He new mayor of Athens will plant 25,000 trees in the next five years to try to refresh the Greek capital, he told AFP. The scorching summer heat waves can make this city of concrete apartment blocks and offices almost unbearable, with temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Former energy professor Haris Doukas, elected in October, faces a daunting mix of pollution, rising temperatures and traffic jams. His answer is to plant 5,000 trees a year to create shade “cool routes” connecting Athens’ urban streets, parks and hills.
«Las high temperatures, pollution and loss of vegetation “They create conditions in which the city center is unbearable in summer,” said Doukas. Part of the total includes 3,000 trees in a new sports complex for the Panathinaikos club in the Votanikos industrial district, scheduled for completion in 2026. Last summer, Athens suffered a heat wave that consistently exceeded 40 degrees. According to the National Observatory of Athens, the month of July was the hottest ever recorded since it began recording data in 1863.
To make matters worse, almost a quarter of the trees in the mountains surrounding the capital have been lost in forest fires in the last six years, according to the mayor. Last year, the EU Court of Justice condemned Greece for failing to take action against nitrogen dioxide levels in Athens, which had “systematically” exceeded limits over the past decade.
Scientific solutions for Athens
“I am here to present scientific conclusions and fight for solutions,” said Doukas, a former professor of mechanical engineering at Athens Polytechnic, specializing in energy policy and management. Supported by the socialist PASOK party, Doukas made a splash last year by defeating the current mayor, Kostas Bakoyannis, nephew of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was expected to win a second term. In the past, Athens has played with campaigns to encourage citizens to install solar panels on their roofs or plant more vegetation on their balconies. But these are expensive options at a time when many are having to deal with rising prices and electricity bills, according to Doukas.
Instead, he wants to encourage companies based in the capital to spruce up their buildings. The city will also install solar panels on municipal buildings, like schools. “Space is limited, this is a concrete city, but there are many possibilities,” Doukas said. The municipality of Atenas has about 650,000 inhabitants, but about three million people enter and leave the city center daily.
According to the mayor, the car sharing to ease traffic congestion. And Doukas said he was also studying saturation levels of short-term tourist rentals in some neighborhoods. «We will study all this calmly, consulting the residents. “We want them on our side,” he stated. In some areas near the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited site, residents are leaving and even rental platforms are advising visitors to seek accommodation elsewhere, he said.
“Athens must not become a limitless commercial center,” Doukas said. “Excessive touristification creates a problem for tourism itself.”