Pedro Garrett, co-founder of 2adapt and keynote speaker at a conference on Madeira’s vulnerabilities to extreme events, warned today of worsening extreme weather phenomena in the Region and defended faster, more digital, and more accessible risk management across different sectors of society.
On the sidelines of the event promoted by the Madeira Region of the Order of Engineers, the specialist underlined the need to improve access and use of available data.Â
“We have to digitise the tools and data that already exist, making risk management broader for different sectors,” he said. According to Pedro Garrett, information should not be limited to government entities or Civil Protection, advocating the involvement of other actors in the response to climate risks.
“Data has to be more accessible and easier to use. We need quick answers, in seconds, not days or months, to be able to make smart decisions,” he said.
The researcher pointed to the digitization of information and the transformation of technical reports into dynamic tools as one of the main challenges for the coming years.
Asked about future climate scenarios for Madeira, Pedro Garrett explained that the most recent studies point to a worsening of climate extremes over the next few decades.
“The latest data produced in 2023 indicate an increase in the average temperature in the Region of about two degrees by 2050, and could reach five degrees at the highest levels by 2100,” he explained.
In addition to rising temperatures, studies also point to the lengthening of periods of moderate drought, a decrease in total annual precipitation, and, simultaneously, a significant increase in episodes of extreme precipitation.
“In practice, the panorama is one of worsening extremes, which are causing increasingly significant impacts,” he warned.
Pedro Garrett considered, therefore, that Madeira will have to maintain continuous preparation to respond to phenomena such as floods, forest fires, and other severe weather events.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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