Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day, bans outdoor work at heat soars
Last week, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left eight dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region.
In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38°C, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, from 10am to 2pm.
Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut.
'It's extremely hot. We had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We've been drinking lots of water,' said John Howell, 58, a Scottish tourist.
With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon.
Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5pm to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said.
The heatwave conditions will continue until Wednesday, the Greek meteorological service said, and authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale force winds were expected.
Worldwide, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era for the first time.
Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, including a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists.
Reuters
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The Herald
09-07-2025
- The Herald
Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day, bans outdoor work at heat soars
Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours in the afternoon on Tuesday as the Mediterranean country baked in its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41°C. Last week, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left eight dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38°C, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, from 10am to 2pm. Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut. 'It's extremely hot. We had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We've been drinking lots of water,' said John Howell, 58, a Scottish tourist. With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon. Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5pm to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said. The heatwave conditions will continue until Wednesday, the Greek meteorological service said, and authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale force winds were expected. Worldwide, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, including a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists. Reuters
TimesLIVE
09-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Greece shuts Acropolis for part of day, bans outdoor work at heat soars
Greece shut the Acropolis for several hours in the afternoon on Tuesday as the Mediterranean country baked in its second major heatwave of the season, with temperatures set to soar as high as 41°C. Last week, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in a severe heatwave that left eight dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. In Athens, temperatures were expected to reach 38°C, forcing authorities to close the Acropolis, its most visited ancient site on a rocky hill offering barely any shade, from 10am to 2pm. Defying the heat, some tourists visited the monument before it shut. 'It's extremely hot. We had to take extra measures. We have little fans for the children. I have the hat, the glasses. We've been drinking lots of water,' said John Howell, 58, a Scottish tourist. With hot air and humidity worsening conditions, authorities ordered some businesses in Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, and other areas on the mainland and southern Peloponnese peninsula to limit outdoor work for employees in the afternoon. Builders, food delivery riders, couriers and shipyards workers are among those having to pause work from midday until 5pm to avoid heat stress, the labour ministry said. The heatwave conditions will continue until Wednesday, the Greek meteorological service said, and authorities in the wider Athens and other areas will be on alert for wildfires as gale force winds were expected. Worldwide, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Greece, which sits on Europe's southernmost edge, also had its warmest winter and summer last year on record, including a 16-day heatwave in July, the longest ever, according to scientists.
TimesLIVE
27-05-2025
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Divers cleaning up seabed off Greece's Alonissos island raise alarm over marine pollution
Off the Greek island of Alonissos in the eastern Aegean Sea, volunteer divers grab decaying plastic bottles, a tyre and a rusted anchor chain from the seabed and place them in a trash bag as part of an EU-funded cleanup to protect marine life. The items recovered at Alonissos, a favourite tourist spot for its green-blue waters and Europe's largest protected marine park, represent a tiny part of the tens of thousands of tons of waste that litter the Mediterranean Sea every year. The park, set up off Alonissos in the early 1990s, is home to one of the world's last remaining colonies of the Monk seal, and a refuge for more than 300 fish species, dolphins and sea turtles. Its existence has made locals and tourists increasingly aware of the risks of marine pollution, said Theodora Francis, 31, a diver who joined the two-day initiative. "We visited about five areas to check whether we would find rubbish," Francis said. "In most areas we didn't but in some we did." She said the main port of Votsi, where most tourism and fishing occurs, was the site of most litter. To protect its coastal biodiversity, Greece has promised to create another two marine parks in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea in the west, part of 21 initiatives worth €780m (R15.8bn). It has legislated the expansion of marine protected areas to 30% of its territorial waters by 2030, and has submitted plans to the EU setting out how it will organise fishing, tourism and offshore energy. "People all over the globe should know we have the strength to change everything. We believe in the individual responsibility of people, we invest in this," said George Sarelakos, 46, president of the Greece-based agency which organised the cleanup, Aegean Rebreath. For Francis, Alonissos can be a model for the protection of the seas. "If every island had the same interest in taking care of their environment, we would have the Alonissos situation in many more islands."
