WEDNESDAY BRIEFINGS

Behind this week's headlines

Courts strike illegally?

The Portuguese Union of Judicial Officers yesterday pledged to press ahead with a one-month strike starting today by court officials. The Luca new agency reports that the union has rejected allegations of illegality made by the Directorate-General of the Administration of Justice and accusing it of intimidation.

Catholic child abuse

At least 4,815 boys and girls were sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church over the past 70 years, an independent investigation has concluded. The investigators’ report, published on Monday, noted that this number was just “the tip of the iceberg.” Most of the culprits were priests, some of them Jesuits. There have been apologies, but the report still awaits a proper response from the Catholic Church, both in Portugal and the Vatican.

Teachers strike

Teachers and school workers are likely to continue taking to the streets of Lisbon and elsewhere in mass demonstrations unless the government can soon reach an agreement with the unions about wages and terms of service. Tens of thousands took part in last weekend’s demonstration, the third in less than a month. Meanwhile, the strikes are troubling for pupils and working parents.

Novo Banco back

The Portuguese Finance Ministry announced on Monday that the European Commission has said it will consider the reconstructing process of Novo Banco, a process that began in 2017 and was completed at the end of last year.

Far fewer pupils

The number of pupils attending Portuguese schools dropped by more than 20% in the decade to 2019, according to figures released this week by the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics. It’s another indication of the growing percentage of the population aged 65 and over, which now stands at about one quarter.

Major sports event

Some of the biggest names in world bicycle racing will be taking part in the 49^th Volte ao Algarve race that started in rain-soaked Portimão today (Feb.15^th) and finishes in Lagoa on Sunday. The race covers more than 700 kilometres in five stages all around the region’s roadways. Apart from being an important sporting event, it showcases the Algarve as a tourist destination – although this week’s weather might not help. 

 

Top security meeting

Portugal will be represented at the 59^th Munich Security Conference to be held this coming weekend. Those attending will include the secretary-general of NATO, the president of the European Union, and leading politicians from  the United States and China. Russia’s war in Ukraine – not strange balloons - will be the most pressing subjects up for discussion.

 

Saint Valentine

Did you happen to wonder on Tuesday who Saint Valentine actually was? No one knows for sure, but there are lots of theories. The News York Times has suggested Valentine’s Day in celebration of two saints who were made into a composite character. One, according to popular legend, was a religious zealot arrested after he defied an order by the pagan Emperor Claudius that forbade Roman soldiers from getting married. He was later beheaded.   

 

Greenwashing has got to go!

 

The European Commission is expected to take decisive action soon against companies suspected of being involved in greenwashing, in other words conning everyone by labelling or advertising products and services with misleading eco-friendly information.

Greenwashing has taken hold as more and more people have become concerned about the environment and global warming. Naturally they want to buy genuinely eco-friendly products. As this honest trade has accelerated in recent years so has the number of cheats cashing in with overstated claims or downright lies.The sole aim of greenwashers is to make a profit. They are not interested in helping the environment.

A decisive plan by the European Commission will be welcomed by the Portuguese Consumer Authority (DGC), which has been working to raise awareness and to educate both professionals and consumers about the risks of greenwashing. For the last two years there has been growing concern in Portugal about the lack of conceptual uniformity across the EU, which would provide a reference or common basis for legitimising green claims.  

“Organic” and “all natural” are the kinds of foods we want to buy in our local supermarket without fuss and bother in this confusing world. But most of us don’t have the time or expertise to investigate the truth of what is being claimed. The reality is that consumers are sometimes being addressed honestly and sometimes not. Hopefully, the EU is soon going to help.   

The process of greenwashing involves placing on packaging or in advertisements claims that may seem straightforward, but which are actually vague and unverifiable. Another trick is to publish an image of a product with a beautiful environmental background.

EU regulators have been studying this greenwashing phenomenon for some time, but it is complicated. For one thing, greenwashing has no legal definition. Fortunately, there is now the EU plan to expose the guilty companies and at least dent their reputations and correct their future business activities. Portugal and all 26 other countries within the union may have to ensure that any claims made by companies about their products are accurately backed by scientific evidence.

Some brands market their products as “green” to lead buyers to believe the products are conforming to high environmental standards. Among the wording shoppers should be careful of are “climate neutral,” “carbon neutral” and “100% C02 compensated.” As the Bloomberg news organisation recently described it: “such claims are a free pass to continue down a damaging environmental road.”

