Greenpeace warns: sea advances, Portuguese coast at risk

In a recent report, Greenpeace warns Portugal of looming risks from climate change and decades of coastal urban pressure, with 40% of beaches at risk of vanishing. In a recent report published by Greenpeace, "Destruction All Along the Coast - A portrait of a Portuguese coastline at risk" (source in Portuguese), the organisation warns Portugal about the imminent risks posed by climate change and by decades of development and urban pressure. More aware of the issue, or confronted with a more glaring scenario, Portuguese people are already witnessing this summer the shrinking stretches of sand on many of their favourite beaches. The advance of the sea and the retreat of the beaches are nothing new. However, the storms at the start of the year have worsened the situation. On average, beach retreat "ranges between 10 and 20 metres, reaching 40 metres in some areas", the Greenpeace report warns. In an assessment of Portugal's 2,500 kilometres of coastline, from north to south of the country, the report estimates that 40% of Portuguese beaches could disappear by 2100. Greenpeace says Portugal "has become the epicentre" of climate change impacts and major risks because of its long coastline and a rise in sea level that is faster than the global average. The report also shows that more than 100,000 people live in coastal areas at risk of flooding. "We cannot keep waiting for a beach to disappear, for a cliff to collapse or for an infrastructure to be at risk before we act", argues Toni Melajoki Roseiro, director of Greenpeace Portugal. Roseiro believes that, given all the knowledge already available, political decisions now need to be taken to "protect people, nature and a territory that belongs to everyone". 25% of mainland Portugal's coastline is retreating According to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), in more than 25% of the mainland coast the sea has advanced inland by up to two metres per year in some regions. The situation in Cascais is among the most alarming, with mean sea level rising by 9.7 centimetres over the past 25 years. Although climate change is frequently cited as the main threat, the report highlights urban and tourism expansion, excessive construction in sensitive areas and the artificialisation of the shoreline as factors that have increased risk and destroyed or reduced the capacity of natural systems such as dunes and salt marshes. These natural barriers are the first line of defence against erosion, flooding and saltwater intrusion, and their destruction increases the likelihood of catastrophic events. This year's storms exposed some of the problems highlighted in the report, with flooding caused by the heavy rainfall, rising water levels, lack of soil permeability, as well as a shortage of sediment on beaches. Costa de Lavos beach, in Figueira da Foz, where a retreat of 50 metres has been recorded over the past decade, and Faro beach, which has lost 25 metres in width since 1950, are examples of this. Beaches will disappear and flood risk is rising From north to south of the country, the outlook is bleak. In Espinho, the coastline is retreating by 5.2 metres per year. Viana do Castelo has lost 30% of its beach area since 1990 and Póvoa de Varzim faces a high risk of erosion and flooding. In the central-western region, Aveiro is one of the most critical areas, with projections of up to 40 metres of retreat at Costa Nova over the next twenty years. The report also forecasts that 18% of the Mondego estuary could be inundated by 2100. In Lisbon and on the Setúbal Peninsula, Costa da Caparica is the area that has suffered most from retreat, having lost around 200 metres of sand since 1960. Almada is also under pressure, with 12% of its urban area at risk of flooding and, as has already been demonstrated in recent winters, parts of Lisbon such as Algés, Alcântara and the Baixa district of the city are likewise hotspots for flooding. The Alentejo coast, also under growing pressure from tourism and urbanisation, is among the most affected. It is estimated that up to 50% of Alentejo's beaches could disappear by 2100 and that, in the Algarve, around 40% of beaches may be lost. The most critical areas, with severe coastal erosion and unstable cliffs at risk of collapse, are Vilamoura, Quarteira, Vale do Garrão and Praia da Rocha. On the other side of the Algarve, Tavira Island, the Ria Formosa, Barrinha de Alvor and Praia do Ancão also stand out as coastal ecosystems that are particularly vulnerable. Luxury developments heighten risks Portugal is not short of legislation. However, the rules are not always strictly applied and enforced, nor is there sufficient coordination between the various authorities when decisions are taken. The Legal Framework for Territorial Management Instruments (RJIGT), which sets out the rules for organising and managing land use in Portugal, includes Coastal Zone Plans (POC) that establish, among other provisions, the requirement to apply a terrestrial protection strip 500 metres wide, measured from the shoreline inland. This strip can be extended to 1,000 metres when necessary to safeguard important coastal ecosystems. For Greenpeace, development along the coast is a "multiplier of critical risks" at a time of profound climate change, particularly because of rising sea levels. The report warns of a particularly worrying situation in the municipalities of Sesimbra and Grândola, in the district of Setúbal, where there have been many "examples of protective rules being overridden". The report highlights projects in the municipality of Sesimbra, such as Pinhal da Prata, Pinhal do Atlântico and Etosoto, which occupy more than 260 hectares in protected areas and have gone ahead without adequate environmental assessments. In Tróia, the "Na Praia" project, covering 96 hectares and envisaging a luxury resort with villas, a spa and a heliport on protected coastal dunes, is one such example. However, work on this resort was suspended following action by an environmental association and, in March 2026, a fire at the construction site postponed the opening, which had been scheduled for June. In Comporta, the Torre project, with two hotels, 234 residences and a golf course, includes developments planned over more than 1,000 hectares, while Costa Terra and Comporta Dunes, with golf courses less than 500 metres from the waterline, are other examples cited in the NGO's report as poor examples in terms of coastal protection and the safeguarding of protected environmental areas. In its final remarks, the NGO also calls for guarantees of public access to the coast and beaches, another issue it raises in the wake of several controversies over beaches in Comporta being fenced off by private owners. The advance of the sea and mounting development pressure are challenges that demand an urgent response. Greenpeace's report advocates compliance with existing legislation, stronger enforcement and more robust political decisions to protect communities and coastal ecosystems over the coming decades.