Sustainability must be a central goal of governments

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Ordinary Greeks demand sustainability despite economic crisis

By Argyri Maglari

As the mid-day sun hits the thirsty tomato and aubergine plants in his farm, Dimitrios Koufakis regrets that the generous sunshine in his native Vasilika, a small village in Thessaloniki in northern Greece, cannot be put to better use.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA“I can’t believe that during this economic crisis the government is putting taxes on solar panels,” says Koufakis who claims that many farmers are on the brink of bankruptcy. Farming machines used for sowing and for separating seeds use vast amounts of electric power. The cost to farmers is very high, especially now that the economic crisis has made electricity prices soar.

“They can’t afford it. We have good quality seeds and we believe in organic farming. But we need incentives from the government, like no more taxes,” adds Koufakis who insists that he is not only talking about taxes on their fields or their income. He, along with many other farmers in Vasilika, have set up an association calling for sustainability policies which they claim are needed to ensure their survival.

“We believe in sustainability but we are cautious because of the politicians and their previous promises,” says Koufakis.

“Participatory democracy could be a tool for the economy,” says Alexandros Xirafis, an agriculturist who believes that it’s up to citizens to demand policies that support sustainability.

“We can participate, for example, as external speakers in our city councils. We can ask for special permits for local farmers who do not use pesticides or chemicals so they can sell their products in a specific area,” says Xirafis. “They could pay a small rent, so there will be multiple benefits.”

“For me sustainability is about sustainable fishing because that’s what I do for living,” says Vergos Komatanos a fisherman in Chalkidiki, a fishing village in central Macedonia. “Unfortunately people and past policies have destroyed our seas.” He laments that nowadays there are some sea areas in northern Greece where there is no fish.

“Let’s hope that the new fisheries policy will increase fish stocks and give a future to our trade and our livelihoods,” he says. A common fisheries policy for European Union member states went into effect early in 2013.

Only a very small percentage of young people choose to become fishermen in Greece. The trade is seen as having no future despite the abundance of seawater in the Mediterranean country.

“We now have to take care of the sea like we take care of our houses,” advises Komatanos. “That way many jobs will be created and more people will eat fish of good quality and not those frozen or imported from unknown markets.”

Takis Grigoriou, architect“Unfortunately the economic crisis does not allow us to look at what we do wrong concerning sustainability,” says Takis Grigoriou, an architect in Athens. “Investments in sustainability could help the economy and could create jobs. They could even fight pollution,” adds Grigoriou who is a member of Greenpeace and claims that policies that give incentives to environmental architecture could help tackle energy poverty.

According to the independent Germanwatch Network and the CAN–Europe2 Network, Greece ranks 48 (out of a total of 61) on sustainability policies. Greece holds the second to last place among European countries on the sustainability of its policies on energy, investments and fossil fuels. Many believe that this could be worsening the country’s economic recovery prospects.

“The government ignores energy saving policies and continues to promote fossil fuels. What is the result? The worst ranking that our country has ever had and, most importantly, the fact that our economic and production model is not sustainable”, says Michalis Prodromou, a scientist specializing in climate change.

“We have to educate children about sustainability, the pros and the benefits,” says Gianna Katsora, an ancient and modern Greek teacher at a high school in Epanomi, a suburb of Thessaloniki. “At our school we have done some things, like seminars and visits to projects, but it’s not enough,” she adds. Katsora would like to do more but existing policies and bureaucracy get in her way. “Our students would love to create a small garden in the schoolyard but the paperwork for this kind of project is enormous.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAChristos Doulkerides, a Belgian of Greek ancestry who is now minister for environment in Brussels says that governments need to make tough decisions and opt for sustainability. “Cutting money is not the only route. We need innovative ideas to make our nations more sustainable”.

 

 

 

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