How can Greece solve its water crisis?

Greece is currently ranked 26th for water stress in the world and its climate change predictions are bleak: around 30 percent of Greece could become desert over the next few decades. While there are solutions that could help mitigate the worst future water shortages, it is a challenge that everyone in Greece is going to have to help overcome. Building efficient desalination plants on islands such as Nisyros will likely provide residents and tourists with a refreshing glass of clean water, but everyone will need to be more mindful of what it took to get that water into the glass—the more we appreciate water, the less we will waste, and the more likely we are to secure our water future. 

But it’s not just the islands that are facing a dismal water future: mainland Greece has significant problems too. Athens is one of the cities that climate change could severely impact within 30 years and it is already experiencing some degree of water shortage. Water demand in the greater Athens region is growing at an excessive and unsustainable rate—around six percent a year. This is driven by a growing urban population and an expansion beyond apartment blocks to suburban homes with thirsty gardens. Unless Greece takes urgent measures to cut water use, in a few years supply will simply not meet demand.

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Taxonomy

• Climate Change Resilience
• Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)