After experiencing the most severe heatwave in decades, Mediterranean countries like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, and Spain have been in the midst of a wave of destructive and deadly wildfires that have displaced thousands of residents and scorched the landscape. Scientists say there’s little doubt that the scope, severity, and regularity of these wildfires are linked to man-made climate change, and the Mediterranean region itself has been designated a “climate change hotspot.” TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez talks with Theodota Nantsou in Athens about the toll the fires have taken on Greece, the national and international efforts to contain them, and the bleak future that awaits if we don’t dramatically address the root causes of climate change.
Since 2005, Nantsou has been the head of the Environmental Policy Department at the World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) office in Greece; she is also the chair of the Strategy Advisory Group at the WWF European Policy Office. Together with her team, Nantsou monitors and develops proposals for the improvement of Greece’s policies on climate change, biodiversity conservation, green economy, and good governance.
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