In Portugal’s Rural North, Communities Are Resisting Lithium Mining
NEW LINES MAGAZINE (24/4/2024) Under the banner of a “green transition,” the EU is rushing to revive mining to secure critical raw materials. Plans to build large, open-pit mines in northeastern Portugal have been met with strong opposition from local communities, who are contesting the state’s authority to grant mining licenses without their consent. As […]
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The rewilding project bringing back prehistoric bovines
BBC (13/3/2024) On a cold, misty morning, a herd of dun-coloured Sorraia horses, an endangered local breed, graze on grass and small shrubs, their short and stocky bodies enveloped in the mist by the Côa river in the mountains of northeastern Portugal. As the sun rises and the mist starts to dissipate, it unveils the […]
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In these ancient oak forests, it is possible to produce while preserving the environment
WASHINGTON POST (3/2/2024) The rhythmic noise of axes whacking trees echoes in the depths of the cork oak forest. But in Coruche, a rural area south of the Tagus River known as Portugal’s “cork capital,” the bang of trees falling to the ground doesn’t follow the sound of the ax strokes. Instead, experienced workers carefully […]
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Europe’s thirst for lithium threatens livelihoods, biodiversity in Portugal
AL JAZEERA (30/1/2024) Paulo Pires walked up the hill with his flock of sheep and dogs on a warm day in August, as a stream of water gushed down an ancient irrigation channel that has been maintained by local communities over many generations. “There is a lot of wealth here,” said Pires, now resting in […]
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Lithium mining threatens agricultural heritage in Portugal’s Barroso
MONGABAY (11/12/2023) In the hills of Barroso high in northeastern Portugal, the water gushes down small channels built many centuries ago, winding through a mosaic of pastures, oak and pine forests, and arable and fallow land. Sitting on her porch overlooking a carefully kept garden full of flowers and vegetables, Aida Fernandes remembers the day […]
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Em Gaza “gostávamos de ser pássaros para podermos mover-nos livremente”
EXPRESSO (30/6/2023) Todas as primaveras, milhões de aves migratórias voam sobre a Faixa de Gaza, um território onde os palestinianos vivem sob o bloqueio militar imposto por Israel. De cabeça erguida para o céu, observadores de pássaros sonham com liberdade na “maior prisão a céu aberto” GAZA – Numa manhã no início da primavera, o […]
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The enduring legacy of Lebanon’s beloved cedar tree
THE NATIONAL (19/5/2023) Draped with snow, the ancient cedars on the mountain slopes of northern Lebanon spread their evergreen branches like arms welcoming visitors. On Mount Makmel, the country’s oldest cedar grove towers over Wadi Qadisha, the “Holy Valley”, where monasteries carved into cliffs for centuries were a place of refuge and meditation. Known locally as Arz […]
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From wastelands to wetlands: rehabilitating Wadi Gaza
EURONEWS (17/4/2023) Muzaraq “Abu Salman” Arash remembers a time when fish swam in Gaza’s wetlands and thousands of migrating birds soared above him every spring and autumn. Water used to stream down the Hebron hills in the West Bank and wind through the Naqab desert, filling the coastal wetlands of central Gaza before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. […]
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How Trapped Palestinians Fell in Love With Bird-Watching
THE DAILY BEAST (7/4/2023) The skies of Gaza fill with shifting shapes on an early spring morning. At first they are barely visible, only specks soaring above central Gaza’s wetlands. Mandy Sirdah quickly raises her binoculars. “Storks!” she shouts excitedly. Close by, Lara Sirdah, her identical twin sister wearing matching clothes, grabs her long-focus camera […]
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As the Climate Warms, Jordan’s Worsening Water Crisis Offers a Glimpse of Future Challenges in the Middle East
OUTRIDER (3/4/2023) By the dry riverbeds of northeast Jordan, Jehad Al-Masied sat down and remembered a time when water would flow. “When we were kids, we learned to swim here,” he said as he walked to the edge of a now-empty reservoir surrounded by dark basalt ruins last December. Winter rain used to stream down […]
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