Climate change in Greece and Sustainability possibilities

It's been almost 25 years since I was a kid. I still remember those summers! I was lucky enough to grow into a house by the sea. I still remember coming home from school, throwing my schoolbag away, putting on my swimming suit and going to the sea. April to October I was swimming every day. At that time we never used sunscreen protection. During summer vacations I was at the sea or playing by the seaside all day long. I just remember wearing a hat sometimes. At night we were going out with friends and I still remember my mother following me when I was leaving home, just to give me a long-sleeve T-shirt. It used to be chilly even at summer nights. In winter I remember the rain. A soft, beneficial  rain, that penetrated the soil and helped it to be fertile. Some days used to be really cold, but only some days every winter. Once or twice in my childhood I've experienced heavy rain and wind, just for a while, like a slight typhoon.

Now I'm a mother. My children go swimming either from 8:00 a.m to 10:00 am strictly or 5:30 pm to 8:00pm. After 10:30 in the morning I never allow them to play under the sun. It's not that I'm overprotecting them, it's just the way it is. Doctors are absolutely clear about it. Sun is too dangerous, during summer. Sunscreen protection and hats are in their everyday life. During winter there are days that we don't even go out, due to bad weather. Sometimes it seems like it's changed to a tropical climate. Heavy winds and rain, streams of water running down the roads, soil washed away since rain is too intense.

This July in Greece was the hottest of the last 115 years in my country. The average maximum temperature was 36.9 °C (98.42 F). Which is 4.6 degrees higher than the usual  average maximum temperature of this month. June 2012 was the hottest June since 1897.

Scientists agree that people in Greek cities will suffer the next years since the days of heat waves will be increased by at least 20 every summer. The nights that the temperature won't fall lower than 20 °C (68 F) will be furthermore increased. High temperature days are of high risk of fires, putting in danger the National Parks. Total rainfall will decrease, but extreme rainfalls are expected to increase by 10%-20%.

All the above are not predictions anymore. They are our everyday life. Is this system sustainable? One would argue that it isn't anymore. Desertification, lack of water availability, degradation of biodiversity are imminent. But what can we do about it?

Action cannot be local. In a few phrases these are what the global community has to do in order to deal the climate deterioration:

we must change the way we produce, consume and perceive energy as states

we must change the way we produce, consume and use energy as citizens

we must reduce, reuse and recycle as communities

we must think of our children – the children of the world

We must remember that if we let economy rule the world then we're out of the sustainability zone.

Christina Vlachaki