The outcry over a new government plan to chop down yet more ostensibly protected cork oaks in the name of ‘sustainable energy’ has seen Expresso look back at political leaders’ behaviour over the recent past, to discover that since 2011 successive governments have approved the destruction of “tens of thousands of trees, in various projects, particularly energy”. Just since 2016 (when Mr Costa seized power with a left wing coalition) almost 17,000 cork oaks have been felled, “60% for projects in the area of energy”, says the paper. By law, the cutting down of cork oaks is prohibited and subject to fines of up to €150,000.