It is easy for a company to say,  “our product is better for the environment than before,” but is it? In what way, and who apart from the company says so? Another favourite reassuring expression used by greenwashers is that the plastics in their products or packaging is “biodegradable” or “compostable,” meaning it will not contribute to the world’s massive plastic waste problem. But are such assurances followed by even a hint that this is really so?  

While greenwashing on its own does not have a legal definition, government enforcement actions and civil suits have been proceeding through security enforcement regulators and consumer protection legislation. The global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, for example, reported on a campaign by Ryan Air claiming to be the “lowest CO2 emissions airline.” This was referred to the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK. The weakness of the claim was shown to be that it was based on a study conducted nearly a decade earlier and it failed to sufficiently support the claim.

It is thought that under the EU draft plan, companies that want to emphasise positive environmental or climate change aspects of their products will have to also highlight any detrimental effects. In the United States, action is being taken at both federal and under security laws at state government levels. Many similar actions are continuing to be taken in many other countries around the world against very doubtful eco-friendly claims.

Hopefully, truth will prevail.

Pesticides versus Pollinators

WE MUST STOP THE WAR ON NATURE  

In line with the European Commission, Portugal is moving ahead with a plan to give greater protection to pollinating insects while reducing the use of pesticides in agriculture to avoid health risks to humans.

The EU executive unveiled a plan last June to reduce the use and risk of pesticides by half by 2030. This proved to be unacceptable among EU member states and the plan is being reconsidered. Environmentalists argue that reform needs to be speeded up.

The global population of pollinating insects, such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and ants, has been decreasing rapidly. The survival of some species is threatened while others have already become extinct. Meanwhile, the risk of pesticides causing serious illnesses has been underestimated.

The use of pesticides – herbicides, fungicides and insecticides - is one of the main causes of the decline in biodiversity, which major United Nations summit meetings on global warming have pledged to stop. Some EU states still do not fully recognise the harmful consequences of plant protection products. Some have been ignoring the EU ban on exporting toxic pesticides to less wealthy countries such as Morocco, South Africa, the Philippines and Mexico.

The Pesticide Action Network (PAN), which consists of more than 600 non-governmental organisations and individuals in over 90 countries, is working hard to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives.

 According to PAN, “scientific evidence indicates that pesticides contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions while also making our agricultural system more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. However, the reduction of systemic pesticide use has been omitted from climate change solutions. The systematic pesticide use is even presented as a climate change mitigation strategy by industrial agriculture interest.”

Among the many other things PAN has emphasised:  “The use of pesticides on average in Europe did not decrease in recent years despite much debate on the sustainability of agriculture and despite the entering on the market of pesticides that can be used at low doses. Between 2011 and 2020 pesticide sales in the EU were almost stable, around 350,000 tonnes per year. The vast majority is used in the agricultural sector.”

Last September PAN (not to be confused with the Portuguese political party with the same initials) published the findings of its analysis of large samples of fresh fruit grown in Europe. It concluded that the contamination of apples, pears and plums had almost doubled since 2011. It came as a shocking surprise to learn that 49% of the pears, 44% of the table grapes and 34% of the apples tested were sold with contaminations linked to increased risks of cancer, birth deformities, heart disease and other serious illnesses. Portuguese pears were among the most contaminated (68%). Half of the Portuguese apples were contaminated. Most of the pesticides in question were a health threat even at very low doses, according to the report.

This year, the worldwide value of all pesticides used is expected to reach $130 billion with almost a quarter sold in Europe, making this one if the biggest markets. Only a few corporations share this profitable trade.

The problem of dangerous pesticides for pollinators is not only within the fields of sprayed crops. Pesticides can move from where they were applied by sinking into the soil and groundwater, or rising into the air to get blown far away, sometimes for hundreds of kilometres.

Wild honey and bumble bees and other small insects feed on pollen and nectar. In their wondrous daily lives they naturally pick up polled on their feet and lower bodies and transfer it to other plants. By doing so, they greatly help increase yields of fruits and vegetables. But the killing of these insects comes about when they also pick up deadly pesticides. They may also become contaminated directly with spray or by ingesting contaminated pollen.

Not all crops are dependent on pollinators, but you might like to bear in mind this special one. A certain kind of midge pollinates the small, evergreen cacao trees in Africa’s Ivory Coast, Central and South America and parts of Asia. No midges, no cacao trees - no chocolate.   

This weird weather is getting worse!

