Greece pushes green transition on its fragile islands

Greece this week signed a clear power take care of the EU in a bid to fast-track the inexperienced transition on its fragile islands threatened by overtourism and local weather change.

Tons of of Greek islands are dealing with main challenges together with water scarcitymentioned Dimitris Lianos, the mayor of Naxos, the most important island within the Cyclades archipelago, the place the deal was signed Thursday with the European Union and the European Funding Financial institution to finance decarbonization initiatives.

The symbolism of signing it there was arduous to disregard. Like on most of Greece’s many islands, farms on Naxos are imperiled by drought.

The 1.6-billion-euro fund ($1.67 billion) will leverage the islands’ principal belongings—wind and solar—to supply clean energy at reasonably priced prices.

Investing in “green” power sources will “allow the islands to achieve their ecological transition”, mentioned Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“Renewable power will assist the nation develop into self-sufficient and scale back energy costs,” he mentioned.

Greek islands rely closely on liquid fossil fuels for his or her electricity supplytaking a toll on the atmosphere and driving up prices.

Overtourism

Athens is specializing in growing renewable energy infrastructure—offshore wind farmspower storage techniques and connecting the islands with the mainland for energy provide.

Greece, which is on the forefront of worldwide warming within the Mediterranean Basin, has been experiencing scorching summers and disastrous wildfires.

On many islands, residents are alarmed by water shortages and extended drought.

Even so, hostility to wind generators is rising as it’s in a number of European international locations.

Environmental safety teams are additionally warning towards overtourism, notably within the Cyclades, common for its crystal-clear waters and picturesque villages.

Naxos, south of Mykonos and east of Paros is turning into more and more common. However in 2023, this island recognized for its cheeses and potatoes, had solely 270 mm (10.6 inches) of rain, in comparison with a mean of 306 mm (12 inches), based on local weather monitor the Nationwide Observatory of Athens.

On power autonomy, Greece has to this point given precedence to smaller, unconnected and remote islandslike Chalki in southeastern Greece, which now boasts a solar power plant.

Decreasing emissions

Energy on the Dodecanese island of Tilos now virtually fully comes from renewables, due to an 11-million-euro funding from the EU and 4 non-public Greek buyers.

Final month Greece unveiled formidable photo voltaic and wind power targets in a bid to attain web zero greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2050.

Athens will goal to achieve an 82 p.c share of renewables in its electrical energy combine by 2030, up from the 66 p.c deliberate in 2019, based on Setting and Power Minister Theodoros Skylakakis.

The Mediterranean nation is striving to scale back emissions by 58.6 p.c by 2030.

Greece has already shrunk its emissions by 45 p.c in comparison with 2005, Mitsotakis mentioned in a speech on the COP29 summit in Baku earlier this month.

The premier additionally mentioned that wind and solar energy lined “almost half of Greece’s electricity needs” whereas the contribution from extremely polluting lignite, or brown coal, was now “only 6 percent”.

© 2024 AFP