António Costa visited the hydroelectric complex under concession to Iberdrola and, inside the “Caverna de Gouvães”, witnessed the start-up of this hydroelectric plant. Before his speech, he wanted to leave a “word of solidarity” to the mayors present and, above all, to those who face and are still facing the drama of forest fires.

Today there are still fires in Chaves, Murça and Vila Pouca de Aguiar, in the district of Vila Real.

“We really don't have time to lose in the fight against climate change and what that implies in a new mobility policy, in a new policy to reinforce energy efficiency and, above all, in the growing investment in renewable energies”.

And, as he pointed out, Portugal “is in particular situation, unfortunately, to understand the urgency and the climate emergency” on the country.

“We are from the territories that have suffered the most from coastal erosion, we are from the countries that have suffered the most from the increase in drought and we know that we are one of the countries where the risk of forest fire increased the most”, he stressed.

And, he added, “there is a fact that is fundamental” that “we must take into account”.

“Even if humanity manages to achieve, within the stipulated time, the objective set in the Paris accords of containing the increase in global temperature by one and a half degrees, even if we manage to achieve this objective, the risk of forest fire will still increase sixfold in the future in our country”.