Greek scientists warn that coastal erosion will have a serious impact on tourism, the environment and economy in the near future.
The issue of coastal erosion and its consequences was discussed in a conference organized by the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) with the title “Coast Erosion: Causes-Treatment-Institutional Framework”.
Theopisti Perka, General Secretary of Real Estate, said that legislation for the implementation of coastal protection projects is multifarious and time-consuming and needs modernization and improvement. The State official announced the change of the relevant institutional framework and a preparatory committee has already been set up to revise and improve the 2971/2001 bill.
Revekka Batmanoglu, head of the Department for Climate Change and Atmosphere Quality of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, referred to the next step in drawing up Regional Plans for the country’s 13 Regions. Ms. Batmanoglou presented the basic projections of the National Plan for the Protection of Climate Change, which was established by Law 4414/2016.
The need for unified and integrated national planning with the cooperation of the scientific community, the administration, local government and other parties for a substantial and in-depth addressing of the problem of coastal erosion, was stressed by the President of TEE Giorgos Stasinos.
The TEE chairman described the erosion of the coast as “one of the most important problems faced by Greece in recent years” because it “adversely affects some of the country’s strong comparative advantages, such as tourism and its natural environment.”
Stasinos announced that the initiative taken by the Technical Chamber of Greece to address the problem of coastal erosion will continue throughout Greece. “TEE has been making a major effort in the last two years to develop a role by organizing scientific events that are close to everyday problems faced by both citizens and businesses and engineers,” he added.
During the conference its was reported that at least 28% of Greece’s coastline is eroded and the shoreline subsides every year, meaning that for every beach meter lost, more than 1 square meter of coastal zone is lost every year.
Characteristically, in Chania alone, 20 acres of beach space have been lost to erosion.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
