From the 18th century to this day, coal has remained perhaps the most important fuel for the production of electricity, worldwide. Wherever coal deposits were found in the world, power plants were constructed, jobs were created, settlements were built in which generations were raised, while this activity became a major  financial occupation for the local communities. Greece followed the same path, with its own version of coal: lignite (brown coal), mainly in Western Macedonia and the Peloponnese. Nevertheless, the age of coal and lignite must soon be consigned to the past. The consequences of burning lignite are catastrophic for the environment and public health. Lignite and fossil fuels in general, such as hydrocarbons, have no place in a world in which climate change must be averted, while they have also become financially unsustainable for the national economy. This is why the government’s commitment to phase out lignite by 2028 is a very positive development that WWF Greece played an important role in. However, this development cannot simply abandon the people of local communities that secured the provision of an uninterrupted supply of electricity to the entire country for decades. In that framework, the decision of the Government for a total phase out of lignite by 2028 is a very important and positive development. For it to have any real impact, however, the government must first abandon its plans for Oil & Gas extraction. It would be a mistake for Greece to allow the lignite’s dead-end to trap us in the dead-end of oil.

In the framework of the ‘Just Transition in Eastern and Southern Europe’ programme, we carried out a new study in partnership with a specialised consultancy firm (LDK Consultants), titled Just Transition and Employment in Greece’. The study examines the impacts (direct and medium-long term) on workers in lignite regions of Western Macedonia and Megalopoli, while also proposing solutions based on our constructive contribution, so that no one is left behind during the transition process!

In a world where fossil fuels are gradually being abandoned, people are turning to the regions that bore a massive burden in previous decades. Support WWF Greece in its effort for a Just Transition.