Why have parts of Greece been covered in smog?
The smog is said to be not from cars or coal plants, but from the smoke from wood stoves and fireplaces. And it's not because the Greeks are curling up with a good book. It seems that there has been a massive switch off heating oil as many can no longer afford it to heat their homes. Bloomberg says heating oil prices have risen here 50 percent from 2011 to 2012, mainly due to the heavy taxes levied on. So the Greeks are turning to burning everything from furniture to chopped down trees, some illegally cut from protected forests.
According to the EPA, a fireplace emits more than 2,000 times the amount of fine particles that an oil furnace does. Surely, the environmental and health care costs from toxic clouds of smoke exceed the benefits of collecting high heating oil taxes, especially if the citizens are no longer buying it.
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Just more evidence that Greece needs to leave the Eurozone. The concept of the Eurozone has been nothing but a curse so far as far as the people are concerned. This, both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler have long since learned the hard way!
It is German who needs to leave the euro as George Soros's essay's illustrate. This would provide immediate resolve and benefit to all in Europe. However, too may are held hostage to isolate or alliate this powerful paymaster who exists, lest thrives, at the grace of other nations. Even their own newspaper exposes how they are the worst debt transgressor of the 20th century to become who they are, while still rejecting war reparations. //www.spiegel.de/international/germany/economic-historian-germany-was-biggest-debt-transgressor-of-20th-century-a-769703.htmlhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/economic-historian-germany-was-biggest-debt-transgressor-of-20th-century-a-769703.html
Unfortunately, Germany has proven to be as dangerous and reckless with economic power as they were military under the guise of "diversified interests". Look who their largest buyer of military equipment is, the same country they impose austerity to fuel death spiral while seeking to curtail the country's conscription. What's changed now that they spent a trillion dollars to reunify their East.
go home to dublin and your potato farm your irish sister is a street whoore.
No one forced any country in Europe to join the Euro. England opted out as did Sweden. Greece begged to join in order to lower their borrowing costs, then borrowed massive amount of money to overpay public workers and allow their citizens to retire at 58 years of age. Now, they want Germans to work until their 67 to pay off their debts so that they can still retire early and be paid handsomely to do it. If Greece would like to leave the Euro, they can hold a referendum and do so at any time. Of course they'll be entirely cut off from the international debt markets and their new currency will be worth 50% of the Euro's value, but at least they'll be free of EU interference in their affairs.
Nice reply zaeed. It must be comforting to be able to type in insults as cowards do...away from harm. I doubt that if you had the conversation with the irish man in a train you would be so brave.
Had Greece just gone ahead and defaulted in 2008, and had their own currency to default on, it would have gotten devalued, they would have suffered 1-2 years, and they'd be back up and running now on a reduced currency (Much like Argentina). Instead, they've been trying to flog a dead horse and keep it propped up with EU money, and have dragged the pain out into 5+ years now. Almost seems like they should have defaulted a while ago...
Why don't they just burn the rich people's houses???
Because the trip to other countries is too costly.
Check down by the yacht club. Boats burn too.
That would be a good point, but they don't live in Greece.
Sure they do. Check out all those boats docked there. They burn too.
You are so stupid! Do you even know where Greece is on the map?
Same reason they protest in front of dumb empty buildings here than riot in front of mansions that would provide resolve the very next day. Sheeple are led to slaughter globally, from energy giants to bailing banks with a consistently failed model that is defended on the basis that it is the best we have.
What a disgusting thing to say. Prejudice much? Why don't they burn the slums? It's the poor people who are causing this problem in the first place.
There isn't any rich left in Greece. The government made sure of that.
There are sure more rich people in Greece than in some western European countries,but in greece,they are invincible.
The people wanted the Gov't to spend too much, and tax someone else to pay for it.
Eventually they ran out of other people's money to take.
So now they are trying to get the people who wanted all the Gov't handouts to actually pay for them.
This is where massive Gov't overspending always leads.
Your nation collapses.
The US is no different.
And there wil be no bailout for the US.
