Greece has become a climate change hotspot, with average temperatures rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius over the past three decades, according to a new study published on Tuesday.
According to the study by a team of scientists from the National Observatory of Athens, who examined changes in temperature, precipitation and sea temperature using data from Europe’s Copernicus service, the Greek territory as a whole has seen a temperature increase of about 0.05C per year and 1.5C over the nearly 30-year period from 1991 to 2020.
The study said that in many regions – mainly in northern Greece away from the coast – temperatures increased by about 0.07C per year, meaning that the average temperature in these areas increased by more than 2C over the period.
There was also a fairly significant reduction in the number of frosty days across the country, with a greater reduction in frosty days in the north-west of mainland Greece, as well as a 1.5C increase in sea surface temperature, with the maximum increase occurring in the northern Aegean, Ionian Sea and around the island of Crete.
The period also saw an increase in the number of days with heavy precipitation, estimated at 9-10 days over a 30-year period, as evidenced by the increased flooding the country has experienced in recent years.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has labelled the Mediterranean as a hotspot for the global climate change problem.
In July, the Greek island of Rhodes underwent an evacuation of all hotels threatened by wildfires. More than two thousand people were taken out by sea. Strong forest fires had been raging there since July 18, and on July 22 the fire reached three hotels in the village of Kiotari.
