Azores Situation Report Wednesday 25th September 2024
Azores recognized as EarthCheck Reference Destination 2024
The Azores have been recognized as an EarthCheck Benchmarked Destination 2024, due to the sustainability policy that is in force, indicates a press release from the Government of the Azores.
The regional executive adds that, according to the report published by the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure, the “Autonomous Region of the Azores met the requirements to be recognized as an EarthCheck reference destination”, and in “15 of the EarthCheck indicators evaluated, the Azores are at or above the reference level”.
The press release adds that “above the reference levels (‘baseline’), those that led the Azores to be recognized as an EarthCheck 2024 Reference Destination, are the following segments: greenhouse gas emissions, drinking water consumption, waste sent to landfill, percentage of compliant water analysis, habitat conservation and socioeconomic benefits”.
“The Azores were carefully selected to track performance in key areas of environmental and social impact performance. EarthCheck benchmarking provides an organization with a vehicle for sustainability reporting and is based on the premise of continuous improvement,” the document states.
In view of 2023, the Region now has another indicator “above the baseline”, namely greenhouse gas emissions, demonstrating the positive evolution of the assessment.
In best practices, the Azores are distinguished by the percentage of green areas, water savings and the safety of the destination.
EarthCheck’s regulations bring together a set of indicators that allow monitoring the performance of the Azores destination in areas related to sustainable development at an environmental, sociocultural and economic level.
Quoted in the press release, the regional secretary for Tourism, Berta Cabral, states that the results in question “demonstrate, once again, a positive evolution, even having another indicator above the reference levels and maintaining highlights in best practices”.
“This path of continuous improvement is something that makes us proud and to which we are very committed in a convinced and determined way”.
One dead and two seriously injured in road accident
A head-on collision between two vehicles left one person dead and two seriously injured, including a young child. The road accident occurred on Friday afternoon, on the São Vicente Ferreira road, in Ponta Delgada.
According to information from the commander of the Ribeira Grande Volunteer Firefighters, José Nuno Moniz, one of the drivers, a man in his 40s, was declared dead at the scene.
The other two victims, who were in the other vehicle, required a lot of care and were taken to the CUF hospital in Lagoa as an emergency.
It is a man and a child, aged between 7 and 8 years old.
The accident occurred after 5:00 pm, and the causes are not yet known.
The road was closed, with traffic being diverted to Estrada das Capelas.