_{The weather in Portugal and everywhere else in the world has been bizarre this January and past year. Climate experts warn it is likely to get worse the rest of this year and much worse in 2024.}

_{Despite bright sunshine and blue skies in keeping with our reputation for mild winters, the Algarve, along with all 17 other districts in Portugal, has been under an extended yellow cold weather alert lately.}

_{In contrast, this year started with at least eight European countries recording their warmest early January ever. Bilbao in northern Spain saw temperatures jump by 10C from the normal average to 21.9C. In Belarus, which would now normally average -4.5C, temperatures have hit 16.4C. Southern France basked in beach weather of nearly 30C. In the United States, New York and other eastern cities have had the least snow in five decades. But deadly cold is now gripping Japan and other East Asian countries.}

_{Last year was the second warmest ever recorded in Europe. It was just marginally cooler than 2019-20. Portugal, north to south, suffered severe or extreme droughts throughout much of 2022 because of heat waves. July temperatures peaked at 44C in places. Pouring rain later flooded cities, including Lisbon and Faro. Devastating floods in Germany took the lives of 184 people and will cost an estimated €30 billion in damage recovery. Wildfires raged in Turkey, Greece and Italy. In the United Kingdom, temperatures topped 40C for the first time ever and the British Met Office for the first time ever issued a red heat warning.}

_{Fierce hurricanes tore across the US causing massive damage and fuelling chilling floods in some regions, droughts in others. From wildfires in Algeria to extensive flooding in South Africa, every country in the African continent was affected by severe weather conditions.}

_{Pakistan was the worst hit in Asia with floods over an estimated 10%-12% of the country that killed 1,739 people. More than 200 days of heat waves in India started well before the normal monsoon season and brought the country to a virtual standstill. Scorching heat in drought-stricken parts of China crippled hydroelectric power and agricultural production, while other parts of the country shivered in the abnormal cold. Down south wasn’t spared either. Australia had a lot of flooding and New Zealand issued 182 severe weather warnings. The Antarctic ice sheet, which contains 90% of the planet’s surface freshwater, is rapidly melting. This is raising sea levels that could permanently flood or submerge many cities around the world.}

_{The increasing devastation to societies, economies and biodiversity is due largely to the continued use of fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gasses. The level of emissions is not yet decreasing.}

_{Another important factor in the expectations that extreme weather will worsen is a return of El Niño. This natural climate phenomenon is much more dangerous than its opposite number, La Niña, which has been in force for the past three years. El Niño is predicted to take its turn this summer, perhaps as early as June, and create much hotter temperatures.}

_{El Niño and La Niña work by using the east to west trade winds that blow over the waters of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. When the winds are relatively strong, La Niña pushes warm surface current in a way that allows cold water to come up from the depths. When the winds become much lighter, El Niño resumes, allowing surface currents to further warm while smothering the cold water below. Both La Niña and El Niño shift the normal position of the mid-latitude jet stream. The combined effect is a huge surge of weather changes across the world.}

_{According to scientific predictions, later this year or next year El Niño could join with existing global warming patterns to produce temperatures as high as the critical 1.5C to 2C limit that would unleash global catastrophe.}

 

Number one green fuel for the future

Portugal and Spain are predicted to become the powerhouse of Europe by producing and exporting large quantities of green hydrogen.

As the need to limit global warming intensifies, we are now at a critical turning point to replace all fossil fuels with renewables. While Portugal is pressing ahead with hydro, solar and wind power, green hydrogen is seen as an outstanding additional source of energy for future needs. It comes at a time when coal is most unfortunately making a comeback in a number of European countries because of the war in Ukraine that is soon to enter its second year.

After the sun sets, and if there is not a breath of wind, Portugal’s hydro power is always there as the biggest supplier of energy. Solar and wind may be back to help out in the morning. Now we can look forward to an extra highly flexible and cost effective input.

“The energy crisis has reminded everybody that energy is everywhere and in everything. If energy costs more, everything costs more. This is focusing minds on a number of once-in-a-generation opportunities. An example can be found in the Iberian Peninsula, which has everything it needs to become the powerhouse of Europe,” explains the World Economic Forum.

Hydro facilities, solar panels and wind turbines produce plenty of electricity for Portugal, but the European Union need to convert much more of its energy needs to electricity as at present it provides less than a fifth of the energy it uses.  Even if everything possible is electrified, about half of the EU’s energy will eventually have to be derived in another form.

Green hydrogen is being promoted as “the fuel of the future” and it may be the answer to power needs for decades to come. With its significantly lower carbon emissions, it can be used to fuel planes, ships, trucks and cars, create fertilisers or burned like natural gas to heat everything from heavy industrial processes to ordinary homes. While it’s thought most homes could be heated with green hydrogen by 2050, a pilot project has been launched for 100 homes in France.

