Environment – Climate Change

The international community began its efforts to protect the environment in the 1970s. Addressing environmental challenges, which have become increasingly acute in recent years, has acquired significant international dimensions due to their complexity, interdependence, and transboundary and planetary character. The interconnected nature of global environmental challenges and crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, as well as water management, desertification, deforestation and the environmental degradation of the oceans, requires urgent and collective responses from the international community. Certain global challenges, such as climate change and water management, also have implications for international security.

Recognising that climate change is not only one of the greatest challenges of our time but also a major opportunity to build a new economic model, the EU proposed the transformation of the economy and society through the adoption of the European Green Deal (EGD) (12/2019). The EGD aims to transform the Union into a fair, inclusive and prosperous society, with a modern, competitive and resource-efficient economy, in which greenhouse gas emissions will have become climate-neutral by 2050. Greece recognises the EGD as a roadmap for action that can also play a vital role in the green transition, steering the EU’s collective efforts towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Greece has placed the issue of climate change and security among the priorities of its term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2025–26. It also actively participates in multilateral meetings within the framework of the competent international organisations, as well as in efforts to improve global environmental governance. At the same time, as a member of the EU, it cooperates at an EU level in shaping an advanced framework for environmental protection.

The country’s Environmental Performance for the decade 2009–2019 is summarised in the final Environmental Performance Review – Greece, published on 5 October 2020 by the OECD. The full text of the report is available here. More recent data can be accessed in European Environment Agency (EEA) website here.

Sustainable Development

The adoption of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by all UN Member States in September 2015, constitutes a milestone for the international community, as for the first time “universal” goals were set internationally, to be implemented jointly by all countries, both developed and developing. In this context, the 2030 Agenda constitutes the international community’s roadmap for achieving sustainable development by 2030, namely economic development that guarantees inclusive social prosperity and the protection of the environment and natural resources, for the benefit not only of present but also of future generations.

In this light, all SDGs are interconnected and therefore achieving them requires an integrated approach across all policy sectors. For Greece, the SDGs provide an important opportunity to move towards a new development model, balancing the three pillars (economic, social and environmental). Moreover, achieving the SDGs exceeds the capacities of the Government and Ministries alone, as it requires the cooperation of all stakeholders, from the private sector and local government to the academic community, civil society and NGOs, which must work together. Greece is working to adapt the SDGs to national priorities, policies and needs, to ensure the coherence of sectoral policies for Sustainable Development, and to shape a new, more ambitious National Strategy for their implementation by 2030.

Climate Change

Climate Change constitutes a global environmental and development challenge, whose impacts affect all sectors, including water resources, energy, food production and human health. To address it, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio, 1992). Subsequently, in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, introducing legally binding emission-reduction targets for developed countries only.

In 2015, in Paris, at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), the Parties to the Framework Convention adopted a new universal and legally binding global climate agreement, the “Paris Agreement”. This Agreement, the first major multilateral agreement of the 21st century, sets out a global action plan aimed at limiting the increase in the planet’s average temperature to well below 2°C, and if possible to 1.5°C, in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

Actively participating in the ongoing international negotiations on climate change and supporting the EU’s efforts to lead the fight against the phenomenon, Greece:

was among the first countries to ratify the Paris Agreement (2015),

remains committed to the Agreement’s obligations,

supports its swift implementation by all Parties,

supports the EU targets of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and by 90% by 2040, compared with 1990 levels, and achieving climate neutrality by 2050,

having achieved the targets it had set for 2020, has incorporated the EU’s ambitious targets into its national institutional and strategic framework,

has made significant progress on climate adaptation through the adoption of a National Strategy and the establishment of a National Council for Adaptation to Climate Change, as well as through the development of Regional Adaptation Plans,

highlights the nexus between climate change and security as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2025–2026).

The National Climate Law, adopted in 2022 (Law 4936/2022/17.05.2022), provides, inter alia, for a greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 55% by 2030 and by 80% by 2040, compared with 1990 levels, with the ultimate objective of climate neutrality by 2050. A key parameter of this effort is the definitive cessation of operation of lignite-fired electricity generation units by 2028.

The National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) constitutes a detailed roadmap for achieving specific Energy and Climate Targets by 2030. The NECP presents and analyses Policy Priorities and Measures across a broad range of development and economic activities for the benefit of Greek society.

It is also worth noting that, given its particular interest in protecting cultural heritage from the impacts of climate change, Greece presented in 2019 the international initiative “Addressing climate change impacts on cultural and natural heritage”, calling on the international community to take action. The initiative’s website contains extensive information on the progress achieved towards the implementation of the Greek-inspired initiative.

Biodiversity

Due to a great variety of climatic and geomorphologic conditions, Greece possesses one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Europe and the Mediterranean, with a very high degree of endemism, as well as large areas characterized by an almost unaltered natural environment. Therefore, a primary concern for the country is to halt biodiversity loss and to protect and restore sensitive habitats and high-value ecosystems.

Our country has a long-standing policy of environmental protection, with legislation dating back to 1930 on the establishment of national parks; it was one of the first countries worldwide to adopt, in 1986, a framework law for environmental protection, while principles of environmental protection are incorporated into its Constitution. The “National Biodiversity Strategy 2014–2029” and the related “Five-Year Action Plan” set three general strategic objectives: halting biodiversity loss, highlighting biodiversity as national natural capital, and intensifying Greece’s contribution to the global effort to prevent biodiversity loss.