To blame the poor is ridiculous, they wanted money spent, wake up, it is the 1%, banks and Wall Street, just as here in the US. They run our government, they get the tax breaks, the "Incentives" and for what, to keep us down, to keep their money, through greed and corruption, and if you blame the 99%, you then are either part of it, or wannabee.
Why is it that the media has no clue about what is going on ? Hight taxes ???? Bloomberg is wrong just as he is wrong about guns. The sanctions on Iran are the primery cause of the Greek oil problem. Now they have to by oil through another country -dealer has to make a profit.Greece will go back to drachma soon and maybe straighten their economy.
Confidence in the dollar ? It came up in Devos -the Chinese told the Fed to print less money -why is that not news ? Or the fact that Germany is getting back its gold bullions from the US and France- you know the useless relic, in hundreds of tons ?
Greece can't go back to the drachma. It would effect the paymasters banks when. not if, Spain and Italy joined the chorus.
It would be better if Germany went back to the Deutschmark but the puppet master would fight tooth and nail against it with their pain for gain mentality, even though it would benefit them greater in the long run too. Instead, they are shipping their gold back from New York. Gold acquired since WWII, stolen.
Thank you, Thomas for your imput here. Yes, Germany would be far better off if it would leave the Eurozone but like you said, their bourgeoisie would fight it with everything they had. Like Joseph said above, the Eurozone is nothing but a big, fat curse!
It would be great if we can rid the world of Germany! And England.
@Irene the ellinida:no Germany or Britain,no Greece.Where do Greeks put their trust ?–in Germany,the US and the UK.
@Jones I am an ellinida, and proud of it, who was born and raised in the USA. Greece does not "trust" any of these countries nor can she rely on them. Unfortunately Greece does not have any allies and is always forced to make decisions that are detrimental for the country and her people.
Actually the problem is the high taxes. This year there was a 50% increase in the price of oil because the government increased the petroleum tax 70%. The lack of Iranian oil was a problem just for a couple of months and the price difference was no that great but the new tax made the prices of oil to rise to 1.50€ per litre. So it is just so expensive that no one can afford it.
The reason they jumped the oil tax was because no one was paying the income tax.
Greece should focus on extracting oil from the deposits off their coast. This will create jobs, pay off sovreign debts and boost economic growth. They should get their act together, instead of protesting.
Right j.von hettlingen, except that you forgot to mention that in addition to what you said, Greece also needs to quit the Eurozone and invite the Russian technicians in to develop their oil rigs instead of those from the West!
Invite the Russians to develop oil fields??? They ruined all their Siberian and Baku oil fields years ago. The Russians are as dumb as a brick. They have no finesse in oil filed technology nor do they care. Yeah, invite them in and the Med and Aegean Seas will be cesspools of oil spills. Well thought out.
This is a surprise to someone? People will strip all the resources from the surrounding areas to sustain themselves when they're cold & hungry, without regard to whatever laws are in place or the effect it has on the ecosystem. I honestly wonder how many have turned to supplementing their diets with stray cats & dogs when they can't afford to buy food anymore.
You have been watching too many Clint Eastwood movies.
I am profoundly astounded at so many challenged comments.
@SpencerRifle: The situation is not as bad as this artice makes it to be. Even with the economic problems that Greece is facing, they still have the highest standard of living in the Balkans. By european standars they are somewhere in the middle.
Precisely!! Just as I am writing-sensationalistic journalism at its best!
You are destroying the narrative! Next thing you will be saying that Greeks are better off than the prospering Latvians who accepted the austerity measures with dignity!
@JLS prosperous and Latvians in the same sentence, that's just an illiterate speaking.
If we all burn wood there will be no wood, that will effect the amount of oxygen in our air. Burning wood in Greece may also effect the price of olives and olive oil from Greece and that would be devastating – see it depends on your perspective.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. If your children are cold and a night's worth of heating oil costs a mionth's wages, you do what you need to survive. Why deal with later consequences when there might not be a "later" at all?
