Greece is stepping up its climate finance in response to relentless natural disasters that have disrupted daily life and strained public services across the country, according to reports cited by AFP from Agence France-Presse.
In a Saturday address, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a fresh commitment of 300 million euros to bolster the nation’s response to the climate crisis. This adds to previously allocated funds, bringing Greece’s total climate-related expenditure to 600 million euros. The Prime Minister’s Office described the severity of the situation as a form of “war in peacetime”, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced resilience measures and faster emergency mobilization. As reported by AFP, the government framed this as a critical national struggle requiring sustained financial support and coordinated action across public agencies and local communities.
Authorities outlined a plan to increase funding by adjusting certain service charges for visitors, including higher accommodation fees, to supplement national resources dedicated to climate adaptation and disaster response. This approach aims to spread the fiscal responsibility more broadly among those who benefit from Greece’s climate and tourism economies, while ensuring that essential resilience projects continue to move forward in the face of ongoing weather-related challenges, cited by AFP as part of the official briefing.
Recent events have included a major forest fire near a NATO port area, highlighting the ongoing risk of large-scale blazes during hot and dry periods. In parallel, authorities noted a separate fire incident that affected roughly 40 hectares within a forested region near Istanbul, illustrating the broader regional exposure to wildfire and the necessity for cross-border cooperation on prevention, detection, and rapid response measures, as reported by AFP.
The government’s climate finance plan is expected to fund a range of initiatives, from strengthening firefighting capacity and early-warning systems to improving water management, vegetation clearance, and community preparedness programs. Officials emphasize that the increased funding will support both immediate emergency needs and long-term strategies designed to reduce vulnerabilities in coastal and rural communities alike, with AFP providing the context for the policy announcements and budgetary decisions.