Portugal has been making significant strides in climate action, reaching an impressive milestone last year when renewable energy sources supplied 61% of the country’s electricity. Portuguese cities are equally committed to advancing climate action, with 190 signatories across the country, giving them strong representation in the CoM-munity.
Indeed, Portuguese cities and towns’ commitment to the climate and energy transition is evident through their active participation in numerous European urban initiatives. ADENE, Portugal’s National Energy Agency, sought to understand the perspectives of cities and regional energy agencies on such initiatives, particularly on the Covenant of Mayors.
In conversation with Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, ADENE delves into the role of urban initiatives and city networks in advancing local climate action and fostering innovation, reflecting on the opportunities for replication by other Portuguese and European cities. Carlos Santos, President of Portugal’s Association of Energy and Environment Agencies, gives us an understanding of the role of Regional and Municipal Energy and Environment Agencies in delivering local climate action, especially in the Covenant framework. Finally, Jan Dusík, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s DG Clima, shares his insights on how the Covenant of Mayors can contribute to helping cities reduce emissions and build resilience.
Conversation with Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon
Lisbon is continuously shaping the future of its climate policy within international networks, such as the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, NetZeroCities, and C40 Cities. How important is the participation in these networks for effective climate action within the municipality?
It is essential that cities become leading players in responding to emerging environmental challenges, many of which will be exacerbated by climate change, making local contributions towards achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, the European Green Deal, and the “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 Mission.”
We know that, although climate change is a global issue, it has local impacts and must therefore be addressed locally, with communities and individuals. This is precisely what we are doing in Lisbon, making Climate Action the focus of the first Citizens’ Council, in 2022.
However, the complex issues faced by cities demand creative and innovative solutions and require the incorporation of global knowledge in these areas. Accordingly, this administration has always prioritised Lisbon's integration into leading global movements in this field and the development of European Research and Development projects in collaboration with other cities. Examples of this involvement include the participation in ICLEI, Eurocities, Energy Cities, the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and, since 2022, the Network of Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030.
In Lisbon, we focus on addressing people’s real concerns through local management and practical solutions, aligned with global knowledge.
As an active member of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, with substantial experience and best practices in local climate action, how can the Municipality of Lisbon support and inspire action in smaller municipalities?
As I mentioned, Lisbon was selected in 2022 to be one of the “100 Mission Cities” aiming to become climate-neutral and smart by 2030—an ambitious commitment that reflects our dedication to both the climate and digital transitions.
Lisbon aspires to be a centre for experimentation and innovation in climate action that can then be replicated in other Portuguese and European cities, placing itself at the forefront of the energy transition and climate adaptation.
This local climate leadership is being accomplished through various concrete measures and projects with high transformative potential.
For instance, I would highlight the use of Reclaimed Water (ApR) from the Beirolas Wastewater Treatment Plant for irrigation in our parks and gardens, making Lisbon the first city in the country to obtain an Urban Use License for this purpose. This aligns the water source with its final use and saves energy by reducing the need to transport potable water from Castelo de Bode to Lisbon.
Lisbon has also pioneered the introduction of free public transport for young people up to the age of 23 and for senior citizens over 65, as the transport sector is Lisbon’s largest consumer of energy and emitter of greenhouse gases.
This is an essential measure for decarbonising the city and is also socially significant. For senior citizens over 65, it benefits 140,000 individuals, enabling them to use public transport for free, allowing them to engage more with the city and with friends and family, and helping to reduce the isolation that this age group often faces.
For young people, this measure meets their mobility needs in a more attractive way, promoting public transport use.
As a result of this initiative, Lisbon now has over 105,000 citizens using public transport for free, resulting in a 50% increase in demand for the Navegante Pass [Lisbon’s public transportation card].
I would also draw attention to Lisbon’s harnessing of solar potential, promoting the Solis platform and objectives to expand collective self-consumption units in buildings and facilities to meet energy needs. This is paired with the installation of photovoltaic plants and the adoption of highly energy-efficient solutions in buildings, equipment, fleet, and municipal services to reduce energy consumption and costs.
Additionally, I would note the ongoing upgrades to the Public Lighting Network, which accounts for over 68% of the municipality’s electricity costs. We are implementing remote management, flow regulation, and LED solutions to maintain lighting power and quality, while integrating a smart-city platform to monitor environmental parameters.
These are transformative projects with considerable potential for replication in other cities.
How is the Municipality of Lisbon addressing energy poverty within its plans and strategies, given that this issue extends beyond socioeconomic vulnerability?
Lisbon has conducted a study to identify vulnerabilities to energy poverty in both winter and summer.
Today, we are aware of the areas of the city most affected by energy poverty and where it is necessary to improve the thermal performance of buildings and provide social tariffs for energy access.
Thus, addressing energy poverty is a central goal of Lisbon’s 2030 City Climate Contract, which includes measures for building rehabilitation and construction of new nearly zero energy and zero-emission buildings (nZEB): "Ensuring a fair and inclusive energy transition, combating inequalities and alleviating energy poverty."
To date, we have improved energy efficiency in 1,762 homes and built 20 new nZEB buildings with 238 energy-efficient units classified as Energy Class A. We are thus ensuring that many families have access to thermal comfort in their homes. All new residential buildings currently under construction as part of Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) are nZEB.
Our approach goes beyond this. We are developing Collective Self-Consumption and Renewable Energy Communities, where part of the electricity generated will benefit social housing neighbourhoods.