Remaining committed to the protection, conservation and restoration of its ecosystems, Greece has 446 registered sites in the EU’s Natura 2000 network of protected areas.

At the same time, our country actively supports the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, as well as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (Kunming–Montreal Framework), including the global “30 by 30” target, namely the target to protect at least 30% of land and 30% of seas globally by 2030.

In this context, Greece is establishing two new National Marine Parks, in the Ionian Sea and in the Southern Aegean (Southern Cyclades), with the aim of strengthening the protection of marine biodiversity and conserving and restoring critical habitats. With the new Marine Parks, the national 30 by 30 target is achieved well before 2030, while also ensuring more effective protection of the Mediterranean.

Ocean Action

The protection of oceans and seas is a central priority of Greece’s environmental action, as a country with an extensive coastline, a strong maritime tradition and a particular interest in the sustainable management of the marine environment. The country supports the strengthening of international cooperation for the protection of marine biodiversity, the tackling of marine pollution, the promotion of a sustainable blue economy and the enhancement of the resilience of marine ecosystems, and has already taken decisive and targeted measures in this direction.

In this context, Greece hosted the 9th International Our Ocean Conference (OOC-9) in Athens on 16–17 April 2024, aiming to harness the benefits arising from the balance between economic development, social cohesion and environmental protection. The Conference concluded with 471 new commitments worth at least USD 11.35 billion. In this context, Greece announced 21 new ambitious commitments, worth EUR 780 million, covering the six OOC areas of action. In addition, during the Conference, Greece organised a special session dedicated to the Mediterranean. The relevant commitments span across areas such as climate change, sustainable fisheries, the blue economy, marine protected areas, maritime security and pollution. Among Greece’s priorities was to highlight other important issues, such as sustainable tourism, tackling plastic and microplastic pollution, green shipping and the green transition of the Mediterranean.

At the same time, Greece remains firmly committed to respect for International Law and to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while Maritime Security has been included among the priorities of Greece’s term as an elected member of the UN Security Council for the period 2025–26.

Furthermore, Greece has ratified the “Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction” (BBNJ Agreement), supports the call for a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, and participates in the voluntary coalition of countries “Ocean Pioneers Coalition”.

Greece is among the first states to have signed the founding treaty of the Intergovernmental Organisation “Mercator”, strengthening its participation in initiatives that connect scientific knowledge, digital technology and international ocean governance. The Organisation will provide data, analyses and forecasts for the marine environment, climate and shipping, with the “Digital Twin of the Ocean” as its central tool: a dynamic digital representation of the seas, updated in real time, which will support the analysis of critical phenomena such as climate change, marine pollution and changes in the marine environment.

In addition, Greece has ratified and implements the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Annex V of which includes a complete prohibition on the discharge of plastics into the sea from the normal operation of ships.

Greece played a leading role in the adoption (June 2025) of the European Ocean Pact, an initiative that brings together the EU’s ocean policies into a single, coherent framework for the better protection of the marine environment, the promotion of a sustainable blue economy and the support of the prosperity of coastal and island communities. The Pact aims to adopt a holistic approach, promoting cooperation among EU Member States, regions and stakeholders, including fishers, other blue-economy professionals, investors, scientists and civil society, and setting out a series of important actions for the coming years.

Mediterranean – Barcelona Convention

The Barcelona Convention “for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean” was adopted in 1976 by the Mediterranean countries and the then EEC, with the aim of coordinating their actions and taking all appropriate measures to prevent, abate and eliminate pollution of the Mediterranean and to improve its marine and coastal environment. The Coordinating Unit – Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention (UNEP-MAP) has been hosted in Athens since 1981. In 1995, the Member States adopted the amended Barcelona Convention under a new title: “Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean”.

Greece attaches particular importance to the protection of the Mediterranean, contributing to addressing the multidimensional regional challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-based and marine pollution. As a founding member of the Barcelona Convention/Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP-MAP) for the protection of the Mediterranean, it actively participates in efforts to protect and sustainably develop the Mediterranean, actively promoting regional cooperation. It also supports dialogue among Mediterranean countries to address common challenges, including climate change.

In addition, Greece, together with other countries and UNEP-MAP, participates in the French initiative PAMEx – Plan of Action for a Model Mediterranean Sea, which aims to protect the Mediterranean and to achieve sustainable development in the region by 2030. During the period 2024–2025, it held the Presidency of the Initiative.

Circular Economy

In the context of sustainable development, the circular economy is a priority for Greece. The transition to a low-carbon economy with optimised use of resources through the circular economy is of primary importance in order to ensure the protection of the environment and public health, strengthen green growth with a view to social welfare, and create new jobs.

The circular economy has been incorporated into the national development strategy and, in this context, Greece aims to significantly reduce, within the coming years, plastic waste ending up in the marine environment, microplastics and single-use plastics.

EU Green Diplomacy Network

At the European Council convened in Thessaloniki in 2003, it was agreed to promote the integration of the environment into the EU’s external relations through the creation of an informal network of competent officials from the Foreign Ministries of the Member States, the “Green Diplomacy Network”. The Network’s first meeting took place during the Greek Presidency on 25.06.2003 in Athens, and since 2012 it has operated within the framework of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The Green Diplomacy Network promotes coordinated action by the extensive diplomatic representation of the EU and its Member States to achieve their international objectives on the environment and, above all, on climate change. It also facilitates the exchange of information, views and best practices on environmental issues and climate diplomacy among the Foreign Ministries of the Member States and the EEAS, as well as dialogue on integrating these issues into European foreign policy.

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