Alexis Tsipras, in a social media post responding to the latest developments on the wildfire front, describes the situation as “a human, environmental, and national tragedy unfolding.” He notes that these are moments for “reflection and deliberation” — not the time for “assigning blame” or “making excuses.”
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What we can and must do to stop living through this tragedy every year
The former prime minister writes that “wherever we turn these days, Greece wounds us. The fires are destroying forests, human lives, homes, and infrastructure,” adding that “we must not accept that this tragedy is simply the dramatic consequence of the climate crisis, natural phenomena, and the hardships they bring.”
At the same time, he stresses that the urgent question remains: “What can we and must we do — what needs to change — so that we are not living through the same tragedy again every single year?”
Alexis Tsipras’ full post
“Wherever we turn these days, Greece wounds us.
The fires are destroying forests, human lives, homes, and infrastructure.
A human, environmental, and national tragedy is unfolding.
And we must not accept that this tragedy is simply the dramatic consequence of the climate crisis, natural phenomena, and the hardships they bring.
It is, rather, a dramatic question.
What can we and must we do — what must change — so that we are not living through the same tragedy again every single year.
For now, however, this is not the time to assign blame, nor is it the time for excuses.
It is a time for reflection and deliberation from all of us.
It is a time when the grief for those who gave their lives in the battle against the flames becomes our grief too.
A time to stand beside the families of the four Greeks and the Danish pilot who fell in this desperate fight.
And to stand beside the firefighters and the citizens who continue the battle on behalf of all of us.”
