Greece social briefing: The impact of heat waves in the Greek urban and rural areas

Posted on by Peter

Weekly Briefing, Vol. 64. No. 3 (GR) July 2023

 

The impact of heat waves in the Greek urban and rural areas

 

 

Summary

The briefing presents the effects of the heat wave in urban and rural areas in Greece. The climate change and the prolonged heat waves affect not only the natural environment but every aspect of the human activity as well. The Greek cities are getting even hotter during the summer and rural areas are in danger by wildfires. Lives and properties of people, especially the most vulnerable ones are in danger. Therefore, measures need to be taken in order to minimize or even reverse climate change and also alleviate the citizens by the devastating results of prolonged extreme temperatures.

 

Introduction

Greece was hit by extreme temperatures and a prolonged heat wave which started 12 July until the 26th of July. The temperatures recorded was between 30 to 46 degrees Celsius. This heatwave was the longest ever recorded in the country. Prolonged heat puts in danger the health of the people leaving in the cities. Citizens with low-income are the ones that suffer the most during extreme weather conditions. Hence, big cities need to be re-designed in order to decrease the urban heat island effect for the benefit of the citizens. Along with the cities, rural areas are also affected by the high temperatures. Wildfires threaten the natural environment, the forest, the properties and even the lives of the people living outside the cities. Moreover, extreme temperatures cause water shortages in the islands, especially during the dry summer months. The government needs to undertake immediate measures to protect the environment and prevent the devastating effects of high temperatures in both rural and urban areas.

 

The high temperatures in the cities

The recent heat wave of July, which lasted eleven days with temperatures ranging from 30 to 46 degrees Celsius, initiated a public discussion on the effects of heat waves in the citizens as well as the sustainability of the Greek cities in the future. It should be mentioned that the enduring high temperatures is a considerable cause of health issues, including deaths, especially to vulnerable citizens each year. People over 65, young children as well as people with health issues are more vulnerable in prolonged extreme temperatures. During 2022 in South Europe more than 20.000 deaths were attributed to the high temperatures.

Heat waves in the cities are mostly affecting the low-income households, since the majority of them are located in urban areas with no green and occupy apartments with no air-condition or heat insulation. According to a study conducted by the National and Kapodistrian University of the Athens (NKUA) it was proven that during a heat wave the temperature in apartments with not adequate heat insulation and air-condition, reached 38 degrees Celsius. These high temperatures are due not only to the climate change but also the structural form and high population density of the cities. Both accelerate the increase of high temperatures in the Greek cities (1).

The so called “urban heat island effect” is common to all the major cities in the world. In Athens it is estimated that the average temperature is higher than rural areas by 4 to 10 degrees Celsius (1). The Athenian roads, sidewalks and buildings are built by construction material that absorb and retain the solar heat more than other surfaces that are covered by natural material. In addition, human activities such as transportation and air conditioning release excess heat into the environment, which overall contribute to the increase of the temperatures. This is common to all the big Greek cities. Moreover, despite Athens been a city located close to the sea, the sea breeze that could potentially drop the high temperatures of the city, especially at nights, it is blocked by high buildings elevated in the seaside areas of Athens.

From the above it is evident that Greek cities, especially Athens, need to be restructured in order to decrease the urban heat island effect and its inhabitants to better cope with the prolonged summer heat waves. Specifically, the use of material in constructions that do not absorb as much heat as the material used in the past, according to the study conducted by the NKUA, can reduce the temperature in the cities by 15 degrees Celsius of the ground and 1 to 3 degrees of the air. As the study shows, by reducing the temperature of the air by one degree, the consumption of energy used for cooling decreases by 4,1%, which results to a decrease of 8% of the photochemical pollution. This in return decreases the number of deaths caused by heart and lungs diseases – in the 65 years old age group – up to 10% during temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. It should be mentioned that colour-changing facade material in constructions is the latest innovation in construction for building new temperature-sensing buildings. These material change color depending in the season in order to absorb more heat during the winter and less during the summer (1). However, it is worth noting that Greece is lagging in the construction of green buildings, since only 52 buildings in Greece are LEED certified- green buildings and another 50 to 60 are currently under construction (2).

