ECOSOC and the FCT project EJMapping are organising a film series based on the documentaries Portugal, um Retrato Ambiental [Portugal, an Environmental Portrait], by Luísa Schmidt and Francisco Manso (RTP/ICS-ULisboa), to better understand and critically discuss the environmental developments and conflicts of recent decades in Portugal - and compare them with current perspectives and critiques, as well as contemporary conflicts and challenges.

The first session will present ECOSOC, its 2025 activity report, and the new Newsletter.

The author of the documentary, Luísa Schmidt, will be present at the last session and will participate in a debate with researchers from the EJMapping project.

Programme

21 January 2026
Session 1 -  Portugal, um Retrato Ambiental [Portugal, an Environmental Portrait], CES-Alta, room 1
14:30 - ECOSOC presentation session and presentation of Newsletter 2
15:30 - Screening of Episode 1: “País de contrastes” [Country of contrasts]
Followed by critical reading and debate with Jonas Van Vossole (EJMAPPING - CES UC).
The first episode analyses the contrast between the prosperity of the West between the 1950s and 1973 and Portugal’s backwardness, marked by rurality, weak industrialisation, and social difficulties. It also highlights the effects of war, emigration, and isolation in the 1960s, and how the 25th of April brought modernisation, albeit accompanied by disorderly economic growth and environmental impact.

28 January 2026
Session 2 - Portugal, um Retrato Ambiental [Portugal, an Environmental Portrait], CES-Alta, room 2
14:30 - Screening of Episode 2: “Água, um bem escasso” [Water, a scarce commodity]
Followed by a critical reading and debate with Joana Sousa (EJMAPPING - CES UC).
The second episode addresses disasters caused by human action, such as the 1967 flood in Lisbon, aggravated by disorderly construction. It also refers to radioactive accidents and oil spills globally. It shows how the first reported environmental disasters aroused public opinion and delves into energy and environmental issues, as well as the emergence of the environmental movement.

4 February 2026
Session 3 - Portugal, um Retrato Ambiental [Portugal, an Environmental Portrait], CES-Alta, room 2
14:30 - Screening of Episode 3: “Energia e Clima” [Energy and Climate]
Followed by a critical reading and debate with Gustavo Garcia (EJMAPPING - CES UC).
The third episode describes the historical and geographical degradation of rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas in Portugal. It highlights industrial pollution, contaminated beaches, and illegal urbanisation that have turned rivers into sewers. It also explains how the lack of planning and adequate investment in sanitation during the Estado Novo contributed to the poor state of the waterways.

11 February 2026
Session 4 - Portugal, um Retrato Ambiental [Portugal, an Environmental Portrait], CES-Alta, room 2
14:30 - Screening of Episode 4: “Paisagem e Desordenamento” [Landscape and Disorder]
Followed by a critical reading and debate with Eliane Rapchan (EJMAPPING - CES UC) and the author of the documentary, Luisa Schmidt (ICS).
The last episode summarises the main environmental problems associated with territorial disorder. It shows the transformation of a rural country into a suburban country, with emphasis on the suburbanisation of Lisbon and its replication in other cities. It also analyses the growing population concentration on the coast and the profound changes in coastal landscapes since the 1960s.

Activity within the scope of the project EJMapping | Counter-mapping environmental justice conflicts in the European periphery: the case of Portugal and ECOSOC - Ecology and Society Lab