The public consultation period for yet another massive, water intensive, avocado plantation in the increasingly drying southern region of Portugal ended this week with farmers and environmentalists all giving it a resounding thumbs down. As Expresso explained last month, this project would use 67% of available underground water: ideally taking 11 million litres of water per day (a demand which cannot be supplied any longer by depleted aquifers). ZERO environmental association has warned of the risks such a drain on natural resources would mean for the area, adding that the promoter has skewed data to “paint a more favourable scenario in order to justify greater water extraction”.
Mass opposition to Alcácer do Sal avocado plantation
Avocados have been described as "the green gold causing environmental havoc". They have not just drained Portugal's aquifers (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/22/avocados-violence-mexico-united-states/)
