Emeritus Professor of Ecology and Environmental Policy at the National Technical University of Athens Kimon Hadjibiros warned that southern Greece’s forests will “vanish” by the end of the century, if climate change continues unabated.

Speaking during a phone interview on Athens Municipal Radio on 11 July, Hadjibiros said “it’s logical to assume” that unless effective mitigation measures are enacted, Southern Greece’s forests will either burn, or dry up over the next few decades, while Greece’s northern regions will exhibit a markedly warmer climate.

Hadjibiros also noted the slow pace of adaptation and mitigation in Greece compared to more “advanced societies” in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which act promptly, and based on scientific guidance.

According to Hadjibiros, Greek society continues to “see things more traditionally,” hasn’t realized how serious climate change is, and does very little to mitigate it.

Hadjibiros called for a change in Greece’s energy model although he doesn’t feel “people have been convinced” to do so.

Hadjibros also posited the existence of a societal mindset that is making Greece reluctant to mitigate climate change. “Why are the Danes, Swedes, and Finns doing what needs to be done, and in advance, while we lag behind? Because we are a society that lags behind.”

Photo Credit: Copernicus Climate Change Service

According to the latest figures from Copernicus, the E.U.’s Earth Observation Programme, Europe is warming faster than any other continent in recent decades. The 5-year average temperature is currently around 2.4°C (or 4.32°F) higher than typical values for the latter half of the 19th century. This temperature is also 1°C (or 1.8°F) or higher than the corresponding increase for the globe as a whole.