Evolution Of Portugal Research Articles

Linking Energy Poverty with Thermal Building Regulations and Energy Efficiency Policies in Portugal

Energy-poverty (EP) must be considered an energy-related issue since buildings are a central part of people’s daily lives. Thus, it has an important role in energy-related policy implementation. Even though the European Union (EU) has endorsed general energy efficiency through the Energy Efficiency Directive and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive recast, it was the Clean Energy Package for all Europeans that clearly highlighted EP. The growing concerns with EP have also been emphasised in subsequent directives and initiatives. Despite some regulatory framework and the milder climate situation, the proportion of the population experiencing thermal discomfort in southern and eastern European countries, namely in the winter season, is relatively high, reflecting the poor thermal performance of building stock, low family incomes and high energy prices, among others. The current work analysed the EP evolution in Portugal in the EU context, and the Thermal Building Regulations and Energy Efficiency Policies developed, aiming to add insight into the effectiveness of those policies concerning EP mitigation in Portugal as an EU Member state. Moreover, a critical debate on the potential to lower the EP Portuguese situation was also an objective to pursue. It is plausible to admit that reducing EP by acting on residential building stock, namely through the increase of energy efficiency and comfort, plays a key role in improving the living conditions, namely of vulnerable households and deprived areas. This will also decrease energy consumption and dependence while further promoting a smarter, sustainable and inclusive society, contributing to economic growth.

The fossils of castor fiber from the middle Pleistocene site of Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal) and human-beaver interaction

Here we analyze the fossil remains of Castor fiber from the Middle Pleistocene site of Gruta da Aroeira, in the Almonda karst system, Tagus basin (Torres Novas, Portugal) and discuss the archaeological implications of the presence of beavers in the region. The Almonda karst system has been the backdrop for human evolution in Portugal, because there are different localities, of different ages, from the Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene, with fossil remains of hominins as well as faunal and archaeological remains. Beaver fossils have been found in the archaeological deposits of at least three cavities of the karst system: the Gruta da Aroeira, the Gruta da Oliveira and the Galeria da Cisterna. Here, for the first time, we describe the fossils of Castor fiber from Gruta da Aroeira. The beavers from Aroeira are remarkable because they are the westernmost fossil record of Castor fiber in Europe dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11, around 420 ka. The aim of the present article is twofold, firstly to study the fossils of beavers from the Aroeira locality, and secondly to discuss the palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental implications of the presence of this rodent in the Almonda karst sites. This allows us to discuss the hominin-beaver interactions.

Sustainable Local Exploitation and Innovation on Meat Products Based on the Autochthonous Bovine Breed Jarmelista

The Jarmelista autochthonous bovine breed has a sustainable production and is part of the culture of the Portuguese territory, representing a touristic attraction and originating a differentiated beef product that can only be found in a particular region of the country. However rural and livestock population evolution in Portugal’s inland has demonstrated a great regression with consequences for environment and nature conservation. In this context and considering that silvopastoral activity has shaped the natural areas of mountain territories since its beginning, rethinking the importance of such activity has become vital for the territory sustainability. In this perspective, this work presents an analysis of the adaptation and evolution of Jarmelista bovine breed production to current times, perceiving its limitations, challenges, and success potential, supported by a data collection of secondary and primary sources. Despite the natural, healthy, and sustainable value of this particular bovine meat, we observed that is still not recognised by the market or even by the producers. The inability of proving the Jarmelista beef added value within the value chain is the main cause of businesses and consumers sceptic and disbelief in the potential of its economic and tourism contribution. Several possibilities and actions were identified to contradict this path.

Sugars and artificial sweeteners in soft drinks: A decade of evolution in Portugal

High consumption of free sugars, particularly through soft drinks, represents a health concern on a global scale. Therefore, several measures, including taxation, were tentatively employed to reduce their intake. However, the decrease of sugars in soft drinks has been occurring mostly at the expense of adding non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS).This study aimed to investigate the recent trends in soft drink reformulations by the food industries and to verify if these modifications can potentially lead to other health implications. For this purpose, the most consumed soft drinks in Portugal (N = 68) were purchased in local supermarkets in 2019 and their free sugar and NNS content were determined by liquid chromatography. The results were further compared with analytical data from 2008.For sugar drinks in 2019 (N = 10), 39% of the samples had a total sugar content near 5 g.L−1 and only a small fraction (15%) was above the upper bound limit of taxation (80 g.L−1). The profile and amount of sugars were distinct between groups with “colas” and “juice drinks” showing the highest variability between brands, being mostly represented by fructose and glucose. Non-nutritive sweeteners were present in most samples (85%), often in mixtures and very dependent on the type of drink. Nevertheless, the main NNS were cyclamate, aspartame and acesulfame K, with the former approaching the recommended daily dose for younger children consuming two cans per day.Over the last decade, sugar content has been reducing, especially in “Juice drinks”, together with a reduction of aspartame in these food products, balanced by an increase in cyclamate, sucralose and steviol glycosides. Unfortunately, the reformulations did not follow any attempt to reduce sweet taste intensity, which could gradually constitute a long-term educational measure.

