JECS Forum Tackles Climate Change Impacts on Health, Energy, and Wildfires in Andorra
Experts gather in Sant Julià de Lòria to explore rising temperatures, droughts, storms, and their effects on health, energy consumption, and Pyrenean wildfires. The free forum projects 2030 scenarios amid growing energy demands.
Key Points
- Meteorologist Tomàs Molina forecasts rising summer temperatures and shifting snow patterns in Pyrenees through 2030.
- FEDA's Jordi Travé notes 6% summer electricity demand rise due to heat and changing snowmelt.
- Discussions cover health impacts, wildfire risks, carbon footprints, and energy poverty.
- Organizers aim for carbon neutrality by 2050 amid growing social inequalities.
The fifth edition of the Jornades de l'Energia i les Ciutats Sostenibles (JECS) forum, held on Friday, 25 September, from 9am to 1.30pm at the Centre Cultural Lauredià's Rocafort auditorium in Sant Julià de Lòria, examined how climate change could reshape snow cycles, water availability, and energy use in Andorra.
Meteorologist Tomàs Molina from 3Cat led off with forecasts for Andorra and the Pyrenees through 2030, warning of rising summer temperatures, shifts in snow accumulation and melt patterns—including recent "micro-thaws"—and their influence on water resource management and everyday activities.
FEDA's director of new infrastructure, Jordi Travé, discussed the resulting pressures on energy systems. He described changing snowmelt dynamics and a noticeable uptick in summer electricity demand driven by heat, though it remains below January peaks. Travé had previously cited a 6% increase in summer consumption.
The event, organised by FEDA, the Comú de Sant Julià de Lòria, and the Empresa Familiar Andorrana (EFA), also covered health impacts, wildfire risks in the Pyrenees, carbon footprints, energy poverty, and social inequalities. Speakers included carbon footprint expert Hind Jamiloun; Mireia Garcia Carrasco from the Health Ministry's zoonoses and emerging diseases unit; Ferran Garcia from the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Grup d’Actuacions Forestals; sociologist Anna Berga Timoneda; and UPC physics professor Alexandre Perera.
The sessions concluded with roundtables on government strategies for climate effects and the role of energy poverty in widening inequalities.
Sant Julià de Lòria’s cònsol major Cerni Cairat opened the forum, urging practical local solutions to global challenges. FEDA director general Sílvia Calvó closed by underscoring climate change's tangible consequences and FEDA's efforts toward carbon neutrality by 2050. EFA vice-president Paula Tarrado had highlighted pressures on businesses.
Admission was free, with reservations encouraged.
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