Tentative tree planting 'decades overdue' in sweltering Athens

Title Athens' Tentative Tree Planting A Decade Overdue in the Sweltering Heat

The city of Athens, Greece has been struggling to cope with scorching temperatures and crippling heatwaves. Despite this, it's astonishing to learn that the urban sprawl has neglected its green spaces for decades. In a small hilltop park in one of Athens' most densely inhabited districts, thousands of fresh saplings are being planted as part of an initiative by Mayor Haris Doukas to tackle the city's heat problem.

This micro-forest is a fledgling effort to combat the urban heat island effect, which scientists emphasize is crucial for cities like Athens. The knee-high plants in Alepotrypa park will require around a decade to mature, but critics argue that it's too little, too late.

As an architect and urban planner, Katerina Christoforaki lamented that Athens missed its chance to strengthen its defenses against heat during the 2004 Olympic Games. She pointed out that most of the attention fell on stadium construction and transport, not greenery. This oversight has left the city vulnerable to the urban heat island effect.

Athens' Deputy Mayor for Climate, Nikos Chrysogelos, agrees that the city lost an opportunity to take action earlier. He stressed that the city's deforestation, lack of sea breeze due to high-rise buildings, and haphazard urban development have made it a boiling kettle.

One resident who has experienced the harsh effects of Athens' heatwaves is Ivvona Kujda, a housekeeper from Poland. She shared her harrowing experience during recent heatwaves, emphasizing that the city needs drastic solutions, including the creation of extensive green corridors.

Mayor Doukas' plan to plant 25,000 trees by 2028 aims to bring down perceived temperatures by three to five degrees in summer. New sensors will provide real-time temperature data neighborhood-by-neighborhood on the hottest days to better plan an emergency response if needed.

As Athens strives to become carbon neutral by 2030, it will require significant investment from EU and national funds, as well as private investment. In the meantime, residents are taking matters into their own hands. For example, housekeeper Kujda works only in the morning and late afternoon, returning to her air-conditioned home during the hottest hours of the day. She believes that the climate is changing and it will get worse every year.

In conclusion, Athens' tentative tree planting efforts mark a long-overdue step towards mitigating the urban heat island effect. However, the city's failure to act earlier means that more drastic measures are needed to combat the growing threat of climate change.

Keywords Urban heat island effect, green spaces, tree planting, climate change, Athens, Greece, heatwave

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.