 million Euros. In 2022, the deposit system for non-reusable beverage packaging in the Azores was also implemented, under which more than 3.5 million packages have already been returned. The development of a mobile application is expected to be completed by 2023. It is also important to highlight the implementation of the Regional Radon Plan. After the first samplings in 2022, and based on the samplings to be carried out in 2023, we will be able to draw up a Radon susceptibility map in the Azores.

In terms of spatial planning, five sectoral programmes, six special land management plans, 18 Municipal Master Plans and three detailed plans are currently being assessed, amended and revised.

Following the amendment to the Coastal Management Plan of São Jorge, we will also introduce amendments to the Coastal Management Plans of Terceira and São Miguel in 2023. We will also begin the procedures to amend the Coastal Management Plans of Santa Maria, Graciosa, Flores and Corvo.

The proper management of water resources is another priority of this plan's options. In this regard, we will continue to monitor, maintain and upgrade the Region's hydrographical network, with a planned investment of about 1.8 million Euros.

Currently, the procedures to amend the Regional Water Programme and revise the Azores Hydrographic Region Management Plan, both under consideration by this Parliament, have been completed. Additionally, the revision of the Flood Risk Management Plan for the Region as well as of the Drought and Water Scarcity Management Plan are also expected to be completed in 2022.

Regarding investments in public works, which amount to 13.4 million Euros, we highlight the investments of 8.1 million Euros in the management and redevelopment of the coastline, two million Euros in interventions in Waste Processing Centres and 1.3 million Euros in environmental planning and promotion.

This is an Investment Plan with a clear sense of governmental responsibility. It confirms a new paradigm in terms of public policies, turning words into deeds and reflecting a new cycle of progress and development for our islands. Our commitment is to serve the Azoreans and to build, with confidence, the path to the future. We will not falter!"