Developments since the 2001 Review

This chapter presents key characteristics of the Portuguese economy and society, the evolution in this area since 2001, and its impact on Portugal’s natural entities. Also examined are trends in managing pressures on the environment, including emissions of air and water pollutants, and generation of industrial and municipal waste. There has been notable progress in the state of Portugal’s environment, which includes an improvement in the quality of air in urban areas and Portugal’s contribution to addressing the global climate change challenge, the advancement in the quality of inland and coastal water, as well as changes to natural habitats and biodiversity. This chapter also describes the development of the framework for environmental and sustainable development policies, including the institutional structure and set-up at the national and sub-national levels and a number of policy initiatives launched during the review period.