HELLENIC REPUBLIC MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE 5th NATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE JANUARY 2010 th 5 NATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO THE UNFCCC 1 CHAPTER 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 National Circumstances 1.1.1 Government structure The Constitution of 1975, as revised in 1986, 2001 and in 2008, defines the political system of Greece as a Parliamentary Democracy with the President being the head of state. At the top administrative level is the national government, with ministers appointed by the prime minister. The ministries mainly prepare and implement national laws. The Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change -MEECC (former Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works -MEPPPW) is the main governmental body concerned with the development and implementation of environmental policy in Greece, while other Ministries are responsible for integrating environmental policy targets within their respective fields. The Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (MEECC) is the competent authority for Climate Change, and the Council of Ministers is responsible for the final approval of policies and measures related to Climate Change. 1.1.2 Population In 2007, the total population of Greece (as estimated in the middle of the year) was approximately 11.19 million inhabitants, according to the data provided by the National Statistical Service of Greece. According to the Census of March 2001, the total population of the country was approximately 10.95 million. The total population increased by 9.1% compared to the 1991 Census results, with 34% of total population living in the greater Athens area. The average size of households is continuously decreased (2.80 persons per household according to the Census of 2001) while population density is 85.2 inhabitants/km2. 1.1.3 Geographic and climate profile Greece has a total area of 131,957 km2 and occupies the southernmost extension of the Balkan Peninsula. The mainland accounts for 80% of the land area, with the remaining 20% divided among nearly 3,000 islands. The Greek landscape, with its extensive coastline, exceeding 15,000 km in length, is closely linked with the sea, since only a small region in the northwest is further than 80 km from the sea. Approximately 25% of it is lowland, particularly the coastal plains along the seashore of the country. Forest land, divided into Forests (high and coppice forests) and Other Wooded Lands (branchy dwarf trees and scrubs), covers 49.4% of the total area of the country. Grassland, rangeland and pasture with vegetation that falls below the threshold of forest definition, covers 13% of the total area of the country. Agricultural land, including fallow land, account for 29.2% of the total area. Settlements, developed land including transportation infrastructure and human settlements of any size, account for 4.0% of the total area. Finally, wetlands, land that is covered or saturated by water for all or the greatest part of the year, and other land, areas that do not fall into any of other land-use categories (e.g. rocky areas, bare soil, mine and quarry land), account for 2.3 % and 2.0 %, respectively. Greece has a Mediterranean climate, with mild and wet winters in the southern lowland and island regions and cold winters with strong snowfalls in the mountainous areas in the central and northern regions and hot, dry summers. The mean temperature during summer (April to September) is approximately 24°C in Athens and southern Greece, while lower in the north. Generally, temperatures are higher in the southern part of the country. Except for a few th 5 NATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO THE UNFCCC 2 thunderstorms, rainfall is rare from June to August, where sunny and dry days are mainly observed. The dry, hot weather is often relieved by a system of seasonal breezes. The mean annual temperature for the period 2001 – 2004, as measured at selected meteorological stations of the country, is higher in most of the stations compared to the mean annual temperature of the period 1991 – 2000 while the mean annual temperature for the period 1991 – 2000 is higher compared to these of the period 1961 – 1990. 