We Need a Climate Action Plan

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

(available from Amazon)

PAN has expressed its “deep concern” with the lack of Municipal Climate Action Plans by the municipalities of the Region, which “reflects that none of them has any strategy or roadmap for carbon neutrality.”

According to the party, the absence of these instruments “demonstrates a serious lack of planning and climate responsibility on the part of Madeiran municipalities, at a time when the impacts of the climate crisis are already being felt increasingly severely and frequently in our region.” “The Climate Framework Law itself, approved in 2021, required the implementation of these plans by February 2024, which makes it unacceptable that the Autonomous Region of Madeira is still totally in default,” a spokesperson for the party adds.

PAN understands that this “is not just an administrative failure, but a direct threat to the quality of life of populations and the resilience of the territory in the face of climate change.” “It is not enough to recognise the problem, it is urgent to act with concrete, coordinated, and participatory measures.”

In this sense, it proposes that the local action group be implemented, a measure presented by the PAN and approved in the previous legislature, with representatives of civil society, scientists, and environmental specialists, to technically support municipalities in the preparation of Municipal Climate Action Plans; access to European and national funding to support municipalities in the development and implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures should be prioritised, and climate and ecological education should be integrated into municipal plans, involving schools, associations, and local businesses, to ensure that the fight against climate change is a collective effort.

Válter Ramos, PAN Madeira’s candidate for the National Legislative Elections, says that “we cannot continue to postpone what is inevitable: either we plan now for the sustainable future of our region, or we will be forced to react, in the future, to increasingly frequent and severe tragedies. Climate action has to be a local priority, not just a national one.”

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com