Greeks should let the Turks come over to heat up the Greek Girls, there is enough to heat to warm the entire region, let the Turks show you how to control economy. The Turks are masters at bringing all Greeks to a higher standard of living. The Greeks can forfeit what they have not squandered and come out of this with plenty of free heat. You getting hot malaka?
The Turks are also great at losing wars against the Greeks despite vastly superior numbers and firepower....
You are sick like all turks and moslems.
are you serious, what kind of comment is that ? your comment clearly displays your lack of education
Turks dont warm up to girls. They prefer sheep, goats and little turkish boys.....but mostly sheep. then again i would prefer sheep too if i had to look at a turkish mongoloid girl, with their mustaches and uni brows.....
You sound more like a Middle Eastern terrorist than a Turk!
I just can't belived what I am reading. The greece is in trouble and kids are hungry. You're making fun about this . In my eyes you're not a Turkish man and as Turkish woman i am shamed what you said here. It just shows how low class you are and let me tell you about Turkish economy : it is in trouble too! Erdogan and his friends are very good at not showing the reall numbers. Have you travel out side of the city limits? How much one kg meat? And income ratio?
Rent vs income? Ooohhhh how about people's credit card debt ratio to income? I am shamed!
So is that a "Greece" fire? I'll show myself out.
opah...opah...opah
To "Turkish Blend" If you have nothing productive to add to a discussion it is simply best not to add...When exactly in history (or in the present for that matter) have the Turks ever brought Greeks "to a higher standard of living"? Or offered Greece absolutely anything positive at all? If the Turkish way of living is so good, how come Turks are not allowed to join the EU and the Greeks were? Besides being an economist, specializing in the economics and social policy of the EU, I've visited both countries on several occasions and can testify that the Greek standard of living (health care, education, civil rights, expendable income, etc...) is far superior to the Turkish. Anyway, moving on to the issue...Just because Greece is currently in an economic recession (like most industrialized countries in the world) does not mean it's citizens are starving on the streets in masses and literally cannot afford to pay for heat. I'm sure that as in any other country on the planet there are some people not able to afford to feed themselves sufficiently and keep their heat at a steady 70 F all winter long. Welcome to reality. Yes, things in Greece are definitely tighter than usual and they must cut back-as do the citizens in ALL countries that are in a recession, which could mean bothering to light the fireplace (which are predominantly only found in upper-class homes anyway) more often than in the past. Also, "burning their furniture" PLEASE...there is always the "village idiot" that might do something like that but I would expect more serious journalism from cnn...reporting as if this is a daily occurrence in every household.
Athens has had a HUGE smog issue for years now. Nothing new and it definitely cannot be solely attributed to some extra wood burning-most apartments in Athens do not have fireplaces to begin with. Best thing is to KNOW a country and a people before trying to report on it.
If you had written that Greeks seek cushy government positions so they can be paid for, essentially, not working then I could agree. If you wrote that 2 generations now have been raised to live off their parents generosity (and extreme sacrifices) and spend hours at the cafes and clubs instead of figuring ways to better themselves and Greece then I would agree. If you wrote that things have got to change-both economically but PREDOMINANTLY socially then I would agree wholeheartedly but "burning furniture", give your readers a break...
Also, to Jeff Miller, there are thousands of VERY, I dare say, EXTREMELY wealthy people living in Greece. Have you been to the suburbs? And why wouldn't they? great climate, beautiful country, great food...again, please refrain from writing things that simply are not true-adds nothing to a discussion.
This is just another case of sensationalistic journalism. Just like most Europeans, from TV and news watching, believe the US is full of gangsters that walk around shooting each other. Report more responsibly PLEASE
Greece does not have firepower to capture resources like other powerful countries do. The greed of powers causing people of many countries to suffer.
so well said, jane!!
you alluded in passing only in passing to the crux of the problem
1.living off the common man especially by the rent seekers – the government employees]
2. the protected businesses – example the tourism travel operators and the shippers
...
no amount of backbreaking tax will ever cure the problem – and the "civil"servants will always
look properly serious at every IMF Euro meeting
LOL
Which is why we should ban wood burning in urban areas where clean burning resources are readily available. Los Angeles bans smoking in parks and beaches, but does nothing to restrict wood burning fireplaces and stoves.