Increasing the spaces of green in the cities is another way to reduce the high temperatures. It has been observed that the areas with green have a temperature approximately 4 degrees Celsius less than areas in the cities without green. Thus, the increase of parks and green spaces in the cities is the most popular countermeasure for the high temperature in the summers.  Another effective way to add green in the cities is in the rooftops and in the facades of the building. Nevertheless, just a few cities in Greece, such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Trikala have a climate sustainable development plan and even fewer have started to implement the plan. On the more positive news, 231 cities in Greece have signed the Agreement of Mayors for the Climate Change, on the framework of which more action can be taken towards this end (1).

 

The high temperatures in rural areas

The long-lasting heat waves have tremendous consequences not only in the cities but in the rural areas of the country. Every year wildfires threaten the properties and even the lives of people leaving outside the cities. In addition, high temperature destroys crops and consequently decreases the income of the farmers. This year during the extreme heat wave of July more than 60 wildfires started in several areas such as Peloponnese, Central Greece, the islands of Evoia, Corfu, Rhodes, Naxos etc (3). According to the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) the 13 biggest fires burned more than 434,120 acres, the highest levels in burned areas recorded in the last 13 years (4). Due to the high temperatures and the low humidity in the air, along with high winds, fires easily get out of control despite the efforts of the firefighters. Measures preventing the wildfires need to be taken, such as cleaning the forests from old and dry trees, creating more firebreaks in the forests etc. In addition, measures to support the affected people and the regeneration of the natural environment are also needed (5).

The islands are also affected by the increase of temperature. According to the meteorologist Michalis Siutas, Greece had a dry winter, with a decrease of rainfall by 50% to 75% compared to average values for the winter season, based on the climate of Greece. Siutas argued that this percentage reached 75% in the Cyclades islands and Crete. Thus, most vulnerable to the decrease of rainfall are the islands, which receive a large number of tourists, resulting to a high increase in need for water during the dry summer months. According to Siutas, the level of underground water in the islands has decreased significantly and the wells are designed to pump at a relatively shallow depth, but over-pumping in deeper levels results to inflow of seawater (6).

Furthermore, prolonged heat waves increase the temperature in the sea. On the 24 of July the temperature in the Mediterranean Sea surface reached 28,71% degrees Celsius, which is a record. The marine heatwaves are affecting the sea waters of the planet and destroy the aquatic ecosystem. In particular, sea surface warming changes the fauna and flora of the sea and causes mass mortality of several species and migration of others (7). This is a tremendous natural disaster which has economic consequences. Fisherman’s income decreases, the fish becomes even more expensive in the market which practically exclude it from the diet of the low-income households.

 

Conclusion

Climate change particularly affects Greece in the summer months. The already high temperatures registered in the summer have increased and heat waves last longer than before. People in the cities are suffering from extreme temperatures, especially the families with low-income. Big cities in Greece need to be redesign in order to reduce the high temperatures reaching in the summer months. In rural areas measures to prevent wildfires need to be urgently taken. In addition, water-shortage in the islands is an issue that also needs to be addressed by the state. In any case climate change is a global phenomenon and Greece along with all the states need to accelerate efforts to reverse the devastating effects of global warming.

 

 

References

https://www.in.gr/2023/07/26/b-science/perivallon-b-science/pyrkagies-mayro-rekor-oi-perissoteres-kamenes-ektaseis-ton-teleytaion-13-eton-sta-teli-iouliou/

Kathimerini (2023) «Κόκκινος συναγερμός» για τους καύσωνες της θάλασσας» Available in Greek at https://www.kathimerini.gr/life/environment/562539841/kokkinos-synagermos-gia-toys-kaysones-tis-thalassas/