Greece is seriously neglecting its commitments to curb global
warming, with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions up by 25 percent – one of
the worst records among developed countries, the WWF Hellas
environmental protection group said yesterday.
Turkey, Spain,
Portugal, Ireland and Australia are the only countries in the developed
world to have recorded a greater rise in CO2 emissions than Greece
since 1990, WWF said.
The group attributes Greece’s dismal record
to its reliance on fossil fuels (such as lignite and oil), its poor
record in promoting the use of renewable energy sources and the lack of
a comprehensive energy saving plan.
WWF’s “climate change
speedometer” shows Greece to be well inside the dangerous “red zone” as
compared to “model” countries like Britain, France and Germany.
WWF
called on the government to “respond to the growing social concern
about the repercussions of climate change.” A good start would be for a
government delegation to attend a United Nations summit on climate
change in Bali on December 3 to 14, the group said.
In a related
development yesterday, President Karolos Papoulias reiterated his
concern about environmental protection during a visit to Kalamata in
the Peloponnese. Referring to the destruction of vast tracts of
forestland in August’s fatal fires, Papoulias said, “There are no
excuses for postponing the assumption of our responsibilities – we have
a serious duty to protect the land that we have inherited and will pass
on to future generations.”
Environmental concerns were also high
on the agenda of European Union officials who discussed waste
management reforms with Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis. According to
sources, the EU officials broadly supported the mayor’s proposal to
create two new landfills and three recycling centers but stressed that
hundreds of illegal dumps across the country must be closed down.
“Local authorities must accelerate efforts to make up for lost time,”
Kaklamanis said, proposing closer cooperation between Athens and
Brussels.