Greece Needs Plan to Address Climate Change Impact on Tourism

diaNEOsis Editorial Director Thodoris Georgakopoulos and EKPA Professor Konstantinos Kartalis

Greece needs a 30-year adjustment plan to address climate change before it negatively impacts tourism and agriculture, said Athens University Professor Konstantinos Kartalis during the 1st Kathimerini Summit – ESG held in Athens this week.

“We need an adaptation plan for each region over a 30-year period. To create infrastructure that will keep water on the surface, enrich water levels but also to restructure agricultural cultivation,” he said presenting a study carried out by research and policy institute diaNEOsis. 

Kartalis, one of an eight-member research team conducting the study, presented the findings of the study, which examines the impact of climate change on crucial sectors of the Greek economy for the 2046-2065 period. Overall, Kartalis said, the effects will be negative.

The study reveals that Greece’s tourism product will be affected. The high temperatures will “makes life more difficult”, he said, adding that it is not certain if this will prolong the tourist season. “We will have more need for cooling, more need for energy”.

He went on to add that high energy demands will strain small islands which are not connected to a stable power supply system. 

Climate change will also impact agricultural production, cultural heritage monuments, and life in urban centers. Rising temperatures will require new infrastructure.

“The Mediterranean is a climate change hot spot, meaning that climatic conditions are deteriorating faster than in other parts of the world,” he said, adding that the fast pace of change was due to lack of planning and prevention.