Session 1
Date: 7 May 2025
This first session of the REGILIENCE Regional Training Programme in Madeira focused on the impacts of climate change on human health, with particular attention to extreme heat and vector-borne diseases. The session provided a combination of expert insights and European case studies, allowing participants to deepen their understanding of health-related climate risks and explore practical tools for local adaptation. You can find the full recording of the session here.
Speakers and presentations:
Paulo Nogueira, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon – Impact of heat on human health and possible solutions
Anna Blouet, Agence Parisienne du Climat (APC) – Adaptaville: the Paris platform of solutions
Rita de Sousa, Doctor Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute (INSA) – Climate change and vector-borne diseases: risks and responses
Dimitrios Sainidis, National Observatory of Athens – EYWA: a European early warning tool for mosquito-borne disea
Session 2
Date: 12 June 2025
The second session of the REGILIENCE Regional Training Programme in Madeira took place on 12 June 2025, bringing together local and regional stakeholders to explore the role of ecological restoration in building climate resilience. You can find the full recording of the session here.
The session opened with a presentation by Alice Nunes (Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon), who introduced the Concept of ecological restoration and its relevance in the context of environmental recovery and adaptation.
Participants then heard from two European case studies:
Louisa Shakou (Cyprus Energy Agency) presented Greening Communities – the Cyprus Energy Agency’s Pilot Projects in Nature-based-Solutions.
Miguel Vega (CSIC, Spain) shared experiences from Nature-based-Solutions in schools: a green way to adapt buildings to climate change in Solana de los Barros, Extremaduros (Spain).
A guided discussion followed, allowing participants to reflect on how these approaches could be adapted to the Madeiran context, identify barriers to implementation, and explore opportunities for collaboration.
This was the second of three sessions planned as part of REGILIENCE’s Regional Training Programme in Madeira. The final session will take place on 3 July 2025.
Session 3
Date: 3 July 2025
The third and final session of the REGILIENCE Regional Training Programme in Madeira took place on 3 July 2025. It focused on the increasing risks posed by extreme weather events, particularly storms, and explored strategies to improve local preparedness and resilience. You can find the full recording of the session here.
The session opened with an expert presentation by Carlos da Camara (Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon), who discussed the impacts of extreme weather events and how regions can anticipate and respond to climate-related catastrophes.
Participants then heard two complementary case studies from Belgium:
Jan Cools (University of Antwerp) presented findings on citizen engagement in stormwater management.
Niels Souverijns (VITO) introduced a detailed thermal mapping approach developed in Antwerp to adapt urban areas to heat stress.
The session concluded with a presentation by AREAM on the Microcli-MAC project, which focuses on smart technologies and tools to support climate adaptation in Madeira and the wider Macaronesian region. A final interactive discussion allowed participants to exchange ideas and reflect on the relevance of these strategies in their own context.
Speakers and presentations:
Carlos da Camara – Facing storms and being more prepared
Faculty of Sciences, University of LisbonJan Cools, University of Antwerp – Citizens’ willingness to act on stormwater management
Niels Souverijns, VITO (Belgium) – Adapting to heat stress in Antwerp through thermal mapping
AREAM, Regional Energy and Environment Agency of Madeira – Microcli-MAC: Smart technologies for climate adaptation in the Macaronesian region