The life expectancy of the inhabitants of Greece is projected to decrease by about one year per year due to climate change and in particular air pollution.
This was stated among others by the members of Climpact – National Network for Climate Change, in a press conference held today in view of their 5th forum on “Climate Change and Atmospheric Pollution” which starts tomorrow in Kythera and is organized by the National Observatory of Athens and the Municipality of Kythera.
At the same time, in the context of the discussion, Climpact members referred extensively to the increase in the frequency of fires due to climate change, as by the end of the century fires in the Mediterranean will have doubled and the fire season will have been extended by 40 days.
Professor Nikos Michalopoulos, Director of the Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development of the National Observatory of Athens and scientific officer of the CLIMPACT network, said that climate change is inextricably linked to the emissions of greenhouse gases, the majority of which are produced by anthropogenic activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, which is the main source of greenhouse gases.
“The very significant quantities of greenhouse gases have a very significant impact on human health and the climate, resulting in a 12-13 month reduction in human life expectancy in Greece each year,” Michalopoulos said. According to Mr Michalopoulos, air pollution can affect climate change in various ways, as the composition of the atmosphere itself is very important for the climate through particulate matter.
“Depending on their composition, particulate matter can either lead to a cooling of the atmosphere or, in the case of black carbon produced by combustion in fires, warm the atmosphere,” Michalopoulos stressed.
At the same time, Mr Michalopoulos referred to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, according to which in the coming years until 2070 all this expected temperature increase and the reduction in precipitation will result in an increase in the risk of fires, while by the end of the century with a probability of over 95% the cases of fires in the Mediterranean will have doubled. Consequently, the fire risk period is expected to be extended by 40 days, i.e. the fire season is to be extended.
Tomorrow’s forum will conclude a cycle of scientific dialogue that has been taking place for over 4 years on climate change and its impact on various sectors such as the marine environment, agriculture, tourism, etc. As the director and president of the National Observatory of Athens and coordinator of Climpact, Manolis Plionis, stressed, this network, which started in 2017, is an unprecedented initiative for Greece as it brings together all the country’s stakeholders involved in climate change , from all aspects.
“There have already been 5 forums, where aspects of the issue are presented and cooperation with stakeholders, aiming to create a dialogue and understanding of the issue and how science can help in the direction of the problem”, Plionis pointed out, while referring to the Observatory of Earth Sciences and Climate Change (PAGAIA), stressing that it is a hub, the largest scientific research infrastructure in Southeastern Europe.
Referring to another aspect of Climpact, Aris Karageorgis, Director of the Institute of Oceanography of ELKETHE and member of Climpact, pointed out the installation of a marine observation station in the Antikythera Strait with 2 observation points. “The measurements taken and the results we have are essentially a link between the atmosphere, its pollution and how it is reflected in the sea,” he said.
For his part, the president of the EKKE and member of Climpact, Professor Nikos Demertzis, referred to the need for climate change to acquire a social dimension. “Social sciences must contribute to convince citizens to take measures to mitigate climate change”, Mr Demertzis said, stressing that it is a matter of environmental justice and adding that the ESKE, for its part, is trying to study the way public opinion understands climate change and how much Greek citizens are willing to pay a personal cost to mitigate its effects.
At the same time, Climpact members also referred to the network’s contribution to the prevention of climate change impacts as through the early warning systems they have developed they can contribute to both flood and fire warnings. In addition, they stressed that an attempt is being made to expand the network of sensors (sensors) installed in areas that calculate the harmful particles present in the atmosphere.
“We can help the state with the development of tools that can give early forecasts for phenomena such as those for floods. Similarly, there are tools to predict the extension of fire, the front. This can help the Fire Brigade to deal with forest fires, it is a prototype algorithm that takes into account the interaction of the climate itself that creates the fire,” Plionis stressed, adding that an important role will however be played by the education of the public, citizens awareness, how to react to all natural disasters related to climate change.
“There is a link between fires and the pollution of the atmosphere with harmful elements and this is one of the problems we have to address. We are setting up networks , in the framework of new partnerships we are developing, we will expand and densify the network of these senors in Attica. Fires have a harmful effect on the atmosphere, we must be vigilant and inform citizens when we have such phenomena.
The Observatory together with PANAKEA has placed sensors of harmful particles in areas of Attica, such as in early August in Varybobi, where we saw that the air pollution was dramatic in Athens to such an extent that we sent information to protect citizens”, Mr. Plionis, while for his part Mr. Michalopoulos stressed that the Association of Scientific Officers of the Fire Brigade have asked to be affiliated members of Climpact.
