Regional Government moves forward with specific action plan for agriculture and forestry to tackle climate change
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated in Ponta Delgada that the Regional Government, in conjunction with the social partners of the agricultural sector, is committed to defining a specific action plan for agriculture and forestry with objective and feasible measures that will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
"In the Region, we already have an environmentally friendly production method and we are already making a major contribution to carbon neutrality, through the forests and pastures and, in this context, the agricultural sector r could not be left out of this problem, quite the contrary", said João Ponte. As he added, "the goal is to achieve an increasingly sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture in the Azores."
"It's important to harness the economic potential of this environmentally friendly mode of production," stressed the government official, who spoke on the sidelines of the meeting of the Monitoring Commission for Climate Change.
João Ponte revealed that the actions that will now be outlined under this commission will focus on improved management of pastures, farms, animal husbandry and forests as well as on the management of water and energy resources, among other aspects that may contribute with positive impacts for the reduction of GHG and carbon retention.
It is always possible to improve and contribute to reducing the ecological footprint in the Azores so that we can achieve carbon neutrality by 2050," stressed João Ponte.
For the Regional Secretary, the creation of this monitoring commission at the end of 2019 and the definition of a specific action plan for agriculture and forestry to mitigate climate change is also justified as, among the nine general goals of the next Common Agricultural Policy, three are environmental. They intend to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, promote sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources, protect biodiversity, and preserve habitats and landscape. Furthermore, 40% of the future CAP budget should contribute to climate actions.