Relatório de Estudo: Portugal e os PALOP

Este estudo procura analisar a actual importância e a dinâmica das relações entre Portugal e cada um dos cinco PALOP. Dada a limitação do presente relatório a um máximo de dez páginas, a forma escolhida para ir de encontro ao objectivo do estudo foi identificar e explorar uma questão pertinente para cada um dos PALOP nas relações com Portugal.

QUESTÕES:
Angola: Qual o potencial da cooperação entre Portugal e Angola no sector das energias renováveis?
Moçambique: Quais as implicações da adesão de Moçambique à Commonwealth para a Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa e para as relações com Portugal em geral?
Guiné-Bissau: Qual o potencial da indústria de caju e que papel pode Portugal ou a UE assumir na sua implementação e desenvolvimento?
Cabo Verde: Quais os efeitos do estreitamento de relações entre Cabo Verde e a UE, e qual o impacto nas as relações bilaterais com Portugal?
São Tomé e Príncipe: Qual a relevância, eficácia, eficiência, impacto e sustentabilidade da Ajuda Pública ao Desenvolvimento (APD ou cooperação) de Portugal a São Tomé e Príncipe?

Relatório completo: Relatório de Estudo: Portugal e os PALOP

Shell: sticking to the oil

Apparently, Shell announced it will stop investing in wind energy. The reason is simple: it is not profitable enough. That may be true on narrow terms, on the accountant’s fact sheet, but I ask: have they talked lately with their marketing people or with the one’s struggling to give the oil giant a greenish look? If a firm discredits the good intentions behind CSR, at least it should give some credit to its Business Case [the Business Case of CSR]. Given the increasing global awareness about climate change,  I wonder if Shell calculated the cost of managing a socially irresponsible firm on the long term.

Portugal’s commitment

I invite you all to take a look at Energy from Portugal

It powerfully starts like this: 43% of our energy comes from renewable energy sources. No wonder we worship the sun, the sea and the wind.

It reveals testimonials from Bill Clinton, Sam Bodman, Tony Blair, the King of Sweden and the President and CEO of Nissan and Renault.

Furthermore the website presents Portugal’s energy policy, nothing less than: Leadership in renewable energies

The success stories are quite some and the results achieved are:

- 43% of gross electricity generated from renewable sources;
- Largest wind farm in operation in Europe;
- Largest PV solar plant in the World;
- First worldwide wave energy project to reach the market;
- National platform for electric cars in 2011;
- EDP the 4th company in the world in renewable energy.

The website links to some related press. Here’s one more, a photo story from The Guardian: Portugal’s renewable energy boom

In addition, Portugal and Spain agreed this month on setting up a joint Renewable Energy Research Center (CIERE). The center will be specialized in biomass energy and electric vehicles investigation. The center will be led by the Portuguese António Sá da Costa, the current vice-president of the European Renewable Energy Federation.

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The last of Portugal’s true commitments, to globalization, took place five centuries ago and produced many admirable results too, such as:

- The discovery of the direct maritime route from Europe to India, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, under Vasco da Gama;
- The discovery of Brazil, by Pedro Álvares Cabral;
- The first expedition around the world, under Fernão de Magalhães;
- The discovery of New Guinea, Timor Island and maybe Australia too;
- The first trading ship to reach China;

among many others…

No wonder we worship the sun, the sea and the wind. Now, as 500 years ago, they are taking us further ∞