The Algarve Regional Council expressed its "total opposition to prospecting and exploration of gas and oil in the Algarve, on land or at sea", following the meeting held this Thursday.
This consultative body of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission reinforces the position already taken by the mayors of the Algarve, through AMAL, and deepens it, since, in addition to the mayors, around two dozen of social, economic, environmental and scientific organizations and representatives of regional services from various ministries.
In a press release, the president of this body, the mayor of Loulé Vítor Aleixo, says that the body he directs «considers with conviction that, in environmental terms, the exploration of gas and oil in the Algarve would constitute a disaster for the region, destroying its brand image and an attack on the quality of life of the populations». Instead, investment must be 'unambiguously' in renewable energies.
For the different entities, it would be "an unforgivable historical error to question, or even worse, to exchange a resource and a consistent economic activity - which is Tourism - which is the main sector and generates concrete wealth for the region and for the country, by an uncertain hypothesis, with limited and declining horizons on the various continents».
Taking this into account, the Regional Council is willing to «support initiatives that aim to stop the irresponsible process of prospecting and exploring for gas and oil in the Algarve, on land or at sea».
The CCDRA body recalled the «strong movement of public opinion against the exploitation of fossil hydrocarbons, (…) which involves social forces and anonymous citizens, companies and business associations, municipalities and their Association, political forces from various quarters, defense associations of Nature and Environment, cultural and local development associations and personalities from the region».
Movement that, defend the entities that are part of this body, must continue.
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