Athens

The Municipality of Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, with a population of 664,046 people (2011 census) and an area of 38.96 km2, forming the core of the metropolitan City of Athens (approx. 2.7 million residents and occupies an area of 412km2), located within the Attica Basin. The City of Athens belongs to the Prefecture of Attica. The Mayor and the City Council govern Cities, while a Regional Governor and a Council govern Regions.

The Municipality of Athens has to manage a city with large historical and cultural heritage, affected severely by austerity. In 2017, the Municipality of Athens adopted a plan for mitigating carbon dioxide emissions, setting a target of reducing emissions by 40% by 2030, a plan for adapting to climate change and a resilience plan. Up to date, Athens has managed to reduce its GHG emissions by 20.5%, in relation to its base year (2014). Currently, the city is under revision of its climate action plan, so as to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The transformation of its food system to a more sustainable one is part of the action plan.

Lycabettus Hill. Photo by Vasilis D. Vasiliadis

Main objectives and planned implementations

The main objective is to transform the food system into a more sustainable and more circular one, in line with the city’s aim to become a carbon neutral city by 2050. The planned implementations are mostly based on: