Climate change and society

Climate change poses a growing threat to human health in a variety of record-breaking ways, a major report said on Wednesday, the experts warning that "wasted time has been paid in lives."

The new report was released as heatwaves, fires, hurricanes, droughts and floods have lashed the world during what is expected to surpass 2023 to become the hottest year on record.

For World Health Day 2024 and its 76th anniversary, the World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen the theme “My Health, My Right,” addressing key global issues such as diseases, wars, and climate change. These challenges, including air pollution and natural disasters, are some of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, contributing to today’s global health crisis.

This summer officially marked the hottest summer in Türkiye since 1970, with approximately 76 million people experiencing at least 30 days of exceptionally high temperatures brought on by climate change, according to the Climate Shift Index (CSI) conducted by the scientists from the international research organization Climate Central.

Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis emphasized at the opening of a climate change symposium that the climate crisis underscores the need for collective action toward a sustainable planet, involving everyone, including the Patriarchate and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures ever recorded, beating last year's record and making this year likely Earth's hottest ever, the EU's climate monitor said Friday.

The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service followed a season of heatwaves around the world that scientists said were intensified by human-driven climate change.

According to a survey conducted by the General Confederation of Consumers of Greece and released on Tuesday, Greeks have significantly changed their consumption habits due to rising prices, especially for food and utilities.

Of those surveyed, 68.9% said they were very affected by price increases over the past year, while 25.4% said they were somewhat affected.

The average air temperature in the greater urban area of Athens could increase by more than 3.5 degrees Celsius between 2041 and 2070 compared to 1971-2000, due to the combined effects of climate change and the urban heat island phenomenon.

More than 3.5 degrees Celsius is estimated that the average air temperature in the greater Athens urban area may increase in the period 2041-2070 compared to the period 1971-2000, as a combination of the effects of climate change, based on the new scenarios, in particular the worst-case scenario of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres today called on governments to take specific actions to save lives, stating that humanity is a victim of an “epidemic of extreme heat,” which it has caused itself. This “invisible killer” is responsible for nearly 489,000 deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, compared to 16,000 deaths annually from cyclones.

The now evident impact of climate change on agriculture in Greece and the need for ways to adapt were discussed at a forum organized on Friday and Saturday in Lasithi by the University of Crete and the National Network on Climate Change (CLIMPACT), with the support of the Athens Academy.