In early May, seven months before the end of the year, Portugal had already exhausted all the natural resources available for 2023. An environmental loan,” says the ZERO association.
Ecological footprint data compiled by an environmental association in partnership with Global Footprint Networkk, understand that if every person lived like the average Portuguese, it would take 2.9 planets to meet the resource requirement.
The situation has worsened over the years.
According to ZERO, the situation is alarming, as the situation has been deteriorating over the years. Portugal has for many years been insufficient in its ability to supply the natural resources necessary for the activities carried out”can be read in the communiqué released this morning.
The model of production and consumption in Portugal, coupled with a lifestyle that often does not care about environmental factors, is at the heart of the ecological imbalance.
The Portuguese eat three times as much meat as they need.
In a recent study, the association analyzed dozens of indicators of the welfare economy concept and concluded that Portugal still has a long way to go in regards to the circular economy. “The cycling of materials in Portugal is only 2.2%, while the community average is almost 13%.”
The food balance of the Portuguese shows that the Portuguese have a preference for meat, foods with a large ecological footprint. “We consume about three times as much animal protein as we should, but we don’t have enough vegetables, fruits and legumes.”
The communiqué also highlights gaps in gross final energy consumption in transport, where only 9.7% comes from renewable sources.
How to reduce environmental debt?
Ways to reduce environmental debt include promoting more sustainable agriculture, reducing travel and air travel, and regulating products that are stocked in supermarkets, Zero said.
What is the Ecological Footprint?
The Ecological Footprint is a metric that measures how quickly we use resources and produce pollution compared to what nature can absorb to create new ones. Consumption habits are analyzed taking into account their impact on the environment.
Author: Sara Reis Teixeira This Daniela Vilar Santos
Source: CM Jornal
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