Greece minister holds ‘arsonists’ responsible for most of 667 wildfires

Athens, Greece

Greece's senior climate crisis official said that most of the 667 fires, which erupted in recent weeks across the country, were started “by human hand”.

As the Mediterranean country recovers from unprecedented infernos caused by a 15-day period of heatwave, the scale of the destruction is now being revealed.

Even though the country battled very different weather conditions and the experts called July's first three weeks as the hottest on record, the government on Friday (July 28) claimed that most of the fires could have been prevented.

Speaking to media reporters, Greek Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Vassilis Kikilias said, “During this time 667 fires erupted, that is more than 60 fires a day, almost all over the country. Unfortunately, the majority were ignited by human hand, either by criminal negligence or intent.”

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Kikilias stated that, in a few places, the fire broke out at different points in close proximity at the same time, which suggested the involvement of arsonists in the further spread of the fire.

“The difference with other years were the weather conditions. Climate change, which yielded a historic and unprecedented heatwave, is here. There were very few days where the extreme weather was not combined with strong winds,” he added.

In a long period of time, such record-breaking temperatures have not been registered by the meteorologists in Greece. The country saw temperatures peak to a 15-year high with the exception of islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas.

UN calls for immediate measures to cut planet-heating emissions

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres appealed for bold and immediate measures to cut the planet-heating emissions. He said, “The evidence is everywhere. Humanity has unleashed destruction. This must not inspire despair, but action.”

Greece’s leading expert on atmospheric physics Prof Christos Zerefos said that the situation is likely to worsen every year. “All strategies will have to be reviewed (because of) the climate crisis,” he said. Annual mean temperatures are likely to increase by around 2C over the next 30 years, Zerefos said.

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“The mild winter has resulted in us losing half the water this year, reducing soil moisture and this creates a situation that favours the spread of forest fires. Forest ecosystems in Greece are among the most sensitive in the world. The forest ecosystem is essential. If we protect it there is hope it can regenerate,” he added.

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