FATIMA PRAYERS FOR PEACE

With wars raging in the Middle East, Ukraine and other regions, pilgrims at the Fatima Sanctuary in central Portugal are praying for world peace.

By the end of August this year around 3.8 million pilgrims had visited the Sanctuary and taken part in at least one congregation devoted to prayers for peace. This number is certain to significantly rise with the approach of the anniversary of the ‘‘Miracle of the Sun’ on Sunday, October 13.

Foreigners come to Fatima from all over the world, especially Spain, Poland, Italy, the United States and Ukraine. Many are now coming from Asia, particularly South Korea.

A spokesperson for the Sanctuary explained to us why prayers for peace were so important. “In a world context so marked by war, the message of Fatima remains profoundly relevant. The call to prayer as a path to peace has become imperative. Prayer for peace is a daily presence in the Shrine’s celebrations. On the other hand, it is understandable that people from different backgrounds are attracted to this place where peace is reflected not only in the words, but also in the atmosphere that surrounds the pilgrims.”

Over the past eight years, more and more motorcyclists have been coming to the Sanctuary for ceremonies known as ‘Blessing of the Helmets.’ They have become very important events. So far, in this ninth year, Blessing of the Helmets has had about 180,000 participants.

For those readers not fully familiar with the story of the Fatima Sanctuary, it began in 1917 when three shepherd children claimed to have witnessed apparitions of ‘Our Lady of Fatima’ – the Virgin Mary – on the 13th day of six consecutive months, May to October.

According to the Holy See, the main message delivered to the children was this: “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my immaculate heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.”

In another version of the message delivered during the apparitions, Our Lady said, “the good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”

These words are said to have been spoken in 1917, the penultimate year of the First World War.

Four pontiffs, including Pope Francis have visited the Fatima Sanctuary over the years. With wars now raging in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere, the latest message from Francis was read out at the Shrine on 29 September, on the occasion of the European pilgrimage of deaf people. The Pope thanked deaf people for their “witness of Christian joy”, which, he said, “teaches us to live with our own frailties, and reminds us that God’s presence is felt more with faith than with our ears.”

Visitors wishing to experience the Sanctuary of Fatima, and the surrounding places of interest related to the apparitions and ‘Our Lady of Peace’, may join scheduled tours. An intimate and full-day tour with a professional guide can be arranged.

Much more information is available on the Sanctuary’s official website: https.//www.fatima.pt

Written by Len Port.

Edited by Catriona Anderson.

Proofed by Roger Nuttall. 

Why protecting the oceans is essential

The Portuguese government is fully committed to the protection and sustainable use of the oceans, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro told the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. This commitment underscores Portugal’s leadership in global marine conservation efforts.

He said that one of his government’s main strategic priorities is fulfilling the goals of the International  2030 Agenda designed to reinforce action on ocean protection and sustainability. Demonstrating its commitment,  Portugal plans to achieve the United Nations’ 2030 target of 30% protected areas by 2026, four years ahead of schedule. This announcement was made by the former prime minister, Antonio Costa, in October last year during the 2 nd Sustainable Blue Investment Forum in Estoril, Lisbon.

The findings of a recent UNESCO report reveal that increasing temperatures account for 40% of sea level rises. The rate of rising has doubled over the past 20 years, with last year seeing one of the highest increases since the 1950s. This is most concerning for low-lying islands and parts of coastal cities, towns, and villages worldwide. 

Since the 1960s, the oceans have lost a significant amount of oxygen due to warming, and to pollutants such as toxic wastewater, and runoff agricultural chemicals. Conserving diversity of life on Earth and in oceans is critical to human welfare, yet essential resources are at risk directly as a result of unsustainable practises.  

Marine debris, especially plastics, has reportedly impacted at least 700 marine species, from vegetation, plankton, and invertebrates, to fish, whales, and sea birds. Marine habit loss is causing the extinction of many species and poses a threat to entire ecosystems, with far-reaching  consequences on biodiversity and human livelihoods.

Oceans play an integral role in climate change mitigation by absorbing some 23% of  carbon dioxide emissions, and more than 90% of the excess heat  generated by greenhouse gasses.

 Portugal has just strongly reaffirmed its important early role in international ocean governance by engaging at the highest of levels with executive decision-makers and  the United Nations.

This is in line with the Global Ocean Forum’s (GOF) recently unveiled 2024-2030 plan designed “to guide the organisations as the oceans are a holistic ecosystem, joint efforts on a global scale are required, bearing in mind new priorities and areas of focus."

A clear warning from all relevant international organisations is that oceans are the life support system of our planet, and the way we treat them will have repercussions on all.

WILDFIRES AND FLOODS: FASTER CLIMATE ACTION NEEDED

The devastating wildfires raging across Portugal this week and the catastrophic floods in central Europe are just two more examples of the global crisis that will be discussed during the upcoming ‘New York Climate Week’.

Thousands of Portuguese firefighters, with many reinforcements from Spain and Morocco, plus water bombers from Italy and France, have been stretched beyond their limits. Seven firefighters have been killed, more than 50 injured, and many people forced to flee from their homes because of around 100 different fires in the north of the country. 

