More garbage and control. How Portugal treats the environment in 5 indicators
Increase in greenhouse gases and temperature, more waste production and less oil consumption in Portugal. These are some advanced by Pordata on the occasion of the data World Environment Daywhich is marked this Sunday.
Celebrating 1972, World Environment Day is a time to reflect, to take stock of the environmental situation in Portugal and to raise awareness of the need for “greener” habits.
Pordata, from the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, publishes a set of data in five areas, which helps to understand how the country has evolved and where to improve environmental protection.
1 – Lots of garbage, little recycling
The Waste area is one of the indicators used by Portada. Municipal waste continues to be a growing problem. According to statistical data from Pordata2020 Portugal “about 5.3 million tons of waste”.
Accounts made, each inhabitant produced, on average, “513 kilos during the year, that is, 1.4 kilos per day”. The values are worrying and have always been growing in recent decades. As a term of comparison in relation to the 90’s of the 20th century, the production of waste increased by 50%.
In relation to the remaining countries of the European Union, Portugal still does not have the best path. The main destination of waste in the 27 EU countries is recycling (30%), however, in Portugal this figure is only 13%.
A total of 54% of the garbage produced by the Portuguese ends up in landfills, while in the EU this figure is 23%.
Despite the record being further from the average, Portugal has been improving, since in 1995 the starting point was quite different: “90% of the garbage in Portugal went to landfill, while in the EU27 this figure was 65% . Recycling, in turn, was 1% in Portugal when in the EU27 it was already 12%”, indicates Pordata.
2 – More calories
Climate and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) is another topic addressed by the Portada on this World Environment Day. Here, the data began to gradually increase the average temperature of recent times.
In Lisbon, in the 60s, the average temperature recorded was 16.8ºC, with this value having risen by one degree, to 17.8º, in 2021.
In Porto the difference is smaller, while in the 70s the average temperature was 13.9ºC, last year it was 15.3ºC.
Funchal, in Madeira, suffered the biggest increase in average temperature: two degrees between the 1960s and the year of increase in 2021. It went from 18.6 to 20.6 degrees.
Granted as control of greenhouse gases have been increasing. In 2019, Portugal recorded an increase of 13% compared to 1990making it the fourth EU27 country to register the biggest increase.
The main emitter of gases present in the atmosphere of transport, which represent a total of 28% of the are. The sector has released more gases since 2013, something that does not happen only in Portugal but also in the EU.
“Portugal thus recorded an increase of 12% in 2013, compared to an increase in 2013, in the increase in GHG from transport, after a trajectory recorded in 2002”, according to data from Pordata.
The country set as target cut in half like the next eight yearsby 2030, and be carbon neutral by 2050.
3 – More renewables, less oil
Almost all of the energy produced in Portugal comes from renewable sources, but in the consumption part, oil and its results predominate (each time).
“In 2020, renewable energies represent 98% of the total energy produced in Portugal”, states their statistical study, far above the average of 41% in the 27 EU countries.
In the following year, Portugal definitively stopped using electricity in the production of electricity, thanks to the end of electrical activity by the Termo do Pego plant.
The most consumed energy source in Portugal in 2020 was oil, with 41% of the total.
Despite this value, the final consumption of oil has decreased since 1998, when 61% comes from the same source of energy consumption.
In contrast, consumption of gas, renewable energy and electricity has increased since 2001.
Pordata also reveals that in the pandemic period, both in 2019 and 2020, Portuguese families were the second in the EU27 that consumed the least energy.
4 – 99% safe piped water
According to Pordata, 99% of piped water in Portugal “was safe to consume in 2020”.
This is quite an evolution, taking into account that, 30 years ago, only half of the water that came out positive from the eras considered safe for consumption.
During 2019, in Portugal, almost 673 billion liters of water were used. Water consumption in Portugal has remained between 628 and 683 billion since 2012.
In terms of sanitation, among the 2 EU countries with high quality coastal and inland areas, Portugal has excellent quality in 93% of bathing waters, a value that exceeds the European average by 5% and places the average table at 9. th european
5 – Half of the country is forest
Pordata also looked at the green spot on this World Environment Day. In 2018, half of the Portuguese territory was “occupied by forest systems”.
Numerous climate changes and abandonment of rural areas, fires are a seasonal threat to the country.
In the time tape of the last 40 years, 2017 saw the most burned area – more than 500 thousand hectares and 6% of the mainland. 2017 was also the year of the Pedrógão Grande tragedy, in which 66 people died.
In 020, there were close to 10 thousand fires and 67 thousand hectares burned, a great evolution compared to the 41 thousand it had in 2005, the year with the most fires.
Also according to Pordata, in 2021, a fifth of Portugal will correspond to protected areas, including the Natura 2000 Network.
Portugal was the 16th country with the highest percentage of protected area in the EU, below the European average (26%).
In relation to marine areas, Portugal was the 3rd country with the largest protected area in 2019 (77 thousand km2), slightly less than the surface of mainland Portugal (89 thousand km2).