Greece's Vanishing Lake Shows the Real Cost of Climate Change

Lake Koroneia in northern Greece was once a beautiful wetland full of life. Flamingos, migratory birds, fishermen, and tourists all called it home. But after ten years of low rainfall and too much water being pumped out for farming, the lake has nearly disappeared. Scientists say it has shrunk to less than one-tenth of its original size.

Koroneia was once the fifth largest lake in all of Greece. Now, the water that remains sits in a few small, murky ponds. The rest of the lake bed is a wide, flat plain of cracked, dried mud baked by years of hot sun. The National Observatory of Athens found it shrank from 34.4 square kilometres in 2016 to just 2.7 square kilometres today.

Scientists say the lake started losing water after a rainy season in 2015 and 2016. Since then, below-average rainfall and hotter temperatures have dried up not only the lake, but also the underground springs that used to fill it. Rainfall has averaged about 400 millimeters per year over the past five years — roughly 150 millimeters less than in earlier decades.

Rising temperatures have made things even worse. As the area has gotten hotter, water evaporates from the lake much faster than before — an extra 100 to 150 millimeters per year. This means the lake is losing water in two ways at once: less rain is falling in, and more water is escaping into the air.

Farming has also played a big role in the lake's decline. Farmers need water for their crops and cattle, and as rainfall dropped, many turned to the lake to make up the difference. When a reporter visited recently, one farmer was using a large pump to pull water straight out of the lake. Local officials confirmed this has been happening for many years.

In 2013, a European Union court ruled that Greece had not done enough to protect Lake Koroneia. Since then, Greek authorities say they have increased monitoring to reduce how much water is taken from the lake. Petros Varelidis, a top official at the Greek Environment Ministry, confirmed that new steps are now in place. The goal is to better manage irrigation and give the lake a chance to recover.

The story of Lake Koroneia is not unique to Greece. Across Europe, record heatwaves and low rainfall caused rivers and lakes to drop to levels not seen in decades. These low water levels made it harder to ship goods and reduced electricity production. Costas Hatzivoulgaridis, head of the nearby community of Agios Vassilios, said it best: 'Today, what we see is a disappointment.'