The Almargem association considers that the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC) 2030, in whose public consultation it participated on September 5th, «cannot guarantee that Portugal will achieve the objectives of environmental and economic sustainability, energy independence and fairness in citizens' access to energy resources».
In a press release, Almargem recalls how the «PNEC 2030 is the basis for the national energy and climate policy for the decade 2021-2030, and will therefore have an enormous impact on the lives of all citizens and on the country's strategic commitments».
Almargem considers that the PNEC 2030 strategy does not give due importance to fundamental measures that lead to a reduction in consumption.
The Member States of the European Union (EU) must collectively ensure a reduction in energy consumption of at least 11,7% by 2030. A large part of energy consumption is for everyday purposes of citizens and businesses, such as transport and air conditioning in buildings.
Almargem also argues that “all measures in this plan must take into account that the energy transition must be aligned with the basic fundamental principles of environmental protection (avoiding negative impacts on ecosystems and populations), the economic sustainability of the proposed solutions and fairness in citizens’ access to energy sources”.
In Almargem's opinion, "renewable energy, produced through solar and wind production parks (offshore) is the strategic option of the PNEC 2030, but it is not necessarily the most sustainable or the most accessible".
“It is also not a viable solution, both due to the current low storage capacity and the difficulty of distribution. Priority should be given to production for self-consumption and existing projects, to the detriment of large photovoltaic plants. These favor the energy monopoly and have negative impacts on the degradation of the landscape, soil mobilization and waterproofing, and biodiversity.”
“Small-scale production, managed by the producer for self-consumption, makes access to and distribution of energy more democratic. To this end, it is important that the State grants this modality the same incentives that it offers to large companies and that it makes administrative procedures accessible to ordinary citizens,” he adds.
In relation to energy efficiency, Almargem considers that it “should cover existing housing”.
“Buildings are responsible for a considerable part of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The energy performance rules set out in the PNEC 2030 mainly favour new constructions, excluding previously constructed buildings. These, as they are the majority, are responsible for greater energy consumption.”
For Almargem, "there must be a focus on raising awareness among citizens, as well as financial support for modernizing existing housing. Support from the Environmental Fund that citizens can use to improve buildings must be extended to a greater number of people and must depend on income."
“The transport sector, being one of the sectors that emits the most greenhouse gases, must be a priority. Measures should include scrapping old vehicles and ending exemptions for vehicles that use fossil fuels. It is therefore important to create sustainable alternatives, especially in public transport and electric charging, including municipal fleets,” he added.
“It is also important to promote rail transport over air transport; the latter, which is closely linked to tourism, is a huge consumer of energy,” he recalls.
Although tourism is a fundamental economic sector in Portugal (and in the Algarve in particular), “the PNEC 2030 does not provide for specific measures to support sustainable tourism projects”, accuses Almargem.
The environmental association “considers that the deadlines for implementing many of the measures in the PNEC 2030 – in practice, to be fulfilled within six years – are unrealistic, which immediately puts the viability of the plan at risk”.
Almargem advocates the “use and adaptation of existing infrastructures, instead of supporting the creation of new and unnecessary structures, with greater environmental impacts, no benefits for the consumer and which require more time for installation and production”.
“We also warn of financing problems: some of the programmes mentioned (such as IFRRU 2020) have already ended; as for the PRR, the projects must be implemented by 2026. Furthermore, without including and supporting small businesses and ordinary citizens, sustainable change is not possible, especially within the time available”, he concludes.
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