Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the 28th UN Climate Change Conference, held in Dubai and highlights Greece’s best practices towards a brave and ‘adapted’ new world.
“The evidence of the climate crisis has never been clearer. Equally, the benefits of a faster transition to a net-zero economy have never been more obvious. In just a few weeks, we experienced forest fires that burned over 1% of our landmass and rains that brought more water in a single day than most places receive in a year, causing unprecedented floods. And yet alongside this climate devastation, a new Greece is emerging.
We have cut our coal use by over 80%. We are growing our economy at a much faster pace than the eurozone average while reducing emissions. In total, our emissions are down by 43% from 2005 as we turn increasingly to renewable energy. This is one of the best performances of any European country. Last year, our penetration of wind and solar was the seventh highest in the world, and our installed capacity was the fifth highest on a per capita basis. The wind and sun now generate over half of our electricity and we are building a carbon capture and storage value chain for our heavy industry.
Furthermore, our islands are laboratories of cutting-edge sustainability practices, and, as a world leader in maritime transportation, we take very seriously the responsibility of decarbonizing shipping, while at the same time preserving our competitiveness. Lastly, we have a responsibility to our shared cultural heritage to protect endangered monuments from the wrath of climate change. In doing so, we will soon discover how ancient wisdom can once again teach us how to build growth and how to thrive in harmony with nature.