Lisbon will study closely climate effects in its metropolitan area

This was made possible after winning an EEA Grant

This week, Lisbon officials informed the public that the larger Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) has won an EEA Grant that will allow for the installation of the digital meteorological system on the territory of the 18 municipalities that compose the metropolis. The project, known as CLIMA.AML, will also include 9 urban measurement micro-systems and a freely accessible online platform that will analyze the data to create continuous monitoring of the weather patterns and their impact on the communities living there.

Extreme climate events are becoming more notable in recent years

The overall project previews the implementation of 5 steps that will seek to implement a better and more holistic synchronization and understanding of climate change at the local level.

The first step is the installation of the above-mentioned sensors and monitoring system. The next will be the studying of the meteorological phenomena that occur on the territory of the AML. These include things such as heatwaves, cold waves, torrential rains, floods and likewise the conditions that might give rise to such phenomena will also be studied, as well as their subsequent impact on communities with a view to developing preventive programmes, methodologies, policies and strategies.

The third activity involves studying the effect of heat islands in the city during the summer season. It will be considered how their effect can be reduced with a view to improving energy efficiency and quality of life.

Institutional cooperation is also planned between Portuguese and Norwegian municipalities for the purpose of sharing good practices and training municipal technicians in the use of the new system, as well as in developing warning thresholds associated with extreme weather.

Finally, a partnership with educational institutions will be developed with the goal of creating an awareness-raising campaign around the importance of climate change and sustainable lifestyles.