POLITICO illustration / Getty Images / iStock

This has been a very trying 2 months for Greece. First, the people had to deal with record temperatures. Then parts of the country were hit with record wildfires, many of which may have been caused by arsonists. Finally, large areas – particularly Thessaly – have been hit with record rainfall. Some places saw 2 feet of rain in 24 hours! The death toll in Greece stands at 11, with 7 still unaccounted for.

It was one year ago Thursday that my 3 companions and I transited the Thessalian plain – through Lamia and Thermopylae on our way to Volos and the Pelion slopes. Thank the Gods the rainfall this week didn’t happen last year at this time, or we might well have joined the residents and tourists awaiting evacuation by boat from the area! May the people of Greece survive, and thrive, after these trying times.

We crossed this bridge (above) just outside of Kala Nera on our way to Milina in South Pilios last September (refer to Piling Pelion on Ossa (Part 2)). I’m unsure why the evacuation article linked above references Crete. The photo is clearly from Kala Nera (confirmed via Google Earth). Photo credit: CNN

Make no mistake, this isn’t just bad luck. This is a confluence of factors that are the direct result of anthropogenic climate change. Our species simply must make much greater collective efforts to control our production of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. If we do not, then what we’ve seen so far will be as nothing compared to what is to come.

Three big, bold ideas to douse the flames of a world on fire.

An Update (18 January 2024): When Greece was hit by hundreds of wildfires last summer, the EU carried out its biggest ever firefighting operation. With temperatures rising and fire prevention measures remaining scarce, hopes aren’t high for this year, reports Julia Kaiser. Hot temperatures, few safeguards: wildfires could rekindle in Greece