Forest fires release a large amount of smoke, dust and harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, etc
In 2024, Greek officials said at an event assessing the 2024 forest fire season that 2024 would be the hottest and driest year on record in Greece, with approximately 9,500 forest fires. Forest fires release a large amount of smoke, dust and harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, which have a serious impact on air quality, lead to deterioration of air quality in local areas and endanger human health.
On August 13th, the large-scale wildfire in the northeastern suburbs of Athens, Greece, entered its third day. The fire was finally brought under control, but it has claimed one life and forced thousands of residents to flee their homes.
On August 13, 2024 local time, in the suburbs of Athens, the capital of Greece, wildfires raged, causing cars to be burned down. Visual China Map
Vassilis Kikilias, the Minister of the Greek Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, delivered a television speech on the 13th, revealing that the overall fire has subsided, with only sporadic forest fires remaining. Firefighters found the body of a victim in a burned-out factory. In addition, at least 66 people have been injured and receiving treatment, and another 5 firefighters have been injured. The mountain fire that lasted for three days this time burned an area of 10,000 hectares, equivalent to the size of 14,000 football fields.
On August 13, 2024 local time, wildfires were rampant in the suburbs of Athens, the capital of Greece. The European Union reported the dispatch of several aircraft and firefighters to assist Greece in fighting the fires. Visual China Map
The mountain fire caused thousands of people to evacuate
The wildfire began in the afternoon of August 11th and broke out in the town of Varnavas, which is about 35 kilometers northeast of Athens. Under the strong wind, the fire line stretched for 30 kilometers and the flames shot up as high as 25 meters.
On August 13, 2024 local time, in Athens, Greece, a wildfire hit the northeastern suburbs of Athens. After seeing the damaged houses burned down, relatives comforted each other. Visual China Map
Kikilias described this as an “extremely dangerous” wildfire. The complex forest terrain and extremely dry weather have increased the difficulty of fire control. More than 700 firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 water-dropping aircraft fought continuously in this fire for more than 20 hours. Due to the excessive fire, the Greek government also had to appeal to European countries for assistance to help put out the fire.
Greece is currently in the peak tourist season. Due to severe fires, thousands of residents in more than ten regions, including several towns in Athens, have received a series of emergency alerts, urging them to evacuate to safe areas. The authorities set up shelters for people who were forced to leave their homes overnight and urged residents in dangerous areas to abide by the evacuation orders and not return until the alert is lifted.
On August 12, 2024 local time, in Greece, wildfires could not be effectively controlled and thousands of residents were asked to evacuate. Visual China Map
The Greek National Meteorological Service said that this year has been the hottest and driest summer in Greek history. Dozens of wildfires have occurred in Greece every day this summer.
Last year, Greece was hit by a heatwave that lasted for 16 days, setting a new record high and causing the largest wildfire in the history of the European Union. Between July and August, an area twice the size of Athens was shrouded in thick smoke, killing at least 28 people and injuring dozens.
Victims of climate change
Why have Mediterranean countries such as Greece repeatedly become victims of extreme weather in recent years? This is inseparable from the impact of climate change behind the scenes.
Although wildfires often occur in Greece at this time of year, with climate change making the weather increasingly dry and hot, wildfires have also become more frequent and intense, posing a greater threat to the lives of residents in the Mediterranean.
On August 12, 2024 local time, in Greece, wildfires could not be effectively controlled and thousands of residents were asked to evacuate. Visual China Map
The World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations and Copernicus of the European Union’s Climate Change Service jointly confirmed that Europe is the continent warming the fastest in the world. The rate of temperature rise here is approximately twice the global average, especially in summer, when the warming is most severe in Central and Southeast Europe and the areas around the Mediterranean Sea.
On August 12, 2024 local time, in Greece, the wildfires could not be effectively controlled. Visual China Map
Dr. Kostas Lagouvardos, the research director of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), said that the Mediterranean region is a hotspot of the climate crisis. Among them, southern Italy, Cyprus, Turkey and North African countries will also be severely affected by the rise in temperature. Among them, the warming rate in the eastern Mediterranean region will be particularly fast.
Research from the National Observatory of Athens shows that over the past 30 to 40 years, the overall temperature in Greece has risen by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius – a very high rate of warming in such a short period of time.
On July 11, 2024 local time, in Thessaloniki, Greece, tourists visited despite the high temperature. Visual China Map
In addition to the land getting hotter, the Marine heatwave in the eastern Mediterranean has also become longer, more frequent and more intense. The increase in sea surface temperature, in turn, provides energy for more violent and frequent storms. The most dangerous thing is that these warm waters are triggering more hurricanes in the Mediterranean. These storms may bring bad weather to Greece.
Greece is close to Africa, which means that warm winds often cross the ocean from the Sahara Desert. And this phenomenon has emerged as early as June in recent years. The high-temperature wind carrying dust intensifies the heat wave, dries the vegetation, and makes it more likely to cause wildfires and spread rapidly.
Furthermore, Greece’s unusual mixed land and sea terrain – it has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean region – with thousands of islands distributed respectively in the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Cretan Sea, this geographical feature intensifies the impact of extreme weather on this area.
Christos Zerefos, the secretary general of the Academy of Sciences of Athens and the Greek climate envoy, said that these islands are far from the mainland, have diverse microclimates, and implementing disaster relief and response measures on these scattered archipelagos would also be a huge challenge. In particular, the backward infrastructure and inconvenient transportation on some islands will hinder evacuation and rescue efforts when disasters strike.
How does Greece deal with wildfires
Climate change has led to increasingly severe impacts of extreme weather on Greece in recent years. Therefore, the Greek government attaches great importance to and actively takes preventive and response measures for possible and potential natural disasters such as forest fires to reduce the negative impact of extreme weather on local residents and the ecological environment.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said last year, “Greece is facing a ‘climate war’ in peacetime.” The climate crisis has arrived, forcing us to view everything in a different light. In Greece, even unintentionally causing forest fires is regarded as a criminal offense.
The Greek government established the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Defense in 2021 and passed a new law earlier this year, mandating the removal of any uncleared biomass that could cause fires in or near forest areas.
Meanwhile, experts are also researching a series of technical solutions to deal with wildfires, including drones and temperature sensors.