Despite the positive news about rising renewable energy use in Portugal, and the recent closing of one of the main coal power plants in the nation, in Sines, MIT’s Technology Review ranks the country as one of the worst CO2 polluters in the world.
Portugal came in 67th among 76 countries surveyed by MIT’s tech magazine when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions. Our climate policy, however, ranked at number 17, and we were at 25 for “clean innovation,” but 50th at energy transition, 56th for “green society” — you know who you are, you people who fail to bring your recycling to the proper bin — and 25th for clean innovation.
“With one of Europe’s highest rates of emissions growth and modest use of renewable energy, Portugal has to translate its carbon pricing and sustainable development policies into more tangible results,” MIT Technology Review writes.
“The index is weighted toward trends and future-looking indicators that show whether an economy is moving in the right direction. This recognizes the efforts that more industrialized economies are making to pivot and decarbonize. Smaller, less developed economies are recognized for their commitment to embrace renewable technologies and drive economic development without the previously accompanying environmental footprint,” the magazine writes.
