Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 19^th March

Good afternoon everyone. Without any doubt the headline is the considerable amount of rain we have experienced so far this month. To date Castelo Branco and Beja already have around 4.5 times what is the normal average for March, Évora around 4 times and Faro, Santarém and Setúbal close to 3 times. If the forecast volume associated with Martinho is correct it will reach 4 to 6 times the normal average in most of these districts by Monday. This has resulted in the discharge of water from a number of dams including the Algarve, the first time for a number of years. On Tuesday March 18 morning, a safety water release began at the Odeleite reservoir, which was then at 98% of its total volume.

Civil Protection warns of the possibility of flooding and landslides due to the heavy rain expected until Thursday morning. This is one of the effects of the Martinho depression, which is currently west of the Iberian Peninsula. The deputy commander of Civil Protection operations, Alexandre Penha, is asking the population to avoid unnecessary travel. Civil Protection is also asking the population to be cautious on the roads and to avoid coastal areas and riverside areas. SMS warnings were sent by the ANEPC yesterday. It is therefore important to follow the ANEPC advice and the IPMA.

Madeira has also been affected by Martinho and the maritime authority recommends that “the entire maritime community and the general population take the following precautions, both when preparing to go to sea and when at sea or in coastal areas, namely: Reinforce mooring and maintain close surveillance of moored and anchored vessels; avoid walks near the sea or in areas exposed to rough seas, such as the protective breakwaters of ports, cliffs or beaches, to avoid being surprised by a wave and not to  engage in recreational fishing, especially near cliffs and cliff areas frequently hit by breaking waves, always bearing in mind that in these conditions the sea can easily reach apparently safe areas.

If you are visiting Lisbon be aware that pickpockets do operation in a number of tourist areas, despite the enforcement action taken by the police (PSP). The number of pickpockets attested continues to increase in Lisbon. Last year, 141 people were arrested. The PSP recommends preventive measures such as: carrying your wallet, money and cards in the inside pockets of your clothes and never putting anything in your outside pockets. You should also avoid carrying large amounts of money or valuable objects. Backpacks etc., should always be closed and carried on the front of the body. The Public Security Police also appeals to all people to report crimes of which they are aware, whether as victims or witnesses. They emphasize that the quicker the report is made, the faster the investigations will be carried out to identify the suspects.

Turning to road accidents a recent survey conducted in Portugal found that almost 30% of drivers surveyed in the study indicated that the cause of their last accident was fatigue 20.2% and falling asleep at the wheel 9.5%. According to the survey, professional drivers, shift workers and young people are particularly vulnerable to fatigue while driving, due to irregular working hours and lifestyles that increase the risk of drowsiness at the wheel. According to the GNR drivers are aware of the measures they should take in the event of fatigue. However, as the study shows, this is not the reality and they opt for measures that are not as effective and end up putting their driving at risk, such as (…) talking on the mobile phone. Instead of finding a solution, they are creating yet another problem”. If you are driving and feeling drowsy, the advice is to pull over.

Our team at safe communities wish you all a safe week ahead – with a final reminder to follow the preventive advice being issued by the ANEPC and weather warnings by the IPMA in respect of Depression Martinho.

News:

Spain reduces alcohol limit for driving: experts say Portugal should follow suit

The Portuguese Society of Alcoholism praises the Spanish initiative to reduce the alcohol limit for driving from 0.5 to 0.2 grams per litre of blood.

The Portuguese Society of Alcoholism welcomed this Wednesday the start of the legislative process in Spain to limit alcohol consumption while driving to 0.2 grams per litre of blood, arguing that Portugal should follow this example to combat road accidents.

The Spanish parliament approved on Tuesday, in a first vote (not yet final), a proposal to reduce the maximum amount of alcohol currently permitted in drivers’ blood from 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood to 0.2 grams.

According to the proposal, this tax will be applied to all drivers in Spain, regardless of their profession or the age of their driving license.

In the preamble of the PSOE proposal, it is stated that alcohol or drugs “are the main causes of road accidents worldwide” and that in countries such as Sweden and Norway, “world leaders in road safety”, the rate is already 0.2 grams per litre of blood, which is also recommended by international organisations, which understand that “this limit is equivalent to zero tolerance”.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of the Portuguese Society of Alcoholism (SPA), Joana Teixeira, considered the initiative “to be praised” and a “very important measure” in the fight against road accidents associated with alcohol consumption.

The expert argued that Portugal should adopt a similar policy, warning that “it is completely different” to have a blood alcohol level of 0.2 or 0.5 grams (g/l) in terms of the effects it has on the driver’s perception.

“Rates of 0.2 grams are normally associated with a slight feeling of euphoria, a slight reduction in inhibitions and a slight decrease in motor coordination, but when we talk about rates of 0.5, we already have a more pronounced euphoria”, he explained, considering that “there is a lack of awareness in this problem”.

Climate change signals hit record highs in 2024 and consequences “will be irreversible”

ONI report reveals that 2024 was the hottest year in the last 175 years, while the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also reached unprecedented levels.

The main signs of climate change broke records last year, an international team of scientists from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed on Wednesday, warning that some of its consequences “will be irreversible for hundreds, if not thousands of years”.

“The clear signs of human-induced climate change reached new levels in 2024, and some of its consequences will be irreversible for hundreds, if not thousands of years,” reads a report published this Wednesday by the United Nations (UN) science agency.

Scientists put the long-term increase in global average temperature at between 1.34 and 1.41 degrees Celsius, compared to the reference period (1850-1900).

According to WMO experts, every additional fraction of a degree (in the global average temperature) increases the costs and risks for humanity.

2024 was the hottest year in the last 175 years

The report confirms that 2024 was the first year in which the global average temperature exceeded pre-industrial levels by 1.55°C, making it the hottest year on record in the past 175 years.

Furthermore, this estimate implies that the 1.5°C limit established by the international community as the maximum tolerable level of global warming has been exceeded and, beyond this limit, the consequences for humanity will be very serious and irreversible.

WMO scientists stressed that, despite everything, temperatures are “only a small part” of a much more complex situation, in which, for example, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has also reached levels unprecedented in the last 800,000 years.

The situation at the poles is also moving in a very worrying direction: the 18 lowest levels of sea ice in the Arctic have been recorded in the last 18 years, while the three lowest extents of sea ice in the Antarctic have occurred in the last three years.

Furthermore, glacier mass loss in the three-year period 2022-2024 was the largest in history.

The sea is getting warmer and warmer

Sea level rise — where 90% of the energy captured by greenhouse gases in the Earth system is stored — has also accelerated, increasing twice as fast as since satellite measurements began.

According to the report, ocean heat content in 2024 reached its highest level in the 65 years of observational records, and each of the last eight years has set a new record.

Thus, the rate of ocean warming over the last two decades (2005-2024) is more than double that recorded in the period 1960-2005.

In terms of temperatures, the last ten years have been the hottest on record, and each of the last eight years has set a new record for ocean warming.

Record temperatures in 2024 have been attributed to continued increases in greenhouse gas emissions – which cause global warming – and the transition from La Niña to El Niño, while factors such as changes in the solar cycle may also have contributed.