Flooding in central Europe, like the wildfires in Portugal, is an annual, problem generated by exceptionally heavy rains. Storm Boris and extreme humidity have been the main culprits this year. Floods that started in Austria and the Czech Republic spread to Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and later to Germany, Hungary, and Italy. It has been the worst flooding in the region in at least 20 years. Many people have drowned. Huge numbers have been forced to evacuate their swamped homes and businesses. 

All this is of profound concern to the United Nations General Assembly. UN Secretary-General and former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres says he has no doubt these events are linked to the escalating climate crisis. The next major UN conference on climate change will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November. The focus is expected to be on securing the trillions of dollars required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect people from the worsening impacts of climate change.

The New York Climate Week starts next Monday. It is one of the biggest annual events of its kind. Top scientific and political climate specialists are expected to attend. It is a charity event to promote action by appealing to business leaders, political changemakers, local decision takers, and civil society officials. 

This special week is run by a non-profit organisation with a mission to accelerate climate action, and achieve a world on net zero carbon emissions by 2050, ensuring great prosperity for all.

The organisation and its members are helping to shift global markets and policies towards faster reductions in carbon emissions.

 

MORE IMMIGRANTS WANTED

According to a study by the Faculty of Economics at the University of Porto, Portugal needs more immigrants.

More immigrants are necessary if the country wants to increase economic growth and standards of living - and join the richest nations in the European Union by 2033

The Portuguese government announced on June 3 this year a new Action plan for migration. It came into force the following day.The plan laid out 41 new measures to tighten migration, clean up the backlog of pending immigration cases, and meet the deadline to update the Entry/Exit system at the borders, among others.

Immigration is a highly contentious subject globally. In the United States the focus is on the flood of foreigners coming across the border from Mexico, as highlighted in the televised debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

The main concern in the United Kingdom and Europe is the human trafficking of illegal immigrants from Africa. More than five million immigrants are said to have entered the European Union from non-EU countries in 2022. That’s more than double the number of the previous year. Twenty-nine million immigrants have arrived in the past decade, legally and illegally, placing a significant strain on economies and community attitudes where the cost of living is a major worry. 

Except for its effect on the national housing shortage, Portugal

has been generally happy to accept newcomers from Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, and various Schengen countries. 

The attractions include the fact that Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world. It varies from year to year in the Global Peace Index, but is always well within the top 10.

The weather is starting to cool from a hot summer while Portugal has one of the most comfortable climates in Europe with Mediterranean temperatures all year round, and more than 300 days of sunshine can annually. Mainland Portugal has an average temperature of 10-12°C in the north, and 16-18°C in the south. Madeira and the Azores tend to be wetter and warmer due to their Atlantic island location. 

Portugal is one of the best places to live in terms of cost of living, although local inhabitants may question this.. Those coming from abroad will find their purchasing power goes a long way in Portugal. The cost of living is around 40% lower than in the United States. 

Quality education is available for children in public and private schools. And there is much more, to attract and benefit children and adults from abroad to this special land. 

 

This summer heat is deadly

Extreme temperatures are killing many thousands of people, and increasing the need for urgent action to minimise the impact of global warming.

Researchers studying the records of temperature-related deaths in 35 European countries have concluded that last year the number reached 47,690. Among the worst- affected countries were Italy, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Last year was the hottest in Europe on record. We await this year’s full statistics.

Two years ago, the heat in Portugal was estimated to have claimed the lives of 1,063 people in less than a fortnight between July 7 and 18, according to the Portuguese Health Ministry. These mortalities occurred during one of Portugal’s worst heat waves on record, which spiked at 47 degrees Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit)

By mid-July this year, greater adaptability in Portugal had kept deaths due to heat at an estimated 600. Much relief has come to individuals since the introduction of the Portuguese Contingency Heat Wave Plan.

Mainland Portugal used to be regarded as having a mild Mediterranean climate. However, the number of days of extreme heat has been rising, and is projected to rise further, due to climate change. This means that the risk of increased heat-related mortality is likely to rise further unless strong counter measures are in place. The elderly and urban populations are the most vulnerable, but they are significantly helped by heat warnings and cooling advice issued by the contingency plan every year from May to September

Temperatures in the Azores archipelago are generally lower than on the mainland, but have been higher than usual throughout this summer, reaching 30 degrees Celsius this week.

Global warming is predicted to have a negative impact on the Azores in terms of precipitation as well as temperatures. Edwardo Brito de Azevedo, a climatologist at  the University of the Azores, has been quoted by RTP Azores as saying, “it is necessary to adapt crops to a new reality, and review working hours.”

Air temperatures in Portugal’s other autonomous island territory, Madeira, usually do not exceed the lower 20s C , but on 27 June this year local thermometers shattered previous records and hit 30.1 degrees Celsius. This was due to the passage of a hot and dry tropical air mass, according to the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere.

