Biofuels, the black swan of the renewable energies' policy in Portugal

摘要

Portugal has been recognized as a case of world success in terms of renewable energies' development. The transport sector in Portugal accounts for about 42 percent of the country's oil imports, and it is also one of the main responsible for the increase in GHG emissions. Like in many other countries (including EU countries) biofuels emerge - at least in the short term - as an interesting possibility to deal with both oil dependency and GHG emissions' problems. In line with EU's policies, Portugal has defined ambitious biofuels blending targets, on the basis of a model of development privileging endogenous feedstock. Biofuels should have been responsible, not just for the accomplishment of environmental goals, but also for the development of agriculture, hence privileging also the economic and social development of people living in peripheral rural territories. In this paper we present a balance of what biofuels' policies have been able to achieve until present times in Portugal and the EU, giving our view about how the emergence of certain market forces hindered the potential achievements of Portuguese public policies in this field, addressing its effects for rural development objectives.