Greece - Forest Fires

There can not be anyone that was not disturbed by the forest fires that rampaged for three days around Athens. Fanned by strong winds the fires have destroyed around 150 square miles of Forest and Greenery. People have lost their homes, but at least I have not heard of any loss of life.

But the disturbing rumour is that these fires were started deliberately. By developers who want to build on the land. Unfortunately this is believable as the fires had several seats, starting points, and had it not been for the high winds the fires would have been more isolated. Additionally two years ago the same thing happened and building was allowed to happen on the land that was previously burnt. The Irony is that some of those started developments have now been destroyed in the recent fires. Perhaps this is poetic justice.

However, while there are many possible reasons for the fires starting naturally, lightening strikes being the most likely, if the fires were not the result of arson. With the climate changing and weather patterns altering, forest fires will become more frequent and more devastating.

However, there is a factor that many people are overlooking with events like this; the loss of vegetative cover combined with lack of rain fall means that the process of desertification will speed up.

This then combined with the erosion of the top soils and we are loosing the fertile land that is needed for growing food. All this just as the world is beginning to realise that we are facing a food crisis in the coming years.

With the effect of Climate Change reducing yields combined with loss of fertile land and a growing population, seven million per day, and the lack of political will to tackle Greenhouse Gas pollution looks criminal.