1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Greece: Facing the cold with fire

February 25, 2013

Greece’s forests are being decimated by illegal logging. It’s a growing problem, exacerbated by a tax increase on heating oil that has caused sales to plunge by around 80 percent.

https://p.dw.com/p/17lci
Haze of smoke hangs over the city skape in Athens, early Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. The cloud is the result of a massive switch to wooden stoves and fireplaces for heating as many households, already hard hit by the economic crisis, can not afford to buy heating oil after the cash-strapped government decided to harmonize taxes on heating oil and diesel fuel, leading to a 40 percent rise in the price of heating oil. (Foto:Petros Giannakouris/AP/dapd)
Image: dapd

Before the economic crisis, fireplaces in Greek living rooms were a status symbol. Today, though, fireplaces and ovens have become a necessity for many households. Just about anything that can be burned is used for fuel, including wood that’s been logged illegally. In larger cities, the smoke has also caused a spike in air pollution during the winter.

***ACHTUNG SCHLECHTE BILDQUALITÄT BITTE NICHT ALS ARTIKELBILD NUTZEN***** Griechenland Holz. Bildbeschreibung: Gefällte Bäume in einem Wald in der Nähe von Athen. Zugeliefert am 22.2.2013 durch Susanne Richter. Herkunft: DW Eigendreh
Image: DW