This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
This makes it the fourth EU country to wean itself off the polluting energy source
Portugal had 2030 as the planned target year when coal should stop being used as a fuel for electricity production. It decided that was too far off of a deadline, and just this past weekend the last coal plant in the country shut down.
Environmental group Zero said in a statement that the Pego plant in central Portugal, 150 kilometres northeast from Lisbon, had been the country's second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, adding that "freeing ourselves from the biggest source of greenhouse gases was a momentous day for Portugal".
The good news is that this makes the Iberian country, the fourth in the EU to stop using coal for power generation – the other three being Belgium, Sweden and Austria. 60%-70% of the national electricity is produced through renewable sources already, but that also means there is still a hefty share of imported fossil fuels used for the same purpose.
Even the news of the plant’s closure was not received with applause from all sides since there is already talk that the major shareholder in the facility, Tejo Energia, might have plans to reconvert the plant to burn wood pellets instead.
“Freeing ourselves from our biggest source of greenhouse gases is a momentous day for Portugal. But it is soured by the prospect of the plant being converted to burn forests,” said Francisco Ferreira, President of ZERO Portugal, in a press release. “Ditching coal only to switch to the next worst fuel is clearly not an answer. Instead, the focus should be on rapidly upscaling our renewable energy capacity in wind and solar.”
Apparently, EU rules are still fairly ambiguous on whether wood-burning could be classified as a renewable source of energy, although these might be tightened up given vibrant activism around the issue, based on solid research.
What are the reasons for that and are there any possible solutions for that problem?
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
A smoke-free environment has been guaranteed for years, but now the local administration is looking into further improving public health habits
This initiative is not just about making books more accessible – it has larger ambitions in its sights
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
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