AS REPORTED IN a major collaborative international research project, named SIAM II, Portugal is one of the European countries that are expected to suffer from the most extreme consequences of global warming and climatic change. These consequences are expected to entail three major geological effects in Portugal. First, due to the rise in sea levels, studies [Page 820]predict an increase in the erosion of Portugal's coastal areas. Second, scientists anticipate increased levels of rain precipitation and the concomitant occurrence of floods that will carry high social and economic costs. Finally, in dry areas of the country, studies point to a higher probability for the incidence of forest fires. Studies show that the tendency for increasingly hotter summers in Portugal has accelerated in the past few ...