August wildfires will force Greek rethink on climate

Significance

Temperatures reached 47 degrees Celsius -- the severest heatwave since 1987. About 100,000 hectares of forest were reduced to ashes in just two weeks in Attica, Evia and the Peloponnese. The government is struggling to address the short-term effects of the disaster, while it confronts the implications of its old-fashioned approach to the environment.

Impacts

• Greece’s fires are a significant call for action against the climate crisis that is engulfing the whole Mediterranean region this summer.
• Unprecedented support for Greece from abroad underlined the need for international cooperation to combat emergencies on this scale.
• The contribution of volunteers to protecting villages is one of the most prominent positive outcomes with implications for the future.