Mainland Portugal entered meteorological drought after the driest July of the century, while fires damaged crops in the north. This week also showed where practical responses are taking shape: repairing water networks, strengthening the electricity grid, testing round-the-clock forest surveillance and using grazing to reduce fuel. Yet questions remain about who benefits from major energy projects.
Drought now covers mainland Portugal, while rising use and leaking networks sharpen local pressure. Leiria's figures expose the scale of the efficiency problem, and Madeira's funding call shows how renewal can turn concern into practical work.
The whole of mainland Portugal is now in meteorological drought after the driest July of the century, marked by an intense heatwave between 29 June and 11 July that set new absolute temperature records. The IPMA notes it was also the seventh warmest July since 1931, while the Azores had a cold, rainy month and Madeira stayed hot and dry.
Consumption in the region has grown almost 14% in five years, while network losses exceed 30% in most municipalities. Nazaré, pushed by tourism, is near a 20% rise and is investing in new reservoirs and pipe renewal.
The Madeira 2030 programme has opened a call for projects in the urban water cycle, focused on cutting losses, renewing deficient networks and extending public supply. Local authorities and regional public companies may apply until 28 August 2026.
Solar's first month at the top of the electricity mix marks a concrete shift, and planned grid investment could support new connections. The disputed Sines wind project also shows why renewable capacity must be judged alongside local impacts and benefits.
REN figures show that in July solar became Portugal's leading source of electricity for the first time, with renewables covering 53% of consumption. Over the first seven months of the year renewables supplied 68%, even as overall demand kept rising.
The PDIRD-E 2026-2030 plan channels 1.58 billion euros into the high and medium voltage distribution network, easing connection bottlenecks for new generation, consumption and storage projects. For households it should mean steadier supply and infrastructure ready for electric mobility and self-consumption.
Quercus warns that the environmental study for the 1,098-hectare Parque Eólico do Sudoeste in Santiago do Cacém, intended to power the Sines data centre, underestimates its impacts. The association questions the real benefits for consumers and local communities and notes an error suggesting text was hastily copied from a different, solar project.
Crop losses around Valpaços show how fire reaches livelihoods as well as landscapes. Leiria's drone system and the case for traditional grazing point to different forms of prevention, one technological and one rooted in established land management.
A fire that began in Valpaços and spread to Mirandela, Vinhais and Macedo de Cavaleiros destroyed vineyards, olive groves and almond trees just before harvest. Quinta do Sobreiró de Cima estimates a preliminary loss of around one million euros and a 50% drop in wine production, and the municipality has asked the Government to declare a state of calamity.
Researchers at the CIIC, in Leiria, have added a smart docking station to their DBoidS system, recharging and relaunching drones so forest surveillance never stops. The system, which combines drones, artificial intelligence and digital twins, is being validated with the GNR's Leiria Territorial Command.
A shepherd argues that traditional grazing on hills and mountain ranges clears fuel more effectively than water-bombing aircraft. The piece makes the case for pastoralism as a land-management complement to conventional firefighting.
The map keeps filling in. This week we added 35 projects and 45 events. Sustainable Living now connects 327 projects, 175 upcoming events and 702 people across Portugal.
Mosaic Village is a regenerative village and relational research centre near Odemira, Portugal, combining land stewardship, permaculture and…
REPLAY is a Portuguese project that collects end-of-life toys and creatively recycles their plastic and other materials into new objects, ta…
ConnectNatura is a bird conservation project run by Palombar that protects necrophagous species such as vultures and eagles by improving hab…
From 10:00 to 13:00. Interpretive walk at Lagoa de Óbidos as part of the Ciência Viva no Verão 2026 programme. Discover the @biolagoadeobidos project and explore the natural wonders of Lagoa de Óbidos on a guided walk through this natural ecosystem. The BioLagoa de Óbidos project by @associacaopato, in partnership with ornithologist @helder.r.cardoso, is supported by @tejoatlantico, @municipio_caldasdarainha, @municipiodeobidos and @fundacaoinatel @cienciavivapt @ccvalviela #biolagoadeobidos…
Until 27 August, the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António will run a series of Environmental Workshops for young people at the beaches of Santo António, Monte Gordo, Lota and Manta Rota. Manta Rota Beach hosts the workshop "Construção de jogo da memória" (Building a memory game) on 13 August, from 9:30am to 12:00pm. The activities are free of charge and focus especially on environmental education.
Volunteer reforestation action in Serra da Estrela to plant native species such as Pyrenean oak, rowan and hazel across around 8 hectares. Lunch included; participants should bring hiking boots and a raincoat.
OUTDOOR CINEMA — The Last Shepherd of Sabugueiro. Dinis lives in Sabugueiro, at the foot of the majestic mountains of Serra da Estrela, in the north-central region of Portugal. Passionate about nature and animals, this young secondary school student dedicates himself with determination and commitment to the profession he has chosen: that of shepherd. He devotes all his weekends and school holidays to caring for his flock, which he takes up into the mountains. An opportunity for him to reconnect with…
Hands-on workshop where participants create experimental yarn from alginate, a seaweed-derived biopolymer, through mixing, extruding, and drying techniques. Participants can incorporate natural pigments and showcase their finished pieces in the exhibition closing on August 29.
New projects, openings and stories — a short letter, only when there's something worth sharing.
