Intervenção do Ministro do Ambiente na Climate Change Leadership Porto Summit 2018

«We live in a WEIRD part of the world. We are a Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and a Democratic society.

We are WEIRD due in large part to the steady growth of our economy. And we can see the impact of this growth in our own lifes. Compare what one owned 20 years ago and what one own now. Instead of an apartment, you may have a house; instead of a modest light vehicle you may have a luxurious SUV; instead of one cell phone you may have two.

Twenty years ago we were 6 billion people. Today we are pushing 8 billion. In 20 years we will be 10 billion. The thing is, ladies and gentlemen, there is only one planet. And, unlike us or our economy, the planet does not grow. It is the sole provider of all of our means to prosper: the air, the water, the soil and the materials.

And, like astronaut Mark Kelly so aptly said, "Don't worry about the planet, the Earth will be just fine. What you need to worry about is us -- all of us."

The reality is this: there can be many versions of Industry 4.0., but there is no Earth 2.0.
So, are we heading for disaster? For sure, if we persist on tackling 21st century problems with 20th century models. Like the American inventor Bucky Fuller said: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, we must build a new model that makes the existing one obsolete".

And that is precisely what we tried to do in my country. A new model of policy. One that tackles the causes and not just the symptoms. That works the entire system. And that assumes three connected ambitions: 1) to become a carbon neutral economy by 2050; 2) to have a more resilient territory with thriving natural systems, and; 3) to become more circular