Based on the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 United Nations Agenda, the update of the ODSlocal Platform revealed “positive evolution,” while also highlighting municipal challenges toward the end-of-decade targets, as reported by the platform.
In a statement, the ODSlocal platform indicated that it updated the indicator “Greenhouse Gas Emissions (kt CO2eq),” now including major greenhouse gases (GHGs) from eight sectors: energy, transport, livestock, forestry, industry, waste, agriculture, and others.
The data, available to all Portuguese municipalities, provide “a more complete and comparable view of the local decarbonization trajectory, reinforcing the national commitment” to the Paris Agreement and the SDGs.
According to the platform, “between 2015 and 2023, Portugal recorded an overall reduction of 23% in GHG emissions,” and if the municipal trajectory observed during that period continues until 2030, “42% of municipalities could achieve by that year the emission reduction target compatible with the Paris Agreement (limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels).”
Ten percent of the municipalities “show excellent dynamics, having already covered more than half the way to the target set for 2030,” “9% show positive dynamics, although they have less than half the way to the target” and “38% display a negative trend, projecting for 2030 emissions higher than 2015 levels,” the note reads.
The new results will be publicly presented in the new interactive emissions viewer, to be launched during the conference “ODSlocal’25 – Innovation Horizons: Achieving the Goals,” to be held on November 21, in Cadaval (Lisbon district).
As the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) takes place in Belém (Brazil) to discuss the Paris Agreement’s progress, the ODSlocal noted that the data “show that Portugal is progressing, but still with strong territorial asymmetries.”
“The now-available municipal information allows identifying where it is necessary to accelerate local policies, promote sustainable mobility, support agricultural transition, and foster energy efficiency and waste management,” is emphasized in the statement.
Nevertheless, the ODSlocal indicator trends “are aligned” with the August report from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), “which confirms the decline in national carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to 38,366 kt, a reduction of 20% compared to 2019.”
“This result stems mainly from the decarbonization of the energy sector, with the closure of coal plants and the significant increase in renewable energy production. In 2023, transport (50%), industry (28%), and energy (11%) accounted for 89% of total CO2 emissions,” the note states.
The document adds that methane emissions “reached 360 kt, primarily originating from agriculture (49%) and waste (47%),” while nitrous oxide “totaled 13 kt, mainly associated with agricultural activity (61%).”
“These results confirm the structural progress in the energy transition in Portugal, but also the persistent impact of geographically dispersed sectors, such as agriculture, on the overall emissions trajectory.
In the context of COP30, the platform highlighted the words of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, who considers that “climate inaction would be ‘a moral failure and a deadly neglect.'”
The ODSlocal was born from a partnership between the National Environment and Sustainable Development Council (CNADS), the Observa (ICS-University of Lisbon), Mare (New University of Lisbon), and 2adapt.