"Other EPA estimates suggest that a single fireplace operating for an hour and burning 10 pounds of wood will generate 4,300 times more carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons than 30 cigarettes."
To be meaningful, the EPA estimate needs to make comparisons of equal variables. In other words, they need to state how burning 10 pounds of wood compares carcinogenically to burning 10 pounds of cigarettes. Or conversely, how burning a pack and a half of cigarettes compares to burning an equal volume of wood, approximately 2X3X4 inches, or mass – about 3 ounces.
Greece already burned and denuded their whole country 2000 years ago of all the trees. This can't go on very long – they don't have any wood. What will they burn next? Each other?
2000 years ago, really? What for? To live in log cabins? So, if I go to Greece I won't find any forests or trees? Interesting...
Actually, large areas of forests were cleared for building projects, particularly for fleets of triremes. There are still forests, but much diminished.
In general I agree with your long post BTW.
What the hell are you talking about that we burned our forests 2000 years ago? Clearly you are clueless. However, in the past 20 years there have been many forest fires so that the land can be sold and buildings build. Unlike some other counties we don't chop down out trees to build housed which fall apart every hurricane season.
Turkish blend, your comments are very poor, unproductive and unintelligent. However comments like this does not surprise me coming from a Turk either, just comes to show what brains your culture has. As regards for Turkey, why do they keep coming and knocking at the European Unions door begging to get in. And because Greece is going through an economic crisis does not mean that the people are starving out in Greece. There are more wealthier people in Greece way farther than the Turkish citizen. And regarding about Greece's rich history, Turkey has no comparison. Turkey is known for its rich barbaric history. Here is something for a starter Turkish blend, get an education, because the way you speak, schooling sounds like a new concept for you.
Don't you guys get it? "Turkish Blend" is not Turkish, he is a hater racist who is trying to give Turks a bad name by making those ugly, ignorant comments and you all fall for it.
guess they should have never joined the eurozone it has done nothing but take them to the brinks of finance collapse. MONEY MONEY MONEY, the ultimate evil in the world.
Somebody from CNN pointing out that taxes don't work as planned? Stop the presses!
Let's hope American citizens don't resort to burning wood to heat our homes, due to increasing energy prices and taxes levied on utilities, oil companies which make conventional heating too expensive.
And, with the Greek Parliment set to raise taxes again, the average Greek citizen, now paying nearly 60 cents of every dollar they earn in income (35% are state workers), they may end up starving.
Folks, let's keep government at all levels lean, taxes low, or else the socialism and the debt it incurs we are now embracing may not be the pleasant outcome the Greeks are definitely not having right now.
Hate to tell, we in New England have been burning wood to heat homes forever. I myself prefer coal. Oil would cost 3 times as much to heat a house.
Stop the taxes to save the enviroment!!!
Ah, another example of the Law of Unintended Consequences. And another reason to lament what is soon to happen in the USA. With the government becoming larger and larger every day, and more and more controlling, and further and further in debt, a scheme like the idiotic one in Greece is sure to come our way sooner or later. Maybe the U.S. Government can confiscate guns, then pass them out as placebos (no ammo, of course) for people who hoard food to scare away the mobs when the first of the coming food shortages begins . . . . .
they never heard about wood gasifer or wood air stoves ????
This is the end result for socialism. People quit working and production goes down. To keep taxes high enough to support all the loafers, regular people have to be taxed into the stone age.
I wrote about this on my blog as well. Here in Athens, the smoke cloud is yet another new reality that has become our 'new normal'....
http://themanyfacesofnewathens.blogspot.gr/2013/01/smoke-signals.html
Send in Al Gore – these Greeks are runing the earth Al, get off your keester and do something
They got what they deserve, lazy Greek bumms!
Shlomo you are an idiot. If it weren't for Greece the world be exactly how it was 2000 years ago. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, medicine, philosophy, pedagogy, fine arts, etc. What have your done?
