ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece is pushing ahead with 21 initiatives worth 780 million euros ($830.9 million) to protect marine biodiversity and tackle coastal pollution, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday ahead of an international conference.
Greece, which includes thousands of islands and which has the longest Mediterranean coastline of any littoral state, said last week it plans to create two marine parks, one in the Ionian Sea and one in the Aegean Sea, as part of the initiatives.
“Quietly but methodically, Greece is playing a leading role in the defence against dramatic climate changes, which are proven to affect every region and every activity,” Mitsotakis said in an article published in Kathimerini newspaper.
Greece plans to present its national strategy on marine biodiversity protection at the “Our Ocean” conference, which Athens will host this year and which will be attended by dozens of countries.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month that ocean temperatures hit a record high in February, in a dataset that goes back to 1979. Overfishing and plastic pollution are also major threats to oceans.
Plastics entering the world’s oceans could nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken, research has shown.
The Greek marine parks, whose boundaries will be defined after scientific research by early 2025, will cover 32% of Greece’s waters, Mitsotakis said.
The plan for a marine park in the Aegean Sea has irritated neighbouring Turkey, which said last week that it was not willing to accept a possible “fait accompli on geographical features whose status is disputed”. In response, Greece accused Turkey of “politicising a purely environmental issue”.
NATO allies Greece and Turkey have long been at odds over a range of issues including maritime boundaries and claims over their continental shelves in the Mediterranean.
Mitsotakis said other initiatives underway include campaigns to curb plastic pollution, setting up a monitoring system for protected marine areas because fishing practices that damage the seabed will be prohibited, and constructing charging stations at 12 ports for electric vessels.
Protecting the sea, he said, is one of the four pillars of Greece’s strategy against climate change.
($1 = 0.9387 euros)
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Jesse Pitts has been with the Global Banking & Finance Review since 2016, serving in various capacities, including Graphic Designer, Content Publisher, and Editorial Assistant. As the sole graphic designer for the company, Jesse plays a crucial role in shaping the visual identity of Global Banking & Finance Review. Additionally, Jesse manages the publishing of content across multiple platforms, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune.