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01:11

Scientists say 2023 will be the hottest year on record. In the Mediterranean region, there have been extreme heatwaves, wildfires, drought, and floods.‌ Greece is in the forefront of climate change, with extreme weather conditions witnessed this year that have never been seen before.

‌Last summer, multiple fires broke out across the country, burning through forests and destroying hundreds of houses and businesses.

‌Fueled by unusually high temperatures, the country was burning from its northern border to the southern island of Rhodes, where wildfires forced a mass exodus of tourists and locals.‌

Flames and smoke rise from a line of trees as a wildfire burns at the Dadia National Park in the region of Evros, Greece. /Reuters/Alexandros Avramidis/File Photo

‌And while smoke was still in the air, there followed floods.

‌In September Central Greece was hit by Storm Daniel, the most powerful storm the country has ever seen. Over one meter of rain fell in 48 hours, flooding most of the Thessaly region.

‌Scientists say this event happens once every thousand years, but that climate change is happening faster than they expected.‌

Volunteers give water to a sheep saved from a burning farm, as a wildfire rages in the village of Hasia, near Athens, Greece. /Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis.

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‌With the country's water levels at their lowest ever, scientists are warning that if temperatures in winter continue to stay high, we're in for another difficult year.

‌"This past year we have reached the minimum reserves we have ever recorded. It was a very dry year, unusual for Greece, And it would've been worse if it didn't rain in May," head of the Agricultural University of Thessaly, Nikolas Danalatos, told CGTN. "So far this December has been warm. If it stays this way throughout the winter, then we need a new emergency plan to deal with it," he added.

‌Recent flooding could give a false impression, but groundwater levels remain low despite the storms.

‌The Greek government is planning a tax rebate to those affected by extreme weather conditions, but scientists say it will only scratch the surface of the problem. It's a problem they say they have long sounded the alarm about, without an adequate response from decision makers.