A reforma da administração pública e a evolução do estado-providencia em Portugal: história recente

Ao longo das três últimas décadas, a história das reformas na administração pública (AP) em Portugal foi marcada essencialmente pela introdução dos princípios do New Public Management (NPM) na gestão pública. Por outro lado, só a partir de 1974, depois do fim da ditadura, é que o estado-providência desenvolveu o seu caráter universalista possibilitando uma redistribuição de rendimentos e uma proteção social nunca antes experimentadas no país. O presente artigo procura analisar as reformas managerialistas aplicadas em Portugal ao longo das últimas décadas (privatizações, empresarialização da gestão pública, restruturação da AP, declínio do emprego público e desregulamentação do regime de trabalho público), reforçadas por uma pressão orçamental que decorreu da presença da Troika (2011-2014), e ao mesmo tempo retratar a evolução do estado-providência nas suas principais valências (saúde, educação e proteção social).

Liberalismo e democracia no Portugal oitocentista, em perspetiva comparada (1832-1895)

O artigo aborda a evolução política em Portugal, comparando-a com as dos países europeus próximos, no período 1832-1895. Distingue uma fase de reformas liberais, em rutura com o Antigo Regime, em prol da liberdade, seguida de outra fase de reformas democráticas, a partir da década de 1870, em prol de maior igualdade entre os cidadãos. Portugal evoluiu a par da média dos países comparados, chegando a um nível relativamente avançado de soluções políticas, tais como o direito de voto e a liberdade de imprensa, que contrasta com o atraso de certos indicadores sociais, como o analfabetismo. Esta evolução reflete o ascendente político da classe média, em especial de funcionários do Estado.

O intelectual, o artista e as massas na cultura portuguesa finissecular

Durante o século XIX, as elites cultas europeias participaram amplamente das querelas e debates fomentados na e pela imprensa, não sendo possível fazer uma história da cultura contemporânea sem a pensar à luz da evolução do espaço público ao longo desse século e na sua transição para o século xx. Contudo, esta aliança entre o homem de letras e a imprensa – expediente característico da esfera pública oitocentista que, aliás, deu origem à designação de «publicista» na segunda metade do século, correspondendo a uma metamorfose do estatuto do «escritor público» do romantismo clássico – rapidamente começou a dar sintomas de rutura, à medida que aquela esfera sofria a influência da industrialização e massificação dos objetos culturais, processo iniciado nos Estados Unidos na segunda metade do século e cujo eco em França foi acompanhado de perto pela evolução histórica em Portugal.Foi neste contexto conjugado, a partir do último quartel do século xix português, de alteração do mercado dos bens culturais, de emergência de uma cultura urbana de massas e de crise das elites cultas, em especial no campo literário, que lentamente surgiu a figura do «artista» como alternativa à figura difusa do «homem de letras», espoletada na última década de oitocentos. Numa leitura de Fradique Mendes − meio personagem, meio autor, proto-heterónimo na ficção queirosiana − e sobre o fradiquismo como ideologia, destaca-se o seu valor simbólico, como derradeira tentativa de superação da morte do intelectual oitocentista através da afirmação do papel do artista. Dito de outro modo, Fradique Mendes constitui-se, num contexto de massificação emergente, como metáfora da crise do velho paradigma de intelectual do século xix que, perseguindo uma «aura perdida da cultura», oscila entre o silêncio de uma desistência, afinal pugnada pelo próprio Eça de Queirós que assim se revia como uma espécie de «cenobita», e a hipótese da figura do artista construir uma nova expressão da elite culta.

The Innovative Process in the Interruption of Wind Power in Portugal

The production of energy under a special regime of renewable origin has had a sustainable evolution in Portugal. Since the 1990s, the percentage of renewables has been growing steadily, with special emphasis being given to wind, photovoltaic, mini-hydro, biogas and high-efficiency cogeneration [1]. More recently there has been a strong push in promoting small scale production and self-consumption [2]. There are several periods of time when the country’s electricity load is 100% supplied by renewable energy. There are also periods when surplus renewable energy is exported to Spain. However, there are some periods when production exceeds consumption and it is then necessary to reduce wind power production. In Portugal there is an innovative process underway to carry out this reduction, which was systematized by the General Department of Energy and Geology in Order No. 8810/2015, of August 10. Thus, in the case of wind power plants that receive power reduction orders, the remuneration equivalent to that which is lost is paid by the other producers, through the Last Resort Supplier. Those power plants that have not been interrupted pay a percentage of their power produce to the Last Resort Supplier, to compensate those that have been interrupted. The total of the payments made to the producers whose power plants were interrupted must equal the receipts from those plants that continued to produce energy. This new concept is exemplified in this paper by the wind power cut that occurred on March 12 and 13, 2017 in Portugal. An explanation of what occurred on that day is presented, to understand why this cut was made, having been reached the limits of energy exports to Spain. To implement this new interruptible compensation model it was necessary to develop a mathematical algorithm and include it in the computer application named GPCE - Producers’ Management and Energy Purchase, that belongs to the Last Resort Supplier. When the interruption occurred in March 2017, the computer system worked correctly. The sum of the payments made equaled the sum of the receipts. It should be noted that there was a high degree of discipline shown by the producers.

