Current challenges of sustainability and fair energy transition under debate
As a member of the Eurocities network, Matosinhos participated in the "Eurocities Environment Forum 2023", which took place in Ghent, Belgium, between 26 and 28 April.
The initiative aimed to share the strategies and action plans defined by the European cities present to face the current challenges in the field of sustainability and fair energy transition, which is threatened by the recurrent destabilizing focuses of our days: the climate crisis, the pandemic and the energy crisis resulting from the invasion of Russia.
The meeting also served to deepen the role of the industrial sector in the fight against climate change, namely in identifying the different ways of collaborating with industries and other stakeholders to tackle the current crisis and strengthen the guarantees of achieving climate ambitions, guaranteeing a socially just transition.
The impact of the proposed European initiatives regarding the financing of local infrastructures including the EU platform for sustainable financing was another of the topics addressed during this working day.
The Municipality of Matosinhos was represented by the Councillor for Environment and Energy Transition of the Matosinhos City Council, Manuela Álvares, who spoke about the path of the Municipality to achieve carbon neutrality in 2030, anticipating the European target set for 2050.
It should be noted that Eurocities is a network of more than 200 cities in 38 countries, representing about 130 million people with the aim of sharing experiences in promoting quality of life for all.