An honor and an obligation
The alarm bell rung in the capital yesterday by eminent scientists, which took the form of the Athens Declaration, should mobilize people and, above all, political leaders around the world. And we do not just mean the globe’s big polluters such as the United States and China but also the governments of smaller countries like Greece. Ironically, the 13 distinguished scientists signed the declaration in a country that does not have an independent ministry of environment. At the same time, Greece has repeatedly violated the Kyoto Protocol on global warming emissions. The fact that the declaration was signed in Athens is an honor for the country. However, a number of chronic problems and failures cast a long shadow over this honor. Most important is the lack of a cohesive environmental policy on the part of the country’s various administrations. The people expect the government to take swift remedial action.
