Rui Alexandre Castanho, European Climate Pact ambassador for Portugal, argued that islands can serve as "living labs" for testing solutions to climate change. This concept was presented at a meeting on Climate Governance in Island Territories, co-organized with PAN Madeira.
Castanho emphasized the importance of bringing together academia, institutions, policymakers, and civil society to identify problems and propose responses. He explained that the goal is to develop "potential solutions" that can be scaled up to higher decision-making levels, including European and international ones.
The researcher warned that climate change transcends borders but stressed the need for solutions tailored to regional and local specificities. Regarding Madeira, he cited its vulnerability to floods and fires, advocating for increased focus on prevention and mitigation, and urged for scientific recommendations to be better reflected in political decisions and spatial planning.
