In the rolling hills of northern Portugal, where castles are almost as common as churches, the city of Guimarães is undertaking an ambitious experiment that could influence the world. With a zeal reminiscent of the city’s 12th-century battle for independence, when the city’s Portuguese nobility fought off Spanish invaders to gain independence and establish the new nation’s first capital, elected officials have joined forces with sustainability scientists to transform the region once again.
At a time when many of us feel like helpless bystanders as environmental crises escalate around us, Guimarães’s green transition is showing how it is possible to live within the planet’s essential limits – while ensuring a comfortable quality of life for everyone. “Social justice and the principle of leaving no one behind are truly central to our approach,” says biologist Carlos Ribeiro, who heads the Landscape Laboratory, a research and education facility created to help drive these sweeping changes in the city.
These might sound like utopian aspirations, but behind Guimarães’s plans are solid calculations that, against common wisdom, suggest it is possible for the entire global population to tread the tightrope between our well-being and that of Earth – and that, in fact, the two are intertwined. But achieving that vision will require seismic shifts in economies and the way many people view luxuries versus necessities. Can this be achieved without limiting personal freedoms – and who ultimately gets to decide how much is enough to live well?
