L'Horta Sud becomes a spokesperson for climate change victims on European Day

Valencia, July 10 (EFE).- The Mancomunitat de l'Horta Sud (South Horta Community) is hosting the events for the European Day of Victims of Climate Change, which will be celebrated next Tuesday, July 15, with the presence of the three main associations of victims of climate change.

The European Day of Victims of Climate Change was established by the European Union in 2023, due to the severe flooding that several member countries suffered on that day in 2021.

The goal of the celebrations is to raise public awareness and disseminate the effects, a task entrusted to ambassadors, of which there are 80 in Spain, the Mancomunitat (Association of Indigenous Peoples) reported in a statement. The event focuses on the direct experience of the region, recognizing all those affected by extreme events as victims of the global climate crisis.

The program will give special attention to associations of victims of the dANA, combining their testimonies with a scientific perspective provided by leading academic figures. The initiative emphasizes the need to strengthen the culture of knowledge and public awareness regarding climate change as a basis for increasing collective resilience, with ambassadors of the European Climate Pact representing the European Union to highlight this dimension.

EU Climate Pact Ambassadors

The day will begin with a bus tour from the Mancomunitat (Association of Municipalities), which will pass through some of the municipalities affected by the disaster. Mayors will explain the disaster damage to the delegation, culminating in the Port of Catarroja.

The group will include around twenty ambassadors of the European Climate Pact (a recognition granted by the European Union) from different autonomous communities. Environmental organizations from the Valencia metropolitan area, such as the Coordinator in Defense of the Túria Forests, Per l'Horta, Limne, and Assut, have also been invited.

Institutional presence and victim associations

The main event will be attended by the President of the Mancomunitat (Association of Autonomous Communities), José F. Cabanes; Juan Medina, as ambassador of the European Climate Pact in l'Horta Sud; the Commissioner for Reconstruction, José María Ángel; and representatives of the Association of Fatal Victims of the DANA 29-O, the Association of Victims of the DANA 29 d'Octubre de 2024, and the Association of Victims of the DANA Horta Sud Valencia.

Consequences of the climate crisis

Next up, Antoni Ariño, professor of sociology at the University of Valencia and resident of l'Horta Sud, will moderate a roundtable discussion on the consequences of climate change. The panel will also include Ana Camarasa, professor of geography at the UV, and Jorge Olcina, professor of geography at the University of Alicante.

To conclude the day, Carmen Marques, the coordinator in Spain of the European Climate Pact Ambassadors , will moderate a second roundtable with the participation of her colleagues, including Juan Medina himself and Julio Huerta, the director of the Horta Sud Foundation.