Portugal has broken a world record.
The country just went six full days on renewable energy alone.
The nation is leading the world’s race to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.
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Every country in the world has pledged to reach carbon-neutral status by the year 2050.
But this promise, known as the Paris Agreement, is drastically behind schedule.
There are only five countries that have reached a carbon-neutral status so far, meaning they are no longer contributing to climate change.
But these countries are pretty small, while Portugal has a population of 10.33 million.
On 31 October, the country switched to using only renewable energy for six days.
Everything from personal cellphone chargers to massive factories was powered by either wind, hydro or solar power.
The gas plants were at the ready in case there was not enough energy for the country.
While most people head to Portugal for its good weather, this time the country was grateful for gray skies.
It managed to avoid resorting to fossil fuels, largely thanks to the ample wind and rain produced during the six days.
At the same time, Portugal still benefitted from solar energy because sun rays still reach Earth even when it’s cloudy.
It was a win-win for Portugal.
The nation has been one of the most proactive countries in the fight against climate change.
It shut its last coal plant last year, phasing out fossil gas in favor of renewable energy.
Portugal beat the record it set a few years ago when it ran on renewable energy alone for 131 hours in 2019.
It produced so much that it actually sent some to Spain.
Its new record is 149 consecutive hours, which is slow yet promising progress.
By the time 2050 comes around the country will need to run its grid this way all year round, not just for a few days.
Its next challenge will be keeping its net-zero streak even on days when cities are full of tourists and there is no rain or wind.
There are big plans for off-shore wind turbines, positioned to harness the wild 55 ft waves of the north.
These monstrous waves will soon be useful not only to the local surfers but the entire country.
