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Go-ahead Lisbon gets a head start on 2020 with European Green Capital classification JASON AGNEW reports on the Portuguese city that has taken its place in an elevated environmental milieu LISBON has become the first national capital in the south of Europe to be awarded the European Green Capital title. Although the prize was lifted by the Basque city Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2012 (geographically in the south of the continent, even if the populace don’t feel that they are), the only previous national first cities to achieve the accolade have been the Scandinavian triumvirate of Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo, along with Ljubljana in Slovenia. What makes Lisbon’s journey to sustainability exceptional is that it started during a
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Inspiration, and a model for many cities around EU period of economic crisis. The transformation provides inspiration and a model for many cities across the EU, demonstrating that sustainability and economic growth go handin-hand. Economic difficulties
no longer cut it as an excuse for environmental inaction. So, how did this port city in the Tagus estuary, founded by the Phoenicians three millennia ago, manage to pull off such a remarkable conversion? When the Socialist leader Antonio Costa won the elections in November 2015, he hit the ground running in tying economic growth to green policies, determined to prove that there is no mutual exclusivity. The progressive government has led the way in the decriminalisation of drug consumption — with unprecedented success in
The 25 de Abril Bridge links Lisbon with Almada on the south bank of the Tagus River
