ASMAA has announced that they it is very thankful that the Prime Minister Antonio Costa had made himself available to delegations from anti-oil activist groups and associations during his visit to Loulé in his capacity of Prime Minister and as head of the Socialist Party on Saturday the 14th May.

In what is probably a first in Portugal, the fact that the Prime Minister agreed to meet activist group leaders is in itself a very unusual gesture on the part of any government, but in Portugal it is especially relevant. 

ASMAA’s management team is truly thankful for having been given that opportunity, and to be able to pose some pertinent questions.

We all know the problems that our planet’s environment faces. And we all know the advantages of sustainable energies. However, what few people know is that since 2002 the Portuguese administration decided to open several public tenders for the prospection, exploration and production of oil in some regions of the country.

As an answer to this decision, we are a group of Portuguese citizens, working on cinema and advertising, that wants through a three minute film to inform all who ignore what as been done and worst what will be made, in the matter of prospection, exploration and production of oil in Portugal, which will have its biggest focus in the Algarve region and ending with a message to the global population.

Expats make up nearly 20% of local residents in the Algarve ... should your voice not be heard?

If you do not get control of your town and council representatives, you will have no protection against frackers (such as Sousa Cintra’s Portfuel for example) drilling wildcat wells in your own backyard. No protection from damaged roads. No way to prevent frackers from dumping fracking waste on your doorstep, or dumping radioactive toxic drill cuttings in local landfills, and so much more …

CLICK HERE for more information.

A woman on her early morning walk through the woods came across an abandoned dog lying on his side. He seemed lifeless. It looked as if his collar had been removed and he had been left there to die. But he was breathing, just.

He was a small dog and the woman managed to pick him up and carry him in her arms. At home she placed him next to a bowl of fresh water. He tried to drink but couldn’t. He could hardly stand up.

Countering plans for seismic activities to search for hydrocarbon resources off the Algarve coast, OceanCare and the Silent Oceans Coalition presented a Statement of Concern signed by 14 nature and species conservation organisations to the Government of Portugal on February 3, 2016.

The coalition demands that independent environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are carried out prior to any seismic activities. This demand is consistent with the EU’s EIA directive which has been revised in 2014. Prior to this revision EIAs had to be performed only for planned drillings in the seafloor, but now they are mandatory for exploration activities too.

Euro-MPs voted on 2 February 2016 to urge member states not to allow any new hydraulic fracturing operations, and although the vote is not legally binding, nonetheless opponents of fracking described it as a significant victory for the anti-fracking movement in Europe.

Antoine Simon, a campaigner for the Economic Justice Programme, said:

“This is the very first time that the European Parliament has made officially such a strong statement against fracking.” “It was an opinion report without any legally binding authority and it only targets new projects but it is still a very symbolic victory.”

"Enough is Enough!" Leonardo di Caprio demanded at the World Economic Forum that greedy oil companies and weak governments leave fossil fuels where they are - under the ground.

Tavira em Transição calls on AMAL, the association of Algarve Mayors to take up this call.

The Lisbon government has shown complete disregard for the Algarve region and its people, by signing contracts for oil and gas exploitation, putting at risk the environment and livelihoods of this natural wonder.

Portugal was among the 20 countries in the world most affected by global warming over the past 20 years, according to a Global Climate Risk Index report presented at the climate change conference in Paris.

“The Index indicates the level of exposure and vulnerability to extreme events that countries should understand as a warning to be prepared for more frequent and more severe events in the future,” says the report.