We often think that changing of the climate it is something far away, but in fact it is already here and affects our lives in many ways. Let’s take a look at just a few of his events:

1. More heat waves

The number of days with temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius is already increasing and will continue to increase in the future, as well as “tropical nights” when it does not get colder, as the temperature does not fall below 20 ℃. In our country, periods of intense heat occur much more often. Every summer there is at least one episode of abnormal heat (4-7.5 days), while earlier they happened much less frequently. According to research, by 2050 the number of hot days in Greece will increase by 15-20 24 hours a year.

2. High energy demand

The load on the energy sector will be large. It is expected that by 2050 the need for cooling will double in all regions of the country, at the same time the need for heating will decrease. Overall, however, energy requirements are expected to be much higher. For every degree Celsius of temperature increase in Athens, cooling energy consumption increases by 4%, and the concentration of dangerous photochemical pollutant gases in the cloud by about 7-8%.

3. Reducing the amount of rain, increasing the number of fires.

The drought is expanding. The amount of precipitation will decrease from 10% to 30%, mainly in the eastern regions of the country, which need them more. The trend of desertification and soil erosion is increasing, while the groundwater level is depleted and waterlogging phenomena occur. Soil moisture will decrease, resulting in an increase in the number of days with a high fire risk by 15-70%. This will lead to more and more destructive forest fires.

4. More frequent extreme weather events

Heavy rains and storms causing flooding are increasing. Severe or extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. The result is loss of life, destruction of homes and public infrastructure, and even industrial facilities. The consequences are already dire. Looking to the future, it is estimated that at the end of the century, the annual cost of maintenance and reconstruction in the Greek transport system due to the effects of climate change could reach 595 million euros in the worst case scenario.

5. Harvest problems

The consequences for agriculture and agricultural production, although not uniform, will be mostly negative. While the growing season for some crops will be extended and some crops such as cotton will benefit, most of them will face challenges. The olive tree, although tolerant of drought and high temperatures, needs the cold of winter for the normal flowering process. At the same time, prolonged elevated temperatures lengthen the period of action or reproduction of pathogens, such as mildew. While climate change may expand vineyards in areas that did not previously flourish, questions are being raised about the quality of new produce and adverse changes to existing crops. Feed will reduce yields, which will negatively affect livestock. Demand for irrigation will increase, creating a need for more sophisticated water saving systems and precision farming, which, however, will generally lead to higher prices for agricultural products.

6. Warmer seas

Sea levels are rising – already in the Mediterranean between 2000 and 2018, an increase of about 7 cm is estimated, and this trend has been increasing in recent years. It should be noted that out of the country’s 16,000 km of coastline, approximately 1,000 km are areas vulnerable to “swell” due to climate change. At the same time, sea waters are warming, which is causing a blow to aquatic ecosystems and an ecological burden on many fish species that our country’s fisheries feed on. At the same time, invasive fish from warmer seas are crowding out older species.

7. Impact on tourism

The implications for tourism will also be severe. According to an unfavorable climate scenario, in 52 out of 91 tourist areas, the temperature increase will exceed 2.5℃ by 2050 compared to the period 1971-2000. In some areas, the tourist season may expand due to warmer days, but the number of days that cause discomfort to visitors will increase.

8. Public health burden

There are significant negative public health consequences. For example, in early August 2021, deaths in the large urban area of ​​Athens increased by 80% due to a deadly combination of extreme heat and the effects of the Varibompi wildfire! Heat is generally considered to be particularly burdensome to health. In Europe, according to a World Health Organization report, environmental factors are responsible for 12-18% of total deaths. Cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, respiratory infections, strokes are some of the impacts on our health associated with climate factors. Another consequence is the wider geographical distribution of infectious diseases due to the expansion of high temperature zones.

Sources: Athens National Observatory, EMEKA Bank of Greece, diaNEOSis, IOBE, scientific research.