1.1.4 Economic profile In January 1st, 2001, Greece became the 12th member of the Economic and Monetary Union in EU. Over the last decade, Greek growth performance was impressive. The annual rate of increase of the GDP during the period 2000-2004 was approximately 4.5%. Explanations for this development include, among others, the financial market liberalization coupled with membership in the monetary union, which led to substantial increase in credit expansion and reduction in borrowing costs, the stimulus given by the Olympic Games hosted in Athens in 2004 and the Community Structural Funds. Contrary to expectations of a post-Olympics slump, the economy continued to grow briskly in 2005-2007 period. GDP growth increased by an average growth rate of 3.7% and thus Greece enjoyed one of the highest growth rates in the EU and the Eurozone. The repercussions from the international financial crisis are unavoidable felt also in Greece. GDP growth remained strong during the first three quarters of 2008, but on declining path, and is estimated at 2% for the whole year. 1.1.5 Transportation Economic development and improved living standards have a significant effect on the ownership of passenger cars. The number of passenger cars in 2007 was almost 20 times higher compared to the number of passenger cars in 1970, while similar trends are also observed for the number of trucks, buses and motorcycles. In 1990, the number of passenger cars was 1.7 million cars (1 car for every 6 inhabitants), while in 2007 this figure reached 4.8 million cars. Since 1995 the number of advanced technology catalytic passenger cars is constantly increasing, while the number of medium and large size passenger cars almost doubled from 1990 to 2007. In 2007, of the vehicles that were operated for the first time, 88% were new and the rest 12% were used. Passenger cars represented 64.6% of total motor vehicles in operation, motorcycles 17.6%, trucks 17.0%, taxies 0.5% and buses 0.4%. The Greek maritime fleet is one of the largest in the world, and in 2007, according to the data of the competent Ministry,, it comprised of 2049 vessels (1455 fly the Greek flag) of a total dead-weight tonnage of approximately 98.2 GRT, that represent the 18% of world shipping capacity. In 2007, sea transport of passengers increased by approximately 2.6%, compared to 2000, while sea transport of goods increased by 33.5%. Railways cover a small part of transportation activity in Greece. On the contrary, air traffic presents an average annual increase of 3.1% for the period 1997 – 2007 while the number of passengers increased by approximately 3.9% in the same period. 1.1.6 Energy system The total gross inland consumption in Greece increased continuously during the period 1990- 2007. In 2007, gross inland consumption reached a total of approximately 31.6 Mtoe, presenting an increase of approximately 45% compared to 1990 level. However, the average annual growth rate in the period 1990 -2007 (2.65%) is lower compared to the rate of increase recorded in the 1980s (3.3%). th 5 NATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO THE UNFCCC 3 During the period 1990-2007, the consumption of oil and coal products have retained a high share (83% - 96%) while the only significant change in the Greek energy system in the last decade was the introduction of natural gas in 1997, which represents the 11% of gross inland consumption in 2007. The contribution of renewable energy sources (RES) to gross inland consumption, including large hydro, varies from 3.1% to 5.7% according to the fluctuations of the production of large hydropower plants. Excluding large hydro, the share of renewable energy sources is about 4% for the period 1990 - 2007. The exploitation of renewable energy sources (excluding hydro) is related to the use of biomass for space heating in the domestic sector, the use of solar energy for water heating mainly in the domestic sector and the wind energy for electricity production. The electricity-generation system in Greece consists of thermal and hydroelectric units as well as a small, though increasing, percentage of other renewable energy sources. In 2007, the total installed capacity of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) generating system was 13526 MW which corresponds to an increase of approximately 55% compared to 1990 levels, while the net electrical capacity of auto producers in 2007 was 176 MW. Electricity generation increased continuously with an average annual rate of approximately 4.8% for the period 1990-2007. Gross electricity production in 2007 totalled 63.5 TWh, 55% of electricity is produced by solid fuels (lignite using steam coal and / or BKB as additives), while the share of liquid fuels and natural gas is 28% and 11% respectively. The rest of electricity production derives from hydropower and wind energy. In 2007, final energy consumption in Greece totalled 24.8 Mtoe. Energy consumption in industry accounted for 29.6% of final energy consumption (including consumption of the energy sector). The share of transport in final energy consumption is estimated at 35.8% in 2007, while the share of residential and tertiary sector was 34.6%. The average annual rate of increase for the period 1990 - 2007 is estimated at 3.2%. The per capita final energy consumption has increased by 41% from 1990 to 2007 (1.57 and 2.22 toe/cap respectively). All three sectors increased their energy use from 1990 to 2007, with the residential and tertiary sector showing the highest increase (92.5% in 2007 compared to 1990), followed by transportation (49.5%) and industry (29.4%).