In 2020, the Matosinhos City Council was able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40.2% compared to 2009, when monitoring began
These data were disclosed this Wednesday, November 23, during the presentation of the Matosinhos Carbon Neutrality Plan, which took place at Casa da Arquitetura.
A reason for satisfaction shared by Luísa Salgueiro, Mayor of the Matosinhos City Hall, confirming that if "in 2020 the Municipality reached the 2030 target", the ambition now is "in 2030 to reach the 2050 target".
"We want to bring forward the objectives of the carbon target from 2050 to 2030. This is the goal, it is a more demanding target. The Prime Minister announced that Portugal wants to bring forward the 2050 targets to 2045. In Matosinhos we have managed to significantly reduce emissions and from now on we will accelerate this whole process which is a decisive goal for our future", assumed the mayor, welcoming the fact that the United Nations have considered Matosinhos "as the first resilient municipality".
"It is a mark that already distinguishes us, but now we intend to accelerate also in this fight against climate change to which we are particularly subject to for being a coastal municipality, with the problem of rising sea levels and floods that affect us", she added.
Asked if the closure of Petrogal had helped the municipality to achieve the goals early, the mayor replied that the "accounting of Petrogal is done separately", not having been "included the metrics of the company" in the municipality's strategy.
Assuming that "the energy transition should be fair and inclusive", the Mayor of Matosinhos gave as an example the "free public transportation until the age of 18" as a measure that the municipality has already adopted.
And, in the presence of the Minister of the Environment, Duarte Cordeiro, Luísa Salgueiro left a warning: "The energy transition is urgent, but this revolution needs public investment".
Measures underway
Among the main initiatives assumed by Matosinhos regarding energy efficiency, Rui Pimenta, from the Porto Energy Agency, highlighted "the investment of 85 million Euros until 2026 in the rehabilitation of social housing", which will allow "the use of 40% less energy in these buildings".
Other planned investments will be used, for example, in the energy rehabilitation of municipal buildings (75 million euros) and the complete replacement of public lighting for LED technology (7 million), which will allow saving half of the energy spent until then.
With regard to mobility, in addition to the "promotion of public transport", Rui Pimenta highlighted "the installation of the network of electric chargers" (around one thousand).
Another measure that will be applied concerns "municipal incentives", namely in the reduction of IMI for those who "promote the energy efficiency of buildings".
The same will happen "for those who install photovoltaic panels".
Duarte Cordeiro praised the fact that the Matosinhos municipality is doing a "remarkable job", and said that other municipalities should follow "the example".
In the same way, the Environment Minister reinforced that "the 2023 Budget foresees policies that accelerate the energy transition", noting that the Government is betting on "a new legal framework that speeds up licensing".