Water and sanitation management in medieval Portugal

Abstract Water and sanitation played a crucial role in the evolution of Portugal and its empire, which in the sixteenth century dominated large portions of the world. Two relevant civilizations, the Roman Empire and the Arab invasion, had great influence on Portugal's water and sanitation knowledge. Following the creation of Portugal in AD 1143, the Cistercian order was called for removing Arab influence and received large domains, where it built large monasteries, all provided with remarkable examples of water supply, sanitation and waste management, merging the Roman background in sanitary engineering with the local Arab experience. One of them, the Monastery of Christ in Tomar, is provided with a brilliant water and waste self-sustainable system, based on rainwater collection and storage, wastewater treatment and application in agriculture of treated waste and effluent. It testifies to the experience and innovative expertise of the Cistercian Order in sanitary/hydraulic engineering. It shows also one of the world's first examples of a wastewater treatment plant. Their knowledge influenced also the lifestyle and water management of Portuguese medieval cities, ruled by municipalism, and protected the population from pestilence until the first half of the fourteenth century, making Portugal a powerful country, in contrast with the rest of Europe.

Extended producer responsibility policy in Portugal: a strategy towards improving waste management performance

Abstract This article provides an assessment of waste management evolution in Portugal, with a particular emphasis on the performance brought by the adoption of several EPR schemes, namely the ones developed for packaging (general, medicine and plant protection products), used tires, used mineral oils, end-of-life vehicles (ELV), waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), portable batteries and car and industrial batteries. Further, a particular focus is placed on the drivers that influenced the development of such EPR schemes in the country and the challenges facing EPR schemes' development in Portugal. The results achieved in a short period of time suggest that the evolution of the implementation of the EPR concept in Portugal was, so far, successful, not only in quantitative but also in qualitative terms (contributing for a reduction of environmental performance). However, there is still room for improving EPR impact in the long-run and this is largely dependent on policy instruments (of fiscal, information and supervision natures) that can positively influence the context in which EPR schemes operate.

Con la vista en Portugal y mirando a España: EE. UU. y el cambio político peninsular

In the context of the Cold War, the end of dictatorships in Portugal and Spain are seen from the outside as a single issue that worries the West because it could lead to the political, social and economic instability of South-western Europe. This article also underlines the context of Detente which is our first focus. As a second objective, it is observed that in the case of Portugal the Ford Administration's position evolved from putting direct pressure on the Presidency and the interim Governments to take out the Communists from power to a more temporizing approach, which had been supported by European Governments and consisted in giving time and helping to moderate political sectors in order for them to react. Finally, we argue that the evolution of Portugal provided the U.S. with the insight to channel their actions on the impending Spanish Transition: supporting the reforms, the permanent Army observation, searching for contacts within the moderate opposition and, most importantly, the conviction that the best guarantee for the viability of the reform project was to bind the Europeans to it and, in essence, grant it its credibility. They were convinced that the key to stability in Spain was in Europeanization.

The teaching of evolution in Portugal in the early 20th century through the programs and textbooks of Zoology

The teaching of evolution in the Portuguese secondary schools is not yet fully understood. This research aimed to contribute to this clarification, in the framework of the history of the curriculum and the biology subject, by showing the expressions of the evolutionism teaching in the first three decades of the twentieth century. To this end we analyzed the programs of Zoology of 1905 and 1919, as well as two textbooks, entitled «Licoes de Zoologia» and written by Bernardo Aires in accordance with these programs. This analysis showed that the study of evolution, eliminated from the program in 1905, was again recognized in the program in 1919. In textbooks, the exposure of evolution focused on the subject of evolution, in the grounds of competition and natural selection, adaptation, the biogenetic law and the essential differences between Lamarckism and Darwinism. The comparative study of these textbooks showed that the text which addresses the evolution is essentially Darwinian. However, neoLamarckians sections have been identified that show the influence of the «eclipse of Darwinism» on the teaching of evolutionism.

New technology-based firms and technology acquisition in Portugal: Firms' adaptive responses to a less favourable environment

This paper summarizes an empirical study of NTBF creation and early evolution in Portugal. It focuses on the implications of being created and operating in a country with a weak national system of innovation for the process of acquisition of technological knowledge and technology necessary for formation and subsequent development of the firm. It is agreed that start-up conditions concerning the acquisition of the initial technology and the relationships then established have important implications for the subsequent process of technology acquisition, and a number of patterns of behaviour are identified. The main options for the launch of an NTBF are analysed. One stereotype is firms which have a privileged link with a particular source of technology which they use in a more or less ‘symbiotic’ way. A second stereotype is the firm which has a more independent stance — by choice or out of necessity — but is able to build alternative forms of technology acquisition. The privileged relationship appeared to have a number of advantages, although it is a relatively recent experience whose implications are not yet completely clear. The experience of firms which did not have the privileged relationship shows that technology access is often a complex undertaking for NTBFs in less well-endowed environments. The strategies followed by firms to guarantee the acquisition of relevant technological knowledge are thus adaptive responses, devised to cope with the limitations of their environment.