Latest news with #MinistryofEnvironmentandEnergy
Newsweek
03-07-2025
- Newsweek
Greece Wildfires: More Than 5,000 Evacuated From Tourist Hotspot
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Thousands of tourists and residents have been evacuated in Athens and on the Greek island of Crete as fires burn across the country. Similar evacuations are taking place in neighboring Turkey, where at least two people have died in the fires. Newsweek has reached out to Greece's Ministry of Environment and Energy, Turkey's Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, and Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management team for comment via email on Thursday. The Context Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean during summer months, but their frequency and intensity are increasing, largely as a result of climate change. The wildfire comes amid a scorching heatwave across Europe, which has left multiple people dead and hundreds hospitalized. Tourism and the hospitality industry play a crucial role in the economies of Greece and Turkey, providing jobs for millions. Crete is one of the country's most popular vacation destinations. Firefighters battle with a blaze in Ierapetra at the southern Greek island of Crete on July 3, 2025. A forest fire fanned by gale-force winds on the island led to the evacuation of locals and... Firefighters battle with a blaze in Ierapetra at the southern Greek island of Crete on July 3, 2025. A forest fire fanned by gale-force winds on the island led to the evacuation of locals and tourists, officials said on July 3, 2025. More COSTAS METAXAKIS/AFP via Getty Images What to Know About the Wildfires in Greece Hot and dry conditions have helped feed the wildfires in Greece, with blazes on Crete and other smaller fires not far outside Athens, including Rafina, a port east of Athens. More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents have been evacuated from the Ierapetra area on the southern coast of Crete, the Associated Press reported. Rugged terrain, arid conditions and strong winds have intensified the fire and helped it spread. The fire started Wednesday afternoon right outside Ierapetra, spreading extensively on Thursday, with more than 200 firefighters fighting the flames, along with 46 vehicles, 10 helicopters and several drones, the fire department's spokesperson, Chief Vasilios Vathrakoyannis, said in a statement Thursday. Tourists took buses across the island to hotels away from the flames, while officials in Ierapetra opened an indoor training center as a temporary shelter for others. A firefighting plane drops water as a wildfire burns in Rafina, east of Athens, Greece, on July 3, 2025. A firefighting plane drops water as a wildfire burns in Rafina, east of Athens, Greece, on July 3, 2025. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris What to Know About the Wildfires in Turkey There is a fire not far from the popular vacation seaside destination of Izmir, and another in Cesme. They took the lives of two people, an 81-year-old and a person battling the flames. Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that forest worker İbrahim Demir was killed. Local reports and lawmakers said an elderly, bedridden man also died. A fire rages across a forest area in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, on July 3, 2025. A fire rages across a forest area in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, on July 3, 2025. Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP Roads between Izmir and Cesme were temporarily closed, reopening on Thursday evening. Videos of fire crews working day and night to contain the blazes have been shared by the Yumakli on social media. In a press conference on July 3, he said: "In the last week, we have brought 621 out of 624 fires under control. Today, we fought 9 major fires and brought 6 of them under control." Other fires have broken out near Antalya and Istanbul but were quickly contained. What People Are Saying Ibrahim Yumakli, Turkey's minister of agriculture and forestry, on X on Thursday: "Our forest worker İbrahim Demir was martyred while fighting to protect our green homeland in the fire in Ödemiş, İ the forest community and our nation find solace." A Greek fire brigade spokesperson, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, on Thursday: "There are wind gusts in the area, some measuring nine on the Beaufort scale, triggering rekindling and hindering firefighting efforts." Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press: "It's a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain tourists who were moved out are all okay. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island."
Egypt Today
18-02-2025
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt, Greece Partner for Carbon Capture and Storage at EGYPS 2025
CAIRO - 18 February 2025: At the Egypt International Energy Conference (EGYPS 2025), Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Greece's Ministry of Environment and Energy to advance collaboration on carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS). This partnership is aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the energy sector and promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy. The MoU was signed by Karim Badawi, Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and Theodoros Skylakakis, Greece's Minister of Environment and Energy. The agreement seeks to facilitate knowledge exchange between the two countries on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, focusing on developing regulatory frameworks to govern the implementation of CCS. These frameworks will ensure that projects comply with environmental standards and legislation. Additionally, the collaboration will enable Egypt to benefit from Greece's expertise in structuring its own regulatory framework for CCS. The agreement also includes economic modeling for carbon capture applications, feasibility studies, and exploration of potential uses for CO₂ in industrial applications that support the transition to a sustainable economy. During the signing, the ministers discussed the next steps for cooperation on CO₂ storage, with Karim Badawi emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach in partnership with Egypt's Ministry of Environment. Badawi noted that this collaboration will create new opportunities for regional cooperation, helping to accelerate efforts to address climate change and transition to cleaner energy solutions.
