Latest news and stories about climate risk in Portugal for expats and residents.
Miguel Miranda emphasizes the importance of proactive climate risk management, arguing that it requires significant investment in infrastructure changes, such as burying electrical networks and restricting construction in flood-prone areas. He advocates for Portugal to reassess its priorities and make tough decisions to prevent reactive measures after disasters occur.
A new study warns that, by 2050, extreme heat could expose almost half of the world’s population to dangerous conditions — and that global preparedness is inadequate. The analysis projects marked increases in heatwave frequency and intensity, with disproportionate impacts on urban populations, workers, older people and lower-income communities, creating risks for health, wellbeing, labour productivity, displacement and sustainability. Authors call for urgent mitigation (deep emissions cuts) alongside targeted adaptation: heat-resilient infrastructure, equitable access to cooling and water, early-warning systems and planning to reduce inequitable risks.
The recent Memorandum of Understanding between EIOPA and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) represents a significant step in the evolution of risk regulation and supervision in the European Union. This agreement comes in the context of increasing exposure to extreme climate risks, with institutional recognition of the need to strengthen the technical and scientific foundation that...
For a long time, climate and environmental risks were treated as externalities, separate from central state budgetary decisions. This approach is now outdated and financially dangerous, as evidenced by the estimated 5 billion euro cost of the storms in early 2026. The article argues that failing to integrate these risks into public spending, infrastructure planning, and national budgets constitutes financial mismanagement. It highlights the UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee inquiry into the Treasury's role in climate policy as a model, and discusses how 'green budgeting' and 'green budget tagging' in Portugal are essential steps toward aligning public policy with climate resilience and long-term fiscal stability.
A resilient economy cannot be decreed. It is built with vision, social dialogue, and the certainty that the future belongs to the countries that prepare for it.
There is an economy that functions silently beneath our feet and rarely enters conversations about climate risk. A square metre of healthy soil contains more living organisms than there are human beings on the planet, and they are the ones that filter the water we drink, decompose the matter that feeds us, and regulate the cycle...
Where there is risk, there is also opportunity. Companies that anticipate this scenario are better positioned to identify efficiency gains, innovate, and respond to new demands. Opinion by Rafael Botelho.
The succession of storms and fires we have faced in recent years challenges the idea that these phenomena are exceptional. In the last 17 years alone, Portugal has faced 20 extreme weather events, making it the seventh most affected European country in terms of economic losses caused by these phenomena. And, according to experts, by 2030, 95% of the population...
The transition to a green economy in Portugal involves updating fiscal, regulatory and financial instruments to integrate environmental objectives into the economy. This framework aligns with the Green Taxation principles established in 2014. National economic analyses indicate that climate risks significantly impact macroeconomic variables, including productivity in agriculture, tourism, energy and infrastructure, as well as public finances. Integrating these risks into projections helps assess the impact of droughts, floods and wildfires. Furthermore, green budgeting practices and the use of climate scenarios enhance the accuracy of financial estimates regarding GDP and inflation. In terms of risk management, the text highlights the importance of financial mechanisms such as a loss and damage fund and catastrophe bonds to manage climate-related volatility. The insurance sector also faces challenges, with public-private partnerships emerging as a solution to maintain coverage in high-risk areas. Ultimately, aligning economic reform with climate risk planning is essential for Portugal's resilience and competitiveness, despite the distractions of global conflicts.
A quarter of the country is currently exposed to climate risks such as floods, wildfires and drought.
Luís Coelho Nascimento, of the National Association of Insurance Agents and Brokers, warns that storms may, in future, come to be regarded as “recurring phenomena”.
Geographer José Rio Fernandes analyses the potential causes of extreme events like the one that affected the country in recent days, and how we should prepare for these storms.
In a country that is geologically vulnerable and climatically exposed, taking precautions is not alarmism — it's responsibility. The stability of yesteryear is now a mirage.
Climatologist Pedro Garrett explains what the phenomenon of explosive cyclogenesis is, which affected Portugal from north to south in the early hours.
The European Central Bank (ECB) on Tuesday approved a set of changes to the Eurosystem’s monetary policy implementation rules that will come into force on 30 March, marking a new phase in the relationship between the supervisor and banks in the Eurozone. The changes, formalised through four guidelines, introduce for the first time ...
'Increased supply often creates a perception of abundance,' warns Kaveh Madani, director of the Institute for Water, Environment and Health at the United Nations University.
A UN report says the term 'water crisis' no longer reflects the reality in many places, where 'irreversible damage has pushed river basins to a point of no return'.
Natural and climate-related disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, pose a risk to the financial resilience of the European Union (EU), with these phenomena having an increasing impact on access to housing, according to environmental organisation WWF. 'What is not insurable is not financeable.' Property owners and businesses in areas ...
Natural disasters caused worldwide damage of $224 billion (€192 billion), 39% less than the previous year, by 'pure luck', says a report released on Tuesday by the German reinsurer Munich Re. In Africa, 'they resulted in losses of approximately $3 billion (€2.5 billion), ...
In 2025 total economic and insured losses from natural disasters declined compared with previous years, helped by fewer major events and improved preparedness. Despite the drop, overall damage levels remain worryingly high, with climate change, urbanisation and vulnerable infrastructure keeping long‑term costs elevated. Experts and insurers call for stronger mitigation, adaptation and financing measures.
Economic losses from natural catastrophes worldwide fell by almost 40% in 2025, but the global outlook for extreme weather events remains alarming, Munich Re said today.
Economic losses from natural disasters worldwide fell by nearly 40% in 2025, but the global outlook for extreme weather events remains alarming, Munich Re said today.
Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) has been chosen by Fidelidade Property, the real estate arm of the Fidelidade Group, to conduct a Climate Risk Assessment and develop an adaptation strategy for its asset portfolio. According to a press release, "the aim was to ensure the alignment of real estate assets with ...
