Acid rain

Acid rain

Acid rain

Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...

 is a widespread problem throughout Greece, which affects not only agricultural aspects of the environment, as well as affecting the health of Greece's lakes, but also man-made buildings too. Acid rain has had a detrimental effect upon the Parthenon

Parthenon

The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...

 and other Ancient Monuments in Athens though a partial reconstruction process has been underway for some time now.

Deforestation

In the summer of 2008 Greece suffered heavily from arson induced forest fires which stripped the country of a significant proportion of its forest

Current policies

Greece is a signatory member of the Kyoto Protocol

Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...

 but there has been much sharp criticism from the failure to meet their intended targets for cutting carbon emissions, many have claimed that policies have not been tough enough and the protocol has not been implemented in full owing to large business interests, though the Government denies this. The Government has also attracted sharp criticism about its waste management plans, as has the Mayor of Athens, though there are plans for new plants to be built to deal with the surplus of waste the city has. However, spatial planning is being promoted for the protection of resources from exhaustion, destruction and pollution and is part of a wider Government plan addressing Environmental issues. The Athens Metro

Athens Metro

The Athens Metro is an underground rapid transit system serving Athens, the capital city of Greece. It was constructed and owned by Attiko Metro S.A. and operated until 2011 by Attiko Metro Etaireia Leitourgias S.A....

 has also relieved some pressure in terms of car pollution in Athens and the planned Thessaloniki Metro

Thessaloniki Metro

The Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway , or Thessaloniki Metro , is an underground rapid transit system under construction in Thessaloniki, Greece.-The project:...

will undoubtedly help the situation there too. The municipality of Athens has also announced a plan to deal with pollution in the city, though the exact details are as yet known.

Further reading