PASOK lawmakers: 'Climate crisis is not a government alibi' for wildfires

PASOK lawmakers have launched a strong criticism against the Greek government's management of wildfires and the effectiveness of its Civil Protection mechanism. They argue that while climate change is a reality, it cannot serve as a perpetual excuse for the shortcomings of the state apparatus.

"The Prime Minister repeated that 'climate change does not start fires.' Correct. Climate crisis does not light the match. But it makes the environment more flammable, conditions more extreme, and the state's responsibility even greater," stated the lawmakers. They emphasized that as conditions become more challenging, the assessment of prevention, readiness, operational response, and restoration must become more stringent.

The party's representatives highlighted that the Prime Minister, as the head of government, bears political responsibility for the state's functioning. This includes the organization of the state, the preparation of the Civil Protection mechanism, the utilization of European resources, inter-ministerial coordination, the readiness of operational structures, and the evaluation of outcomes.

Challenging the government's claim of unprecedented operational load, PASOK cited data processed from the Hellenic Fire Service's open data for 2019-2022. This data indicates that by the same point in the fire season, 2,601 rural and forest fires were recorded in 2019, 3,431 in 2020, 3,468 in 2021, and 3,064 in 2022. Therefore, the approximately 2,700 fires recorded by August 13 of the current year, while high, are not the highest number in the recent period and are lower than the corresponding figures for 2020, 2021, and 2022. The lawmakers also questioned the argument of over 500 fires since August 1, urging for a multi-year, independent, and scientifically documented accounting of burned areas, human losses, prevention efforts, and the mechanism's operational capabilities.

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The Prime Minister repeated that “the climate change does not start fires.” Correct. The climate crisis does not light the match. But it makes the environment more flammable, conditions more extreme, and the state's responsibility even greater.