The institutional event follows the recent appointment in January of this year of Barbas as director of the IGN, being the first woman at the head of the agency. During the meeting, the Commissioner highlighted the pioneering nature of the project, designed after the 2021 volcanic eruption to respond to the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in areas such as Puerto Naos and La Bombilla, where the high presence of volcanic gases forced the prolonged eviction of the population and curbed economic activity.

Thanks to the measures adopted within the framework of the ‘CO₂ Alert’ project, it has been possible to make gradual progress in the reopening and socio-economic recovery of both areas, always under technical and safety criteria endorsed by the competent scientific authorities. “This set of actions represents an example of institutional cooperation in the service of citizen security; with the support of the State and the technical work of all those involved, we are moving forward in real solutions that allow us to recover affected spaces with all the guarantees,” said the Commissioner.