The oceans are extremely warm worldwide at present Average temperatures have reportedly been at record levels every month since April last year. This abnormal situation is believed to be caused by a combination of climate change and El Nino, and to be fuelling hurricanes in the Atlantic.

The Earth’s overall average temperatures have risen by about 1.1 C, (nearly 34 F) per decade since 1850. The rate of warming since 1982 has been almost three times as fast:

Climate change is having both direct and indirect impacts on health issues including cardiovascular and other cardiometabolic diseases, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, reproductive and maternal health, oncology, and mental health.

Between 2030 and 2050 scientists predict that climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths each year due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress, alone.

Of course this is alarming, so each individual, and well as each community and national leader, must act as best as possible, and act now.

Written by Len Port

Edited by Catriona Anderson

Proofed by Roger Nuttall. 

Public consultation open for the development plans for Albandeira, on the Lagoa coast

 

The municipality of Lagoa has recently opened a period of public consultation for the proposed Detailed Plans of the Albandeira ATE A1 and ATE A2 projects, which form part of the UP 12 Urbanization Plan for the area. These plans outline the construction of a large urban development comprising a mixture of hotels, aparthotels and villas offering 1,030 beds in the picturesque landscape of the as-of-yet unspoilt Praia de Albandeira area, in Caramujeira. This area is characterised by a countryside-meets-sea setting, with small cove beaches and caves flanked by stunning natural landscapes.

 

The municipality is calling for public participation until the 12^th August 2024, with a view to then formalise the acceptance of the development plans proposed by the project promoters. A deadline of 9 months has been established for completion of the approval procedure, although it may possibly be concluded by the end of the current year. The present elaboration of the detailed plans includes adjustments made to the strategy and objectives defined in the UP 12 urbanisation plan approved in 2008.  

 

Anyone who wishes to participate  can consult the terms of reference, planning contract and Strategic Environmental Assessment Reports available on the Lagoa City Council website (www.cm-lagoa.pt -> Noticias  -> Avisos ATE A1 e ATE A2), and at the  Balcão Único of the Câmara Municipal de Lagoa. 

To obtain more information and voice your opinion, you can log your participation in person at the Balcão Único at the Municipal Town Hall.

The Algarve’s water crisis worsens

Barlavento reservoir

Reservoir levels in the Algarve have fallen agai n, coinciding with global temperatures approaching record highs.

The amount of water stored in all the Algarve’s river basins fell in June and again in July. The Barlavento basin in the western Algarve is the worst affected, with a level now below 20%. The Arade in the central Algarve fell from 40.8% in June to 37.8% last month. 

The situation is much better in the east of the region. The Guadiana basin is 83.35% full, and the Mondego reservoir has a level of 85.5%.

Official meteorological statistics show that at the end of June the south of Portugal was suffering extreme drought, while the intensity was more moderate in the cities of Beja and Evora in the Alentejo, as well as part of the districts of Setubal, south of Lisbon.

Current temperatures in the Algarve are fairly mild compared to other Portuguese places in the past. Portugal's highest recorded temperature is just above 47.4 degrees Celsius (117.32 Fahrenheit). Normal summer temperatures in the Algarve stay in the mid-30s °C, but sometimes soar towards 40 °C (104 °F). 

On Sunday, July 21, the world experienced its hottest day on record. Just 24 hours later that record was broken,  marking the hottest recorded in thousands of years.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has been able to accurately reveal this as they have developed a scientific technique for assessing historical temperatures. The technique can be used in a variety of helpful ways, including suggesting the best spots to place wind farms and letting homeowners know how much their solar panels might generate. 

Severe heat waves cause hundreds, if not thousands of deaths across Europe, the United States, and Asia. The United States Embassy in Lisbon has issued a warning to American summer visitors to Portugal to be careful of the possible consequences of being outdoors in the local heat.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world. It is rising roughly twice the global average, according to official data. The hottest places on the planet just now are in parts of countries including Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Pakistan. The biggest problem of all is the failure of humans to properly control climate change.

While the Algarve is at the peak of its wildfire season, all units of fire brigades, police forces, and various volunteer groups are on constant standby to deal with any outbreaks. So far, such outbreaks have been most severe in Alberta, Canada, and parts of California. There are currently about 100 large wildfires raging in California. One of them is the worst in Californian history. 

The existential threat of global warming does not seem to be nearly as important to many world leaders nowadays as spiralling knife and gun violence, and international wars.

However, Bloomberg Green has just come up with some good news: “Last year, the world invested $1.8 trillion in climate tech. Much of that went toward renewable energy and electrifying transport, climate tech sectors that are relatively mature. Pioneers — a program that’s run for more than a decade — focuses on areas where innovation is most needed, ranging from reducing buildings’ carbon footprints and developing clean fuels.”

The United Nations Secretary-General and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres recently delivered a special address on climate action in which he warned that we have only 18 months to save the world.

Pulling back from the brink “is still just about possible”, he continued, but only if we fight harder. It all depends on decisions taken by political leaders during this decade.”

 

Writen by Len Port,

Edited by Catriona Anderson.

Proofed by Roger Nuttall.