SAVE BARROSO
Barroso Under Threat
from environmental devastation
Background
Proposed lithium mining projects present a serious environmental threat to the beautiful and historic Barroso region in Northern Portugal. Barroso consists of the Montalegre and Boticas municipalities, located just south of the Spanish border. The entire region is under threat over time, but the most immediate threat is to an ancient village called Covas Do Barroso, shown above. We have established a non-profit organization, Americans for the Conservation of Barroso Portugal (ACBP), to help aid efforts to conserve Barroso. This web site was set up as a resource for Americans who care about this issue to keep them updated on the situation and identify ways to help.
The Problem
Given the rapid increase in demand for lithium-ion batteries, particularly driven by electric vehicle production, the price of lithium has soured in recent years. While Portugal is estimated to hold among the most significant lithium reserves in the European Union, the potential lithium in Portugal is tiny (0.06M tons, ~0.4% global reserves) and pales in comparison to Chile (~8M tons, >50% of global reserves) or Australia (~2.7M tons, ~20% of global reserves).
Exploitation of the lithium available in Portugal will not move the needle for Europe let alone the global market. The claims of European self-sufficiency in lithium are simply not remotely possible and geopolitical arguments for these projects are dramatically overstated. The motivation is simply money. These projects are likely to be highly profitable but would have minimal impact on European self-sufficiency. How is the enormous environmental cost to the local people included in the calculation? The open pit mining projects proposed will be absolutely devastating environmentally and are strongly opposed by the local population. They are frightened and overwhelmed. They need our help.
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A UN reporter recently visited Barroso and had this to conclude about the issue: “Portugal deserves credit for leading the world in recognizing the right to a healthy environment, ending the use of coal, rapidly accelerating renewable energy production and rejecting off shore oil and gas development near the Algarve. It would be difficult to reconcile this track record of leadership with approval of a massive open-pit mine in a community that is a globally recognized example of sustainable development.” While the project is already devastating to inner community, its effects on Portugal's reputation as an advocate for environment would reflect Portugal as a hypocritical and immoral state.
How to Help
1) Spread the word to others who care about this issue by sharing this web site and consider being added to our distribution list.
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2) If you have relevant skills (e.g. legal, environmental), consider getting directly involved with the local organizations fighting the mine. Click this button for more details.
3) If you are in the position to support the effort financially, please consider making a tax-deductible donation by clicking below.