I saw this movie.....The Road......
It's amazing that banks can cause so much misery to so many people by enslaving them with debt. I'm sure many will say that the Greeks had a choice of not borrowing, but they decided to borrow, so now they must deal with the responsibilities of paying-back what was borrowed. I think this line of reasoning is flawed because it has been shown that banks, the IMF, and other big lending organizations use corruption and pressure in order to get politicians to sign those loan deals in detriment of interests of nations. The average citizen has no say in the deal, but ends-up having to pay back the corrupt loan. The loan proceeds are usually stolen/squandered by the same corrupt officials who signed the deal. When the going gets tough, they move to places like Bern, Geneva, or Monaco with the ill-gotten loot, and live high, while the innocent people are left holding the bag. That whole Greek bailout thing was nothing but a sham, it was actually a bank bailout disguised as helping Greece. What's really sad is that money, in essence, is an abstract concept. It's not even paper nowadays, but just numbers on a computer. The Greeks are living in misery so that some corrupt bankers can watch numbers on a computer increase.
The problem is not the Banks – the problem is that they all (the people, the politicians and the government leaders) bought into the stupid Keynesian Theory that the more the government spends and the more they cave in to the greed of the people who want the government to support them the better off everyone will be. The banks business is making loans – the government was not forced to take out those loans until they found out that they couldn't pay for all the things they had promised. Then, when it came time to cut back, the unions prevented it from happening.
Are you listening, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid? Oh, wait, I forgot – you're Liberal Democrats. Of course you're not listening. . . . or thinking, either.
seems like the government doesnt do anything for the Greeks anymore except collect taxes to pay interest on the debt.
Greece actually has some forests left?
Gents,
Turkish Blend clearly is a keyboard commando that has nothing valuable to add to the discussion. Turkish economy is very similar to the Greek's but it just doesn't have a controlling/auditing mechanism as the Greek's does (ECB) so it will explode much later than the Greek's but therefore will effect a much higher percentage of the population and probably will be much harder to recover from. Populations of both Greece and Turkey want the creme de la creme life of Scandinavian standards but are not willing to work hard for it. I am Turkish, so I am not very familiar with Greece, but I can presume that Greece's public offices are full of incompetent public workers who are there just because they have an influential relative that got them recruited ages ago, just as it is in Turkey. Corruption is also widespread in both countries, nobody is willing to pay their fair share of income taxes (private businesses that is) and irresponsible governments that take the popular stand on issues that may not effect them during their term but will cause much bigger problems in 10-20 years time. I wish the best of luck to our Greek friends and hope they do the same for us.
It's going to look like this in America sooner than you think.
That would be great if the US would allow that! Our former prime minister was a target of the US when he agreed to participate in the the gas pipeline project with Russia.
I have been reading these comments. It sounds like many are expecting the US economy to fall. I must admit it is my greatest concern. Having lived well over half a decade and I have seen many friends and family pass away. I notice in most cases the individual will show signs of improvement just before the end. It is like the body gives it one last charge. If you think about it you will remember the same thing happening. I hope this is not what we are seeing with the US economy today.
This is Obama's vision for the US as energy prices skyrocket because Obama shut off coal.
When my family and I lived in Greece some years ago, it was almost amusing to watch people avoid paying taxes. Our landlord was a master at tax evasion. He showed me all kinds of ways they do it. One of the taxes he could not avoid was on heating oil. Hence, because heating oil was one of the few ways that could earn the Government a buck, the tax on that heating oil was HUGE! Like liquid gold! We cried when we left Greece some years later. Our time there was WONDERFUL! But what is happening there today is not surprising in the least.
Maybe George Soros should go straighten out his native land instead of playing puppet master with his puppet Barry in the USA.
George Soros isn't Greek.
To all the people who say Greeks don't pay taxes...I lived there for 10 years and paid income taxes. VAT on foodstuff was 13% and on "luxury" items 23%. We left 2 years ago and continue to file out income taxes and pay the xaratsi. Please stop making idiotic and unfounded statements. Ignorance is dangerous.