I would also highlight the One-Stop-Shop for Energy, which will be part of the Energy Space network and will have a particular focus on addressing energy poverty, as well as the creation of a new Municipal Climate Fund to facilitate a fair transition, ensuring universal access and complementing other available financial mechanisms.
Conversation with Carlos Santos, President of Portugal’s Association of Energy and Environment Agencies (RNAE)
How would you describe the current involvement of Regional and Municipal Energy Agencies in local climate action, particularly through the Covenant of Mayors initiative in the territories they cover? What do you see as their future role?
Regional and Municipal Energy and Environment Agencies play a fundamental role in implementing local climate action, serving as technical and strategic facilitators for municipalities within the scope of the Covenant of Mayors. Currently, they are responsible for supporting the development and execution of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs), conducting Municipal Climate Action Plans (MCAPs), and monitoring Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Plans, promoting local solutions for decarbonisation and adaptation to climate change. In the future, we hope that these agencies will strengthen their role as drivers of a just energy transition, promoting innovation, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy, thereby aligning territories with national and European goals. We also aim to play an active role in the future development of Energy Spaces, to be created under the auspices of ADENE [Portugal’s National Energy Agency].
What examples of methodologies, tools, or other initiatives have been developed by Regional and Local Energy Agencies to support local authorities in climate action?
The Energy and Environment Agencies have adopted methodologies such as conducting energy audits in public buildings to enable interventions that promote energy efficiency. They create intervention plans for Public Lighting networks, focusing on replacing existing lighting with LED systems with remote management, as well as monitoring energy consumption by key energy consumers, and promoting the implementation of individual and collective Self-Consumption solutions and Energy Communities.
They encourage the use of decision-support tools, such as energy management platforms, and solutions for integrating renewable energy sources are also frequently used, associated with the implementation of energy efficiency projects that are managed directly or jointly with their affiliates.
The promotion of energy literacy through public awareness initiatives and technical training for municipalities, residents, schools, and other entities in the territory completes this essential support.
The Energy and Environment Agencies have the privilege and responsibility of working closely with communities, with a deep understanding of their territories.
How does RNAE – the Association of Energy and Environment Agencies – promote the sharing of experiences among agencies, and what is the importance of these synergies for municipal action?
RNAE plays a vital role in promoting synergies among the Energy and Environment Agencies, facilitating the exchange of best practices and the development of collaborative networks. Through workshops, conferences, and working groups, RNAE encourages the sharing of knowledge and innovative solutions adaptable to various local contexts. These synergies are essential to strengthening municipalities' capacity to face the challenges of the energy transition, fostering more effective and sustained climate action across the country.
Conversation with Jan Dusík, Deputy Director-General, DG Clima, European Commission
How can the EU Covenant of Mayors contribute to promoting multilevel governance, i.e, better integration of local planning into national and European policies?
When it was launched 15 years ago, the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy was the first initiative aiming to translate the EU energy and climate policy into local action. It helps municipalities assess emissions and vulnerabilities and establish solid action plans to reach climate-neutrality and build resilience at the local level. While other initiatives too address cities’ needs, the Covenant remains a centre piece, being it open to all municipalities no matter their size or level of preparedness, and covering at the same time mitigation, adaptation and just transition. In addition, it offers a framework for multilevel governance, by promoting the alignment of policies and funding across the EU, national, regional, and local level.
Mayors are key actors in the implementation of the Green Deal. In their cities and municipalities, they are responsible for both a large part of the investments needed for the transition and for delivering the social services needed to leave no-one behind. With more than 13,000 signatories globally, the Covenant is not only the largest existing network of mayors, it is also a platform to dialogue directly with EU and global leaders and share the challenges that mayors encounter on the ground. I met personally with many Covenant mayors, and I always gained important insights on how to support better the Green Deal implementation on the ground.
A recent report by the Committee of the Regions identified 26 EU-funded initiatives that aim to support local climate action. How can a more active collaboration between these initiatives be achieved, in order to make them more efficient and accessible to cities and regions?
The importance that the European Commission attributes to cities is manifested by the large number of initiatives addressing their multiple needs. However, the number and variety of initiatives can also become a burden for municipalities. Mayors often express their difficulty to cope with multiple requirements while struggling with shrinking administrative capacity. The political guidelines for the new Commission call for the development of a new ambitious vision for urban areas, to help them address the multiple challenges they face. This vision will need to include a revamping of existing initiatives. The model of multi-level governance promoted by the Covenant of Mayors will be a reference to guide this reorganisation.
The most recent commitment and pillar of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is to combat energy poverty, considering it as an essential action to ensure a just transition. How is this pillar being considered in EU policy and how can Mayors, under the Covenant’s commitments, be part of this with their planning and strategies at regional and local level?
The climate transition requires a deep socio-economic transformation. From the outset, just transition was a key pillar of the European Green Deal, notably through the creation of the Social Climate Fund. In the past 5 years, Covid pandemic first and then the energy crisis showed even more the necessity of transitioning away from fossil fuels, to ensure the energy security and strategic independence, while leaving no-one behind. Addressing energy poverty is the third pillar of the Covenant of Mayors. With the support of the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub, municipalities can assess vulnerabilities and deploy the right solutions to make the transition to renewable energy an opportunity not only for the planet but also for the people.
These interviews were originally published in Portuguese by ADENE in their newsletter.
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- Publication date
- 18 November 2024