President Karolos Papoulias, when faced with the nightmare of a scorched Mount Parnitha, asked: “Where are we going? What kind of world are we making? What land will we be leaving behind us?”

His words are being echoed by millions of Greeks who look on as the flames devour more of the country’s natural resources, leaving charred remains in their wake – not to mention land made available for “development.”

Everyone is to blame: not least the land-hungry, careless citizens who want to build homes on mountain peaks and who don’t care that heat waves and flooding are being dealt with by air conditioning and drains.

And then there are the authorities, the entire political spectrum, whose only concerns are their image and short-term interests, with no vision for the future, no knowledge of the environment nor any concern for their country.

We cannot prevent the forces of nature from doing their work. But at least we could look ahead, take action and stand up and be counted. So that we leave a legacy of land, not ashes.