• The European Project has held two consultative sessions, with the residents of San Felipe and with the municipal services, to address the problem of waves in the Canary Islands.

The LIFE CostAdapta Project is making steady progress, collecting the opinions of the affected population in the municipality of San Felipe, as well as local emergency institutions and organizations. The aim is to design an innovative solution that not only allows the adaptation of the coast of Gran Canaria to climate change, but also responds effectively to the needs of those who are directly affected by an increasingly dangerous wave.

For this reason, two consultative sessions have been held to address the problem: the first, held on 26, 27 and 28 November, in which the residents of San Felipe shared their concerns and concerns; and the second, on December 2, in which municipal services, such as the Local Police and Civil Protection, met to advance a technical solution to the problem.

The results of the consultations have highlighted a clear priority for the project: the main need is to avoid material damage to buildings and infrastructure, closely followed by the promotion of biodiversity and the improvement of the environmental conditions of the coast.

One of the divergent voices has been that of the Canary Islands Surfing Federation, which has expressed its concern about the possible alterations that the construction of the tidal puddle reefs could cause in the natural behavior of the waves.

For their part, the municipal services have stressed the importance of acting immediately, arguing that each month of delay increases the risk and deterioration.

The LIFE CostAdapta Project seeks not only to protect coastal infrastructures, but also to preserve human lives in the face of the effects of climate change. Comprehensive risk management in this area is a priority shared by all the actors involved.

With the support of institutions, emergency services and the active participation of residents, LIFE CostAdapta is an example of collaboration to face climate change. The project, with a duration of seven years (2021-2028) and a budget of 3,409,864 euros, is 60% funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme and coordinated by the Island Energy Council of Gran Canaria, in collaboration with several partners, such as the Finnova Foundation, ULPGC, the University of Cantabria, INGECID, Raley Estudios Costeros,  ECOncrete AQUA and the Canarian Recycles Foundation.