Portugal

Without it nothing works. And it’s been that way since 1976. It’s a business worth millions. Only someone who’s on the inside really knows what’s going on in there. It’s one of the big businesses that are still very profitable and in which the state and governments, regardless of their politics, continue to have the last word and where, until recently, it was the state itself that collected the profits. It’s become a legal drug, electricity. The electricity business in Portugal has been monopolised for too long. Permission to sell electricity allows you to accumulate wealth and arrogance that are …

Witnesses and experts of the catastrophe that struck Monchique a year ago were heard at the public hearing in Monchique on August 3rd. One of the goals of those present, amongst whom was Rui Lopes, commander of firefighters, married and father of two, was to re-examine the failures of 2018. “Commitment” was the keyword of his speech. Please explain to us the meaning of the word “commitment”(compromisso). It can have several meanings: agreement, obligation or debt. When we talk about forest fires there has to be an agreement, a commitment on the part of all those taking part in the …

As a researcher working on the governance of energy transitions in 2016, I was fascinated by the relatively slow growth of solar energy in Portugal despite the amazing potential. I crafted a research project to explore this with a focus on accountability relations, and successfully competed for a position at the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation in Norway, where I feel fortunate to explore this and similar issues with some fantastic colleagues. Between 2017 and 2019, I have spent about five months in Portugal, studying the multi-sited and multi-scalar geographies of solar energy uptake, from the capital Lisbon to …

Covas do Barroso, Chaves. Over the past few years, a teacher living in England from Covas do Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, has swapped Portuguese and English books for the Mining Journal, lithium market reports and the minutes of international mining conferences. Catarina Scarrott, a mother of two children aged 2 and 7, fights passionately for the land on which her family has lived for more than ten generations. This is the land to which she would like to return, were it not for the lack of access and services. This is the land that British company Savannah Resources wants to gut in …

The fire in Monchique in 2018 was considered to be the biggest in Europe that year. It was active from 3 to 10 August and consumed more than 27,000 hectares. In the aftermath, several failures were detected. Many people were left without their belongings and without any support to help them cope with their losses. The local population seem to want to say that’s enough and have joined together to form the Monchique Alert Association – Mountains Free from Fire (Associação Monchique Alerta – Serra Livre de Incêndios). They believe that they can be part of the change, fighting for …

The 3rd International Walking Week will take place at the end of this year, from Friday, 27 December to Monday, 30 December. This event will support the development of ECO123’s new botanical garden. On the mushrooms and truffles walk, we will forage for, collect and learn to recognise various mushrooms and truffles. The route will be dictated by the weather conditions, depending on how much rainfall we have had in the area. Will we unearth chanterelles, parasol mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, morels, elfin saddles, honey fungus, oyster mushrooms, milk caps or agaricus mushrooms? Come along and find out! Distance: 8 km; …

Willst du wissen, wie viel CO2 du während eines Jahres in die Atmosphäre pustest? Nein? Besser nicht? Dann gehörst du zu der Mehrheit derjenigen, die entweder gerade keine Zeit haben, oder vorgeben, keine Zeit zu haben oder die sagen, sie seien Vielflieger und es würde deshalb sowieso keinen Sinn machen, an diesem Test teilzunehmen. Du befindest dich damit in guter Gesellschaft. Die Mehrheit unserer Leser – die Mehrheit unserer Gesellschaft – die Mehrheit der Menschheit – ist nicht besonders mutig, wenn es darum geht, zukunftsfähig zu sein. Fast alle, mit denen ich persönlich gesprochen habe und das waren einige hundert …

The law slows things down. But change is coming and communities want to be at the forefront of energy transition. In the parish of São Luís, the first renewable energy community in Portugal may soon be born. The early summer sun shines down on six new solar panels on the roofs of residents in São Luís, Odemira. The slogan “Power to the people!” is being taken literally by this tranquil village in the south-west of Portugal. “We’re living in a very paternalistic market. But there is going to be a big change in the distribution of electricity in Portugal, and …

This year, a tremendous expansion of airports and air traffic was agreed in Lisbon. Transport – and more specifically aviation – is the sector that most contributes to the greenhouse effect. But we live on the threshold of a transformation. Do we want to travel by plane tomorrow? A story told between Sweden and Lisbon. Alexandre Seguro is 17 years old. On 25 July, he will sit the national maths exam, his last challenge in secondary education. Four days later, he will participate in the World Peace Conference in Stockholm, Sweden. The choice of transport was obvious to him: “I …