This innovative hydrogen fuel is expected to be first used in aircraft by 2035. Airbus says it may not be widely used until 2050, but it’s on its way with Rolls Royce already starting testing on a hydrogen fuelled jet engine.

Green hydrogen is generated by an electrolysis process that separates hydrogen from oxygen in water. That may sound simple enough, but so far demand has been low making production costs high. Now that the market is growing, costs are coming down. Lower costs increase competitiveness, but companies have formed alliances to share costs and increase production fifty-fold in the next six years.

The European Union has already devised a three-phase strategy for upgrading green hydrogen between now and 2050. Compressed or liquefied, this form of hydrogen can come to the fore by being distributed from the Iberian Peninsula across long distances via ports and dedicated pipelines for delivery throughout the EU and everywhere else. The United Nations believes green hydrogen could adequately supply 20% of total global energy demands by 2030. What must now go ahead is the building of the necessary production facilities.

Portugal ended its use of coal for electricity generation by shutting down its only remaining coal plant last November. It became the fourth EU country to do away with greenhouse emitting coal. In contrast, a number of other EU countries have done a U-turn and postponed the retirement of coal until 2030 because of the energy crisis due to the disruption of affordable natural gas supplies from Russia.

Coal severely pollutes the climate, the environment and people’s health, yet it has long been the main source of electric power. Not only are many existing coal mines now remaining open, but some new coal mining activities are being introduced. Coal plants have been recommissioned in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungry, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Greece, as well as the UK. Portugal has been able to avoid this chronic situation because of its world-leading focus on renewables.  

                                                                                     

Effort's increasing to protect the Algarve's Alagoas Brancas wildlife

 

The bitter dispute over whether the Alagoas Brancas wetland in the Algarve should be protected or destroyed has entered its sixth year with environmental campaigners ever hopeful they will win in the end. 

At a time when United Nations summit conferences, the World Wildlife Fund and many other international, national and regional organisations are pressing ahead with action plans to protect biodiversity, here we have an example of a local authority doing just the opposite. 

Alagoas Brancas is a relatively small freshwater wetland (11 hectares – 12 acres) on the verge of the small city of Lagoa (population about 24,000). It has become an example of how a development company and a local administration can set their sights on devastating wildlife when more than ever it needs protection. In this case the main culprit is seen by environmentalists as the Mayor of Lagoa, Luís Encarnação, who fully supports the urbanisation of this natural habitat by the development company, Edificios Atlântico, SA.

It seems to have been a shoddy project right from the start in 2009 with refusals to even carry out an environmental impact study. There has been a growing sense of outrage about lame excuses and a remarkable lack of proper answers from the mayor, says Anabela Blofeld, who has been in the forefront of a protest campaign since January 2017.  She says the mayor and his council “use every means at their disposal to facilitate the destruction of such an important site and make opposition of the developers’ plans difficult.” However, she and her fellow campaigners remain absolutely determined. 

The area in question has always been a wetland. Alagoas Brancas, meaning ‘White Lagoon’, gave the town then city its name long ago. The plan to build on the wetland has always been opposed for two fundamental reasons. Firstly, it is a rich habitat with more than 300 species of flora and fauna. It is a hotspot on the eBird website. Some birdwatchers have recently seen more than 40 different species at a time there.  

Secondly, during heavy rains, it acts as a retention basin into which water can drain and thus reduce the risk of serious flooding in the urban area. There may even be a large aquifer below the wetland, according to reports from both GEOTA, a national group dedicated to protecting the environment and promotion biodiversity, and also by the Almargem environmental organisation in the Algarve. Both say that anything built there will sink. 

The mayor and the city council see developing Alagoas Brancas as a good way to expand the municipality’s economic activities and employment opportunities. The suggested additional commercial businesses include yet another supermarket almost next to those nearby. Opponents argue that similar retail or service outlets may hinder not help existing businesses and workers. Instead, they say as a natural heritage site it could be easily cared for by ensuring water is present throughout the year, making it a hub for nature tourism.   

The development has long been officially approved and the mayor says that to stop it now would cost millions in compensation to the developer. This is another point of contention as the Lagoa Council had the opportunity in 2019 to end the agreement without any penalty. It still could do so as buildings constructed there would be unsafe, according to the Left Bloc (BE) politician José Gusmão.   

