Coordination hub for fires in Greece – Meeting of Ministers in Athens
The need for cooperation and joint strategies to deal with forest fires was pointed out by the responsible ministers of the eastern Mediterranean, in a meeting held in Athens, in the presence of the UN delegation for the reduction of the risk of disasters.
Christos Stylianides welcomed the ministers of 13 countries and they discussed ways to adapt to the new situation as well as measures to prevent the so-called megafires that are increasing due to climate change.
“Prolonged heatwaves and massive fires have unfortunately become the new reality, the new harsh reality. Greece experienced a long summer with very high temperatures, which once again resulted in severe fires. To effectively deal with the consequences of change, cooperation and synergies are the only sustainable solution” said Christos Stylianidis.
For her part, the representative of the UN, Mami Mizutori, emphasized that the situation in the Mediterranean is much worse in the future compared to other regions of the world.
“Global warming here in the Mediterranean will be about 20% above the global average in the coming decades. And unfortunately it will be accompanied by even harsher heat waves, drought and forest fires. And for this reason, as the minister requested, we should have increased cooperation and a common cross-border strategy. This is what we need to do to reduce the consequences of these extreme temperatures, thus also dealing with fires,” said Mami Mizutori.
During the meeting, three different workshops were held in order to gain perceptions and experiences and at the same time to strengthen the mood for further coordination. The ministers agreed to make Greece a coordination hub for expertise in dealing with disasters related to fires, heat waves and drought in the Mediterranean.