Greece’s summer fire season began May 1 and ends October 31. Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, ramped-up fire preparations early this year, to avoid any criticism of government failings in dealing with the hundreds of fires that spontaneously erupted across Greece in 2021.
Regardless of the preparations Greece, and much of southern Europe, has been ravaged by wildfires again. Punishing heat and furious dry winds create a perfect, and unpredictable inferno that has even threatened Athens’ outer suburbs.
A perilously large blaze engulfed parts of on Mount Penteli in Athens’ north last week resulting in homes and business evacuated and in many cases burnt to the ground. The fires have had a significant ecological impact destroying national parks, affecting wildlife.
Ecological cost
On Friday, teams of veterinarians and volunteers went on standby to help locate and treat injured animals, following a massive wildfire in the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park in northeastern Greece that that took three days to bring under control.
Deputy environment minister Giorgos Amiras told Greek media that animal conservation organisations and teams from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s School of Veterinary Medicine have set up camp on the outskirts of the Natura 2000 site to begin offering their services as soon as they are given the all-clear.
The Fire Service on Thursday said that the blaze, which started last Saturday and has burned through thousands of hectares of pristine forest and valuable habitats, is close to being brought under control.
Amiras was speaking after a successful operation to remove two white-winged Egyptian vulture chicks from their nest in the park.
Only five pairs of these rare vultures exist in Greece, and all are in the same area.
The chicks will be returned to their natural habitat when it’s safe.
The Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park is home to several endangered, vulnerable and newly threatened bird species.
Economic cost – High fiscal impact from heatwaves and forest fires
Moody’s on Wednesday issued a warning on the economic effects of climate change.
The institution said that fires and droughts will boost inflation and government spending, hurt tourism and slow down growth, developments that are credit-negative for more exposed countries like Greece.
The recent weeks of high temperatures and droughts in Europe have led to severe water shortages.
Higher energy and food prices put further pressure on inflation and erode consumer spending, which in turn will also slow growth.
Finally, according to Moody’s report, governments incur additional costs for firefighting and reforestation, with last year’s fires in Greece having cost Athens 500 million euros, 0.3 per cent of the country’s GDP.
