Portugal rises to 11th in the climate index, says Lusa

Portugal rose a position and occupies 11th place in the 2027 edition of the Performance Index in relation to Climate Change (CCPI), released today.

The report justifies Portugal's rise in greenhouse gas emissions per capita, which have decreased by 15.1% in the last five years, reaching 4.81 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per capita equivalent in 2025.

However, the document drawn up by two German entities – the non-governmental organization Germanywatch and the NewClimate Institute of Research – underlines that emissions from transport remain high in Portugal.

The note recalls that the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC) revised in 2024 requires a 40% reduction in emissions from the transport sector by 2030 compared to 2005 levels

But the sector represented 35.2% of total national emissions in 2024, which is equivalent to approximately 18.1 million tonnes of equivalent CO2.

Experts who created the ranking note that the adoption of electric vehicles is increasing, but the electrification of heavy vehicles remains limited due to lack of incentives.

The ranking states that Portugal remains among the countries with the best performance, with high classifications in several individual indicators, including the use of energy.

Renewable sources already represent a relatively high share of energy consumption: 32.46% in 2024.

However, experts point to a lack of efforts to phase out gas and oil.

Continuity of gas-oriented infrastructure can prolong dependence on fossil fuels, the report warns.

Experts also criticize the maintenance of subsidies and tax exemptions for fossil fuels, adopted in response to the energy crisis, as well as the free allocation of emission allowances to the carbon-intensive industrial sectors.

Denmark again leads the ranking, published in the framework of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31), held in Antalia, Turkey, while the European Union (EU) ranks 19th, with an average performance.

On the other hand, the report points out that China, the world’s largest issuer, “has good chances of reducing its emissions quickly if it continues to expand renewable energy at such a fast pace.”.

The leader of the ranking, Jan Burck, of the Germanwatch organization, noted that although no country is doing enough to comply with the Paris Agreement, some stand out for their advances.

According to Burck, the new index shows that the efforts of these countries bring them closer to the necessary level of action, while increasing the distance from those who are lagging behind.

Still, he warned that current collective efforts remain insufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change, although he has recognised a clear potential for improvement.