Portugal was the fifth country that reduced emissions the most in this period and, at the same time, managed to increase wealth.

The EU statistics office estimates that, during the first three months of the year, the 27 member states produced a total of 894 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a decrease of 4% year-on-year.

Of the 27, only 20 member states reduced their emissions, with the biggest drops being seen in Bulgaria (-15.2%), Germany (-6.7%) and Belgium (-6%). Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece, Romania, and Slovenia moved in the opposite direction.

Of the 20 countries that improved in terms of emissions, eight also recorded a decline in the economy, while the remaining 12, including Portugal, “managed to reduce emissions at the same time as GDP grew”. Portugal reduced its emissions by slightly more than 5% in the first three months of the year, while the economy grew by 1.4% year-on-year.