Session III: Impact of Climate Change on consumers

On the 4th November 2021 the last session of the II RELOP Cycle of Debates took place, dedicated to the “Impact of Climate Change on Consumers”.

During the session, the concept of “energy poverty” was discussed, which still lacks definition by several States and, for this reason, it is difficult to identify the households that could benefit from State aid to overcome difficulties, such as the rising price of energy and the inefficiency of the houses and equipments used, making consumers even more vulnerable.

Climate change has a global reach, with an impact on all consumers, although not always with the same consequences and/or intensity, leading to serious energy disruptions in certain countries. The importance of the cultural change in consumption was highlighted in order to mitigate climate change.

The worrying effects of climate change on different ecosystems were also discussed, leading to the emergence of new and different needs on the part of consumers affected by them. The need to reduce these impacts was reinforced, in order to gain opportunities for energy transition (with endogenous renewable energy sources, for example).

Finally, it was concluded that the role of carbon capture and sequestration technologies to minimize carbon emissions into the atmosphere was of extreme importance, in order to halt climate change.

The session was moderated by the Executive Director of RELOP.

Presentations

Paulo Fonseca (PT)

DECO Portugal – Associação de Defesa do Consumidor

Maria Inês Dolci (PT)

CONSUMARE – Associação de Consumidores de Língua Portuguesa

António Pina (PT)

ELECTRA – Empresa Pública de Eletricidade e Água, Cape Verde

Event Recording