Over the past decade, Greece has grappled with severe climate change impacts, including over 174,000 hectares lost to forest fires and more than 15 heatwave days in 2023 alone, according to the EFFIS Annual Statistics. Additionally, increasing droughts have exacerbated the situation. In response, Greek cities are actively pursuing energy transitions and climate action.

The recently launched ICLEI Action Fund in Greece is pivotal in this effort, financing projects aimed at wildfire prevention, sustainable energy for low-income households, and improvements in air quality and mobility. These projects will be implemented in Athens, Vari Voula Vouliagmeni, and Thessaloniki. ICLEI Members Athens and Thessaloniki's involvement in the EU Missions for Adaptation to Climate Change and Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities underscores their commitment to achieving climate goals.

During the ICLEI Action Fund launch, representatives from Athens and Thessaloniki emphasised the necessity of leveraging data and technology to address everyday challenges, alongside fostering stakeholder collaboration. Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens, remarked, "The ICLEI Action Fund projects translate policies into action, making a real difference in the lives of Athenians." Prodromos Nikiforidis, Deputy Mayor of Thessaloniki stressed the importance of technology in addressing Thessaloniki's issues: "The use of technology and AI tools is crucial for tackling severe problems like rising CO2 emissions and pollution. We hope MOBILAIR will improve the situation, and the city is committed to supporting the project and its outcomes." Eugenia Bozou, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google Greece, echoed this sentiment, highlighting cities as innovation hubs where solutions to urbanisation and climate change can be developed and tested.

In a panel discussion, the representatives of the awarded projects—DRYADS (led by the National Kapodistrian University of Athens), Athens Energy Portal (led by the National Technical University of Athens), and MOBILAIR (led by the Centre of Research and Technology - Hellas)—shared insights into their initiatives. Nancy Alonistioti from NKUA invited city representatives to adopt their public safety and incident identification tools. Eleni Kanelou from NTUA discussed engaging stakeholders through workshops, primarily targeting schools to raise awareness among children. Afroditi Stamelou from CERTH expressed a desire to learn from ICLEI’s European mobility experience and explore collaborations with Google.

Deputy Mayor of Athens, Nikos Chrysogelos, concluded by asserting that the climate crisis requires a unified strategy and cross-sector cooperation, akin to pandemic response efforts. Support from the municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki is crucial for the success and scalability of these projects.

For more information about the projects, visit the ICLEI Action Fund.