On July 7, 2018, more than 20 beaches along the coast of Portugal were occupied by hundreds of citizens for Petróleo é Má Onda (Oil is Bad Wave), a protest against drilling off the Alentejo region’s coast. It was a spontaneous movement of civic organization, consisting of a human chain on land and sea in various parts of the country.
There are active concessions for the purpose of fracking and exploring gas on land, as well as offshore exploration with three concessions along the coast, which is situated in the South West Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park. The citizens who have taken part in the movement are in favor of a transition to renewable energy and the decarbonization of the country.
Other protests have taken place, such as the one held on July 16 in Lisbon. Activists from the Climáximo group dressed as businessmen entered the Ministry of the Environment and scattered dirty oil money while attempting to put a banner with the words “Your Profits Versus Our Climate” in the window before being stopped by the police. “There are values more important to society than the economic interests of multinationals,” they said in a statement.
On August 4, another event will be held at the Cova do Vapor in Almada, with activists from all over the world now stepping in to protest and protect Portugal’s natural ecosystem.
Note: This post was created in collaboration with Beachcam.
