The Atlantic Climate Observatory, which will be installed on Terceira Island, is expected to be operational in 2027, thanks to a joint investment by the Regional Government and the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

“If everything goes well, as we hope, it will be operational in 2027, towards the end of the year, with a total investment of around two million euros,” said the president of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, yesterday at the opening session of the international conference “Time, Climate and the Economy,” organized by IPMA, which took place in Praia da Vitória.

According to the head of the Azorean executive, the investment will be shared between the Regional Government, which will contribute one million euros towards the purchase and installation of equipment, and the IPMA, which will finance the refurbishment of the infrastructure, with an equal amount. For the president of IPMA, José Guerreiro, the observatory will have “a unique location worldwide for studying the circulation of greenhouse gases,” providing “information from the bottom of the water column and the atmosphere.”

The Atlantic Climate Observatory will be installed at the José Agostinho Observatory in Angra do Heroísmo.

According to José Manuel Bolieiro, the project for the adaptation and rehabilitation of the building “will be awarded immediately to an architectural firm on Terceira Island” and should be completed in November, when the respective public tender for the works will be launched, which will take place in 2026.

The head of the Azorean executive also gave as examples the Pico Mountain Observatory, the future European Deep Sea Observatory in Horta, and the national headquarters of the Portuguese Space Agency in Santa Maria, to defend that the Azores are an “example of commitment and innovation” in these areas. “We are leveraging the Azores’ strategy in the fields of research, science, modernization, and international relevance, with installed capacity of interest to the Azores, the country, the European Union, and the world,” he said.

José Manuel Bolieiro said that the Azores “are more victims of climate change than agents of it, as their actions have nothing to do with the excessive carbonization of the economy.” Even so, he added, the region has set “a good example for the world” by creating a reserve of protected marine areas covering 30% of its sea. The head of the Azorean executive also argued that the European Union should outline concerted strategies for its Member States. “The European Green Deal must provide a legal and financial framework for this ecological transition, seeking to ensure that it is not only cost-effective but also socially balanced, fair, and inclusive,” he stressed.

According to José Manuel Bolieiro, the Azores, as an outermost archipelago, are “particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate change,” having experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The president of the Regional Government gave as an example “the devastating impact of Hurricane Lorenzo [in 2019], whose damage amounted to more than €330 million.” He therefore warned of the “urgency of mitigating climate change,” but also of strengthening the region’s “resilience and adaptability” by reducing “exposure to natural risks and increasing the protection of people and property.” The head of the Azorean executive recalled that the region has created a Regional Climate Change Program, which provides for 145 measures, 115 for adaptation and 30 for mitigation, in various areas.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.