Meanwhile, initial construction earthworks have been stopped at least until a clear legal decision is made about the wetland’s future. The People-Animals-Nature party (PAN) has put in another injunction and a complaint to the Ministério Público. So at the rest of winter and probably the months of spring will provide an excellent opportunity to watch spectacular resident and migratory birds, such as glossy ibises, spoonbills, egrets and purple gallinules                            

Anabela Blofeld and the other local activists have had increasing backing from several leading Portuguese environmental protection organisations and the seriousness of it all has prompted BE and PAN politicians to become involved and refer the matter to the Assembly of the Republic in Lisbon. There are hopes the main centrist parties will take up the challenge. Questions have been addressed to the European Commission about the legality of the development plan.                                                         

In 2020 the Portuguese government joined in the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 adopted by the European Commission. The strategy has since been approved by the European Parliament and European Council. It emphasises the need to increase protected European land and marine areas. It has been boosted by the United Nations Global Biodiversity Conference chaired by China and hosted by Canada last month in Montreal. 

While saving Alagoas Brancas is essentially a local matter, it is being referred right to the top and, if successful, may be an inspiration to environmentalists elsewhere with similar neighbourhood concerns.

Alagoas Brancas campaigners now have a new petition in place to support the continuous fight. All Portuguese and foreign residents are asked to sign and share with friends and family: Salvar a zona húmida das Alagoas Brancas : (htpps://petica opublica.com)

Catholicism has its ups and downs

 Nossa Senhora de Fatima

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVl has been buried. Pope Francis has mobility impairment. The Catholic religion is in decline. But the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal is surging ahead and this will again welcome millions of pilgrims and tourists.

Benedict, the first pontiff to resign in six centuries, did so in February 2013; ostensibly because of ill health, while being criticised for insufficient action against child sexual abusers within the Church, particularly when he was still the Archbishop of Munich. A one-page account of Benedict’s otherwise much-praised papacy was put in a metal cylinder and placed in his coffin.

The liberal Pope Francis spoke very highly of his conservative predecessor during last Thursday’s funeral, even though they differed on certain aspects of their leadership. One thing they did share was concern about Catholicism’s steep decline during both their papacies.

Revelations about child sexual abuse by a great many priests over many years has been one of the main reasons for the decline. The hundreds of thousands of victims of often repeated abuse were mainly boys, but also girls, mostly young teenagers, but some aged six or less. The criminal abuse went on and on across Europe, including Portugal, North and South America, Australia and elsewhere. The Church often showed cruel indifference towards victims’ complaints. Regrets and apologies have been expressed, but few of the culprits have been prosecuted and few of the victims have been compensated.

Other non-religious networks have been just as guilty and some are undoubtedly still getting away with it, but the paedophilia within the Catholic Church has received maximum media coverage. Disgust and lack of trust in the Catholic hierarchy have caused many members of the laity to leave the Church altogether. There have been many other reasons for the walkout.

Portugal is a predominately Catholic country. It always has been since Roman times. It is renowned as one of the most devout in Europe. An estimated  84% of the population have been baptised and are at least nominally Catholic, but only 18% - and perhaps less - are thought to regularly attend Mass.

As in other countries, elderly traditionalists have rejected the modernisation brought about by the Second Vatican Council. The young are bored with the dogma, priestly arrogance and hypocrisy. They are tired of the controversy over such issues as birth control, abortion and the notion that gay togetherness is a sin. Divorced or civilly remarried couples have been made to feel unwelcome. Across the Catholic world pews are emptying, chapel doors are closing.

Pope Francis has tried to reverse the trend, but bishops are divided and so are the laity about the wisdom of his efforts. A summit meeting on these issues is to be held in the Holy See this October.

Aside from the challenges facing him, Francis wrote his own resignation letter well in advance in case ill-health should impair him from continuing in office. He did so in 2013, well before he had to have bowel surgery. Now aged 86, Francis has a knee problem that forces him to use a wheelchair. He quips, however, that he depends much more on his brain than his knee.

Francis remains remarkably active. At the end of this month he will be travelling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan for an ecumenical peace pilgrimage. He is scheduled to be in Portugal from 1^st to 6th August for World Youth Day in Lisbon. No doubt he will also visit Portugal’s most holy site, the Sanctuary of Fatima. He last visited Fatima in 2017 for the 100^th anniversary of the apparitions reported by three shepherd children.`

Three other popes have visited Fatima: Paul Vl (1967), John Paul ll (1982,1992 and 2000), Benedict XVl  (2010). Another visit by Francis will most certainly add enthusiasm to the enormous number of pilgrims and tourists from around the world planning to visit the shrine this year. 

April 13, the anniversary of the first Marian apparition, and October 13, the anniversary of the so-called Miracle of the Sun, are the most popular visiting dates. Many pilgrims wall long distances to get there. By car, Lisbon is about 1 hr 20 min (128km via the A1) from Fatima.  Faro is about 3 hr 10 min away (363 km via the A2).