The climate crisis, directly related to the exploitation of fossil resources by large transnational companies, excessive consumption, and in the final analysis, the capitalist model of society, is coming with greater force than predicted, bringing us nearer and nearer to the point of no return. To reverse this trend we need an urgent change in the way we live and manage the resources of our planet.
According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to attain the objective of keeping global warming below 1.5 Celsius will require changes in the behaviour of individuals and institutions. The IAC, as a science-based institution, must be a model and a reference for the sustainable behaviour proposed by the IPCC.
The commission on The Environment and Sustainability has the aim of identifying and evaluating activities, practices, and behaviour which can be improved from the point of view of sustainability, and to propose alternatives.
Five areas of action have been identified, for the two headquarters of the IAC (La Laguna and La Palma) and for the two Observatories (Teide and the Roque de los Muchachos) and a plan of action for the next four years is being worked out.