Pedro Garrett, co-founder of 2adapt and keynote speaker at a conference on Madeira’s vulnerabilities to extreme events, said today that the Region is likely to face more severe weather in the coming years. Speaking on the sidelines of an event promoted by the Madeira Region of the Order of Engineers, he argued for faster, more digital, and more accessible risk management across society. He said existing tools and data should be digitised so that risk management can extend beyond government entities and Civil Protection to other actors as well. Garrett stressed that information must be easier to use and available in seconds rather than days or months so that decisions can be made quickly and intelligently. He also identified the digitisation of information and the conversion of technical reports into dynamic tools as major challenges for the years ahead. Referring to the latest studies, he said data produced in 2023 indicate that the average temperature in the Region could rise by about two degrees by 2050 and by as much as five degrees at the highest levels by 2100. Those projections also point to longer periods of moderate drought, less total annual precipitation, and a marked increase in extreme precipitation events, creating worsening extremes with growing impacts. Garrett concluded that Madeira must remain continuously prepared for floods, forest fires, and other severe weather events.
