Climate Activists Plug Holes With Cement At 10 Spanish Golf Courses

Holes on 10 golf courses across Spain have been targeted by climate activists protesting about the use of water needed to maintain these sporting facilities.

In a video posted online yesterday, Sunday, July 2, members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) announced their latest campaign. This time their goal was to draw the public’s attention to the huge amount of water consumed by golf courses they detailed.

Describing golf as an ‘elitist leisure pursuit’, the activists highlighted the current drought conditions that are affecting large regions of Spain.

Alongside signs that read ‘Drought alert. Golf course closed for climate justice’, its members were shown in the footage plugging holes on a golf course with cement. They also planted seedlings on the green.

🔥Saboteamos 10 campos de golf en todo el territorio español

🔊Actuamos en diez campos de golf en seis provincias españolas, con el objetivo de denunciar el despilfarro de agua que supone el golf en medio de una de las peores sequías de la historia… (1/4) pic.twitter.com/4FvK3HA3JV

— Extinction Rebellion Spain (@esXrebellion) July 2, 2023

Among the courses hit by this direct action campaign were those in Ibiza, Navarra, the Basque Country, Valencia, Barcelona, and the capital, Madrid.

A tweet from Extinction Rebellion Ibiza read: ‘Action in 10 Golf Courses in Spain XR Ibiza Futuro Vegetal has planted a symbolic garden on one of the greens of Golf de Ibiza to denounce the waste of water in the midst of the drought  THE MEGA-RICH AND THEIR ACTIVITIES ARE A LUXURY WE CANNOT AFFORD’.

Acción en 10 Campos de Golf en España
XR Ibiza Futuro Vegetal han plantado un huerto simbólico en uno de los greens del Golf de Ibiza para denunciar el despilfarro de agua en medio de la sequía 💧

LOS MEGA-RICOS Y SUS ACTIVIDADES SON UN LUJO QUE NO NOS PODEMOS PERMITIR 🌎 pic.twitter.com/EvurQ53A4G

— Extinction Rebellion Ibiza (@XRIbiza) July 2, 2023

Watering just one hole uses 100,000 litres of water

According to data from Ecologistas en Acción, maintaining just one hole on a golf course in Spain uses in excess of 100,000 litres of water each day.

Hemos actuado en  Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Bizkaia, Navarra e Ibiza junto con otros grupos.

🛤️Un campo de golf engulle más de 100.000 litros de agua al día para mantener el césped que lo rodea. No se puede seguir permitiendo este tipo de ocio elitista…

— Extinction Rebellion Spain (@esXrebellion) July 2, 2023

They criticised the ‘irresponsibility and cynicism’ of continuing to allow this type of elitist leisure while Spain dries up. ‘In Spain, 437 golf courses are irrigated every day’, they detailed.

When adding up the litres used by gold courses they indicated, to satisfy an activity that is enjoyed only by approximately 0.6 per cent of the population, more water is consumed than in the whole of Barcelona and Madrid.

El GOLF, de porte que juega un 0'6%, consume MÁS AGUA que la población de Madrid y Barcelona juntas.

Los ricos son un lujo que no nos podemos permitir.

Por @esXrebellion pic.twitter.com/r4uyxBqaCJ

— Infusión Ideológica 🫖🍵 (@Infusionlogica) July 2, 2023

The activists demanded that the Government implements legislation on golf courses to restrict them from using so much water.

A €2.19bn (approx £1.9bn) aid package to help farmers and consumers cope with the drought was approved last May by the Government in Madrid.

At the time, the environment minister, Teresa Ribera said: ‘Spain is a country that is used to periods of drought but there’s no doubt that, as a consequence of the climate change we’re experiencing, we’re seeing far more frequent and intense events and phenomena’.