• More than 500 people attended the plenary conferences, parallel sessions, and workshops organized in this second edition of the Forum
  Biologist and science communicator Liz Bonnin explained that “we live on an interconnected and interdependent planet” where local actions have special relevance

Science communicator Mark Lynas closed the second edition of the International Ecoislas Forum today, which was attended by more than 500 people, with a conference on the effects of climate change on island territories and the urgency of acting based on science: “Islands are among the most vulnerable territories to climate change. Their perimeters are coastline, which exposes them directly to rising sea levels, storms, and wave activity.”

The journalist also referred to the Canary Islands, stating that the archipelago’s topography makes it less vulnerable to global warming: “Although the coastline could be severely affected by rising sea levels, warming is not an existential threat here, thanks to the large mountains and volcanic origins. Greenland could melt, and all of Antarctica, all the Earth’s ice, and the islands would still be here,” he affirmed.

He also reviewed innovative nature-based solutions, such as using living structures to protect the coastline while preserving marine biodiversity and the importance of prevention and management to address vulnerability: “Although the Canary Islands will not disappear due to global warming, they must prepare for weather phenomena such as floods,” and even drought: “There is a water emergency in some areas of the islands; I would triple investment in the archipelago.” He emphasised the need to protect and conserve, stating, “Islands are miniature worlds whose power lies in protecting their biodiversity, culture, and natural heritage.”

For his part, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Energy, and Knowledge of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Raúl García Brink, positively evaluated this second edition of the International Ecoislas Forum. “For the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, it has been a great success, with an extremely high level of participation, as nearly 550 people have attended Infecar over these days, so we are delighted,” he said.

García Brink intends to “hold the third edition of the International Ecoislas Forum so that we can continue discussing and debating the major sustainability challenges facing island territories, not only here in the Canary Islands but also in different parts of the world, especially in Europe.”

Adaptation to Climate Change

Biologist and science communicator Liz Bonnin, who has over 15 years of experience as a science communicator, explained in this second day of the forum how “we live on an interconnected and interdependent planet” where “everything is interrelated” and where local actions take on special importance. As an example, she spoke about the Amazon region, which harbors 30% of the world’s species, more than 10,000 types of insects, as well as billions of bacteria, fungi, and other living organisms. “The Amazon creates the purest air on Earth: it is the planet’s lung, and the river’s water vapor regulates the climate worldwide, so maintaining its health contributes to the entire planet’s health,” she remarked.

However, it is currently threatened by deforestation, as the country “destroys an area equivalent to five football fields every minute,” to the point that 2022 it devastated an area four times the size of New York in just six months.

“The planet is wonderful and amazing, and as scientists, we continue to discover things every day and be amazed by nature,” said the communicator, who was convinced that “collaboration is the superpower” and that 21st-century entrepreneurs and leaders “are the change our planet needs.”

Among the most urgent measures to take to combat climate change, she considered it imperative to stop intensive agriculture, halt uncontrolled production and consumption, and cease the extraction and burning of natural resources. Instead, she emphasized the need to “place nature at the heart of all our choices, prioritize people and the planet over economic profits, and create a systemic transformation.”

Mercedes Díaz, Project Technician in the Water Department and specialist in Climate Change Adaptation at the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), agreed with Bonnin that climate change adaptation measures must be taken on a small scale. “Adaptation measures are not the same and must be implemented locally, not globally,” she said. “We have all the tools to adapt, but it is important to know what is going to happen so we can then apply the measures that allow us to adapt,” Díaz assured, reminding that many effects of climate change are already materializing. That is, even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases today, the planet will continue to warm due to inertia.

In the same vein, Ezequiel Navío, an expert in climate change strategies and spokesperson for the Association for the Development of Comprehensive Climate Actions (ADACIS), explained to attendees the work the association is doing to establish a network of climate shelters in the Canary Islands.

Navío recalled that in 2024, global temperatures rose by 1.5 degrees, a figure that was not supposed to be exceeded before 2100, as established in the Paris Agreement in 2015. This rise in temperatures will cause extreme cold and heat episodes. The latter will impact the Canary Islands more, where, in the last nine years, 800 people have already died due to high temperatures.

Alongside Mercedes Díaz and Ezequiel Navío, Fernando Tuya, a research professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, also participated in the roundtable on adaptation to climate change. He explained to attendees how climate change is affecting the brown algae forests in Gran Canaria’s marine floors, “which were a refuge for many species and have been reduced mainly due to marine heatwaves.”

Regarding this, the researcher stated that “restoring the sea is difficult but not impossible” and advocated for continued research and innovation to make it possible.

The Ecoislas 2025 Forum, promoted and funded by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, has had sponsorship this year from Ewaste, Prezero, Ayagaures Medioambiente, Astican, and Satocan; Cajasiete as the official collaborator; and additional collaborations from institutions such as the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the University of La Laguna, Canaragua, the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster, the Gran Canaria Island Water Council, the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council, Fedeport, and the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce.