Could this be a chink of light in the people’s fight to stop oil and gas exploration in its tracks?
Today, President Marcelo gave a short speech in English during an official visit – to launch the production of a new electric vehicle in Abrantes – in which he said Portugal was committed to tackling climate change.
His exact words were that Portugal sees climate change as “the challenge of today and the future.
“I know that others think in a different way, but that is not our case”, he said. “This is reality, and we have to deal with it”.
Lusa adds that the country’s ‘people’s president’ said it is “necessary to seek cleaner forms of energy”.
The words will be welcomed by scores of citizens groups up and down the country committed to battling government plans for oil and gas exploration on land and at sea.
But whether Marcelo meant them to be taken in this context is another matter.
Lusa claims he was not meant to be speaking at the Mitsubishi Fuso plant at Tramagal today where the electric eCanter truck was making its production debut.
But the “pride” he felt for this development on national soil got the better of him.
Supporting Economy Minister Manuel Caldeira Cabral he said the Mitsubishi company should be “valued for everything it has done in Japan and throughout the world”.
Today’s launch has made Marcelo “proud” and should be a source of pride for the whole country.
“Pride, because I looked around and saw so many qualified workers, men and women, Portuguese and Japanese, working together to construct this eCanter truck … the future for countries, towns, cities, economies and societies.
“Talking about a new society and a new economy is the future”, the president stressed, adding that Mitsubishi Fuso is a “very good example” of a company powering growth and the economy while at the same time providing a form of social investment. “And that is why I am very, very happy”.
