00:00The ocean's always been at the heart of life for the fishermen in Aegina, a small island around 50 kilometers south of Athens.
00:09For generations, the water is how residents have provided for their families.
00:13But things aren't the same for Nektarios, a second-generation fisherman.
00:18The waters that once teemed with life are quieter now.
00:22And with temperatures rising, fish stocks that used to be plentiful are now starting to run dry.
00:30My dad was a fisherman, I grew up with it.
00:33But now despair has set in.
00:35Once we caught unimaginable fish here, mackerel, chub mackerel, everything.
00:40Now nothing, every year it gets worse.
00:43This is just one example of how climate crisis is affecting industries and communities here.
00:51Natural disasters have intensified this year, signaling a global climate crisis.
00:57Flooding now causes greater damage over wider areas.
01:01And the summer served as the stark example of how Europe must face these challenges.
01:07The season began with Storm Boris.
01:09At least 24 people were killed as flash waters devastated Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Hungary.
01:17Towns were submerged, crops ruined and thousands of people were displaced.
01:22Yet flood barriers, early warnings and emergency teams helped save lives and reduced long-term damage.
01:28Meanwhile, the Spanish region of Valencia faced a harsher fate.
01:32The city endured one of its deadliest series of flash flooding, which killed over 200 people.
01:41Floods in Central Europe and Valencia differ significantly.
01:45Central Europe faced gradual river flooding, allowing time for warnings and evacuations.
01:51In Valencia, flash floods from intense rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems, despite advanced flood diversion measures.
01:59Wildfires and droughts traditionally affect Southern Europe, but this year places like Poland, the Baltic nations and Slovakia also suffered.
02:07Dry spells turned forests into fire hazards, sparking blazes rarely seen in such areas.
02:13Poland faced its worst drought in decades, straining water supplies and ruining crops,
02:19while the Baltics and Slovakia struggled with wildfires that pushed their emergency systems to the limit.
02:27Water scarcity is no longer just a Mediterranean issue, it's affecting Northern Europe too.
02:33Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells are depleting groundwater
02:39and increasing wildfire risks in forests across Poland, the Baltics and Slovakia.
02:45As 2025 begins, the challenges of 2024 can still be felt.
02:51Record heat, flooding and wildfires have reshaped lives.
02:55For communities like Egina's fishermen, adapting to the new reality isn't easy.
03:00Nektarios continues to fish, despite facing quieter waters and emptier nets.
03:06But he keeps going, his resilience a reminder that hope and loss now go hand in hand.
03:13Evangelosipsis for CGTN, Athens.
Comments