Limassol: The environmental cost of the loss of nature by the recent fires in the Limassol district could reach the substantial amount of 20 million euros, Professor Theodoros Zachariadis of the Cyprus Institute has pointed out.
According to Cyprus News Agency, a press release by the CyI highlights that in the aftermath of the recent major fire in the Limassol province, the main point of discussion is about the compensation that will be given to citizens and businesses for the damage they suffered and the costs of repairing the water and electricity infrastructure of the region.
However, the press release adds, society will also incur additional costs, which usually remain in the background because they are not reflected in immediate expenses, and these are the environmental costs of the temporary or permanent loss of the burned ecosystem.
As Professor Theodoros Zachariadis of the Cyprus Institute notes in a recent post, the environmental cost of the loss of nature is not accounted for by markets and is not an expense that is paid directly, and hence it is mostly neglected in public discussions.
“However, as far as the recent fire is concerned, the cost could reach the substantial amount of 20 million euros; this cost has to be considered when the final assessment of the fire damage is made,” he notes.
According to Zachariadis, the environmental cost of 20 million will be paid by a part of society in various ways over the next years: in medical expenses for some citizens whose health has been affected, in flood prevention projects that will be necessary due to these fires, in increased costs for citizens who will go on excursions to more remote places that were not affected by the fire, in increased prices or reduced quality of some agricultural or livestock products, etc.
This reinforces the need, the Professor concludes, to focus on fire prevention policies – through precautionary measures, land cultivation, controlled grazing etc. – since the actual damage caused by a fire is many times greater than the cost of prevention.