Mes: marzo 2021

26.03.2021. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, celebrated in 1992, decided that every March 26th should be dedicated to raising awareness worldwide about the influence of climate, not only on the planet, but also on the lives of all living creatures that inhabit it.

The CILIFO Project develops its activities within the thematic Objective 5 of the Interreg VA Spain-Portugal Program (POCTEP), established to “promote adaptation to climate change in all sectors and, more particularly, to promote increased territorial resilience to natural risks cross-border”, so since its creation it has worked actively to improve climatic conditions. In addition to direct actions in the prevention of forest fires and the recovery of burnt spaces, the activities carried out within the Awareness Plan are also essential to achieve this expected resilience and ensure that the Alentejo-Algarve-Andalusia Euroregion rises to the consequences of the global warming.

The fight against climate change is a global goal and an example of this is the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among which we must point out the number 13, which aims to achieve the adoption and implementation of urgent measures to combat the harmful effects of climate change. 2019 was the second warmest year since there was a record and ended the warmest decade in history, so it is a priority for society to put an end to this dramatic rise in temperatures before it is too late.

22.03.2021. Water is a source of life and, despite being essential for the survival of all species on the planet, it is a limited resource and more than 2,200 million people do not have access to it, according to the United Nations General Assembly (UN). The UN recognized access to drinking water as a human right and established March 22 as a world day to raise awareness about the global water crisis, which not only affects health, but is also fundamental for sustainable development, nutrition, equality and the economy.

For all these reasons, water is the protagonist of the 2030 Agenda and one of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically the goal number 6, has been dedicated to it, the purpose of which is to guarantee the availability of water and its sustainable management and sanitation for all. The CILIFO Project, aligned since its creation with the SDGs, participates in this specific objective through two of its goals included in the 2030 Agenda. On one hand, it protects and restores water-related ecosystems in the forest areas of the Euroregion Alentejo-Algarve-Andalusia and, on the other hand, strengthens the participation of local communities in improving water management and sanitation through awareness-raising activities.

The World Water Day was established in 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development took place in Rio de Janeiro and since then a multitude of events and activities have been developed to raise awareness about rational use of this resource, as well as to reach its equitable distribution in any corner of the planet. In this year, in which we find ourselves caught up in a pandemic that is unprecedented worldwide, the great differences between countries are once again highlighted. According to the UN, two out of five people do not have a basic facility to wash their hands with soap and water, this action being one of the main measures to prevent contagion by Covid-19.

It is up to the entire population to take care of water resources and to boost the implementation and execution of projects, through cooperation and the creation of alliances, which facilitate access to drinking water for those who do not have it. Only in this way can sustainable development be achieved, from which the social, environmental and economic needs of all the inhabitants of the planet are covered.