greece
Newsletter
Credit: Ries Bosch/Unsplash
Greek farmers and wildlife struggle as drought depletes water supplies
Farmers and residents in northern Greece are battling severe water shortages as persistent droughts have dried up lakes, wells and groundwater, threatening crops and wildlife.
In short:
- The ongoing drought has forced farmers like Dimitris Papadakis to rely on water trucks to irrigate their fields, as groundwater sources dry up.
- The drought, worsened by climate change and tourism, has led to extreme water scarcity, impacting both human and animal populations.
- Experts emphasize the urgent need for improved water management, including conservation and reuse strategies, to combat future droughts.
Key quote:
“These drought phenomena will return with greater intensity in the future. We need to take action and plan ahead to minimize their impact… and we must adapt to this new reality.”
— Konstantinos S. Voudouris, professor of hydrogeology at the University of Thessaloniki
Why this matters:
Northern Greece's persistent drought is a stark reminder of the escalating climate crisis. Without better water management, agricultural losses and wildlife deaths could become increasingly common.
Related: Greece embraces energy democracy with citizen-driven renewable energy
Keep reading...Show less
Newsletter
Credit: Andres Siimon/Unsplash
Greece embraces energy democracy with citizen-driven renewable energy
Greek citizens are increasingly generating their own renewable energy, despite challenges like limited grid space.
In short:
- Hyperion, Athens' first democratic renewable-energy community, mirrors Germany's energy cooperatives.
- Greece's high solar potential is driving a shift towards renewable energy, with a significant increase in wind and solar power generation.
- Energy communities in Greece aim to democratize the energy sector and contribute to social justice by supporting low-income households.
Key quote:
"We're taking things into our own hands, producing our own energy, democratizing the energy sector and speeding up the transition in a societally fair and participatory way."
— Takis Grigoriou, co-founder of Hyperion.
Why this matters:
The rise of energy communities in Greece represents a grassroots movement toward sustainable energy, highlighting the role of citizen participation in combating climate change and promoting energy independence.
Keep reading...Show less
Storms batter Greek island as government prioritizes adapting to the effects of climate change
Torrential rain swept across central Greece on Wednesday damaging roads, flooding homes and causing power outages on the island of Evia, as the government declared that adapting to climate change has become a national priority.
Big Stock Photo
Global heating made Greece and Libya floods more likely, study says
Carbon pollution led to heavier rains and stronger floods in Greece and Libya this month but other human factors were responsible for “turning the extreme weather into a humanitarian disaster”, scientists have said.
Photo by Fiona Smallwood on Unsplash
'Fighting a war in peacetime': Greek PM on impacts of climate change
On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivered a speech acknowledging the devastating impacts of climate change on his country, after a summer that brought some of the worst wildfires and floods in Greece's history.
Newsletter
Photo by Ross Stone on Unsplash
As wildfires spread, anger rises in Greece over government response
Firefighters were battling scores of blazes nationwide, but the threat to a precious woodland north of the capital had some fearing a dystopian future.
Photo by Fotis Christopoulos on Unsplash
In Photos: Greece’s catastrophic wildfires
With forests parched from weeks of scorching heat waves, the authorities in Greece feared that this summer’s conditions had created more opportunities to spark catastrophic wildfires.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
