.gif)
English version
With a population of almost 10 million inhabitants, Portugal occupies a territory measuring approximately 92,000 km2 on the south-western corner of Europe. It joined the European Union (the European Economic Community at the time) on 1 January 1986, together with Spain. In 1995, the accession of Finland, Austria and Sweden raised the number of the EU Member States to 15.
Statistics and targets
Portugal emitted 60.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2 eq.) in 1990, corresponding to an annual per capita emission of 6.1 tonnes. 16 years later, as a consequence of economic and industrial development, that number had increased to 82.7 million tonnes of CO2 eq.
This growth was, however, lower than in the majority of Member States, thus resulting in a volume of pollutant emissions below the European average (8 tonnes of CO2 eq. per capita in Portugal, compared to 10.5 tonnes in the EU-15, in 2000).
The signature of the Kyoto Protocol set for the EU-15 in the period 2008-2012 an 8% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below the 1990 level.
Still within Kyoto, emission limits were negotiated for each of the 15 Member States. Portugal was granted the lowest reduction target: during the four-year period 2008-2012, Portuguese emissions were allowed to exceed up to 27% the baseline levels of 1990.
However, in 2006, GHG emissions reached approximately 82.7 million tonnes, representing a per capita emission of around 8.27 tonnes/year. The analysis of these data for 2006 points to a GHG emission level 40% above that of 1990 (13% beyond the limit set by the Kyoto Protocol).
According to the latest official data available for 2004, the activities having mostly contributed for GHG emissions in Portugal are the production and transformation of energy sector (with 24.8%) and the transports sector (with 23.8%).
Regarding the production of electricity, around 43,082 GWh were produced in 2006, 33% of which from renewable energy sources, with a clear predominance of the hydrological component. In the same year, the electricity emission factor was 481 grams of CO2 eq. per kWh produced.
Post-Kyoto legislation
Since the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, legislation has been adopted envisaging to ensure compliance with the commitments undertaken at international level.
Both the PNAC (Portuguese National Plan for Climate Change) and the PNALE (National Plan for the Allocation of Emission Allowances) have as their object to implement the Kyoto target.
More recently, and also as a result of a European initiative, the PNAEE (National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency) was approved, envisaging to reduce energy consumption through an annual increase of 1.1% in energy efficiency until 2012, taking as reference the average final energy consumption between 2001 and 2005.
Reduction and adaptation: a twin-track strategy to combat climate change
Mitigation, or reduction, is just one of a number of strategies to combat climate change, and it is equally important to mention adaptation to changes that may well happen. In fact, Portugal must produce an adaptation strategy by the end of this year and, by the end of 2009, the plan to implement it.
The European Commission’s proposal on Climate Change, the so‑called Energy-Climate Package, presented in January 2008, is currently under discussion.
The Commission proposed the following targets for Portugal:
– a 1% increase in GHG emissions by 2020, in comparison with the level for 2005;
– the production from renewable sources of 31.5% of the total final energy consumption.
To discuss the issue and get acquainted with the work of our MEPs
The national debate on climate change is undoubtedly crucial, though it is at the European institutions level that this issue becomes more relevant: the most important decisions on the matter come from the European Parliament. Hence the importance of following the work of both the Committee on the Environment and the Temporary Committee on Climate Change, namely the action of the Portuguese EP Members in Brussels.
Edite Estrela is the Portuguese MEP in the Committee on the Environment, as well as in the Temporary Committee on Climate Change. Duarte Freitas is also a member of the latter.
To consult the list of all the Portuguese Members of the European Parliament:
Edite Estrela
Duarte Freitas