Natural hazards and anthropic pressure
The Greek islands are subject to natural hazards: earthquakes, drought and floods. Situated on tectonic plates, they are prone to earthquakes, the epicenter of which is often located in the sea. The islands are also at risk of drought and flooding. These natural hazards are exacerbated by human activity. Land artificialisation and clearing accelerate erosion, making the region more vulnerable. Greece and its islands are attracting record numbers of visitors (over 35 million by 2024). Tourism, the main economic activity, generates a number of pressures on the islands' restricted spaces.
Desalinating sea water to provide drinking water
The islands have had to deploy systems to supply their territory with water sustainably, both for tourism and for agricultural irrigation. A floating desalination plant has been built in the Aegean Sea. This plant uses wind and solar energy to transform sea water into drinking water and also produces electricity and scientific data. The process does not require chemicals and therefore does not release toxic effluents.
Paros: the first plastic-free Mediterranean island?
Some areas have decided to take plastic pollution into their own hands by tackling the problem at source. The "Clean Blue Paros" program is an offshoot of the "Clean Blue Alliance" program, supported by local businesses, the municipality, NGOs, the University of Aegean and donors (Cyclades Preservation Fund, Global Fund for Greece). The first stage of the project involved a ban on plastic straws from summer 2020, accompanied by awareness-raising among the local population and visitors. The idea is to continue the process and eventually eliminate plastic from the island.
Towards energy independence for the islands
The Cyclades' electricity supply is the subject of a project to connect them to the mainland's power grid. Deployment is currently underway, and is scheduled for 2017-2024. Secure supplies are ensured by submarine cables linking the mainland to the islands. These enable the old diesel generators on the islands to be replaced by natural gas or wind power.
Initiatives and perspectives for sustainable tourism
Initiatives are emerging on a number of islands. Santorini has adopted measures to combat the massification of tourism and its deleterious effects on biodiversity (limiting daily landings on the island). Preserving natural environments and limiting pollution are essential to maintaining biodiversity. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is also a sine qua non for safeguarding the conditions necessary for human life. If traveling differently is necessary, it can also represent a return to greater authenticity, in keeping with the frugality that many islanders have managed to preserve over the centuries. Live with local people and eat locally. Rediscovering a different relationship with time - and with oneself - is one of the benefits of slow travel, so extolled by travel writer Jacques Lacarrière, for example, in his story L'Été grec. Finally, it's perfectly possible to travel by train, for example from Paris to Athens. There's a much larger community of cycle tourists in Europe, who head for Greece in particular (with cycle routes such as the Eurovélos: https: //fr.eurovelo.com/greece).
