Portugal ran on renewable energy for six days – could the UK ever do the same?

The European country’s near-week-long run on renewables could be a vision of the future – but whether it’s achievable by the UK is another question. Chris Stokel-Walker ignores the Cop28 talk to see what action Britain should be taking

Aerial view of Silves in Southern Portugal - one of the many towns which ran on sustainable energy for 6 days (Getty/iStock)

When it comes to energy, all eyes are focused on one place: Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, where nearly 100,000 delegates are attending Cop28, the world’s biggest-ever climate conference.

The biggest single question that the great and the good are grappling with is how to cut our use of polluting fossil fuels, which we all rely on but which threaten to create irreversible damage to our natural environment.

But for all the hot air expended in conference halls – and the air miles racked up getting to Dubai – delegates might instead want to look 3,750 miles west of the Cop conference hall… to Portugal.