Greece begins gas drilling in the Mediterranean amid COP30 climate summit – Politico

On the same day that world leaders arrived at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil to push for stronger action on climate change, Greece announced it would begin fossil fuel drilling in the Mediterranean Sea. It will carry out these actions with the support of the United States, writes UNN with reference to Politico.

DetailsUnder the agreement, the largest American oil company ExxonMobil will explore for natural gas in the waters northwest of the picturesque island of Corfu, together with Greece’s Energean and HELLENiQ ENERGY.

This is the first time in over four decades that Greece has opened its waters to gas exploration, and the administration of US President Donald Trump calls it a victory in its efforts to thwart climate change action and strengthen the global dominance of the American fossil fuel industry.

This came three weeks after the US successfully halted a global agreement to impose a carbon tax on shipping with Greece’s support.

There is no energy transition, there is only energy addition – said US Secretary of the Interior and energy czar Doug Burgum, who was present at the signing ceremony in Athens on Thursday along with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the new US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Greece is taking its own natural resources, and we are all working together to achieve energy abundance – added Burgum, describing Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as a leader who “bucks the trend.”

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Just hours later, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made an impassioned plea to countries to stop exploring for coal, oil, and gas.

I have consistently opposed the increase in coal-fired power plants and the exploration and expansion of fossil fuels

Donald Trump was not among the many world leaders present.

America is back and drilling in the Ionian Sea

Drilling for natural gas – a fossil fuel that is a major contributor to global warming – is expected to begin late next year or early 2027.

Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou called the agreement a “historic signing” that ends a 40-year hiatus in exploration.

Last month, Greece and Cyprus – both major maritime nations – were the only two EU countries to vote to suspend for a year actions on historic efforts to tax climate pollution from shipping. Greece argued that its decision had nothing to do with US pressure, which, according to several people familiar with the situation, included threats to negotiators.

Thursday’s ceremony took place on the sidelines of the sixth “Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation” (P-TEC) conference, organized in Athens by the US and Greek governments together with the Atlantic Council.

Greece seeks to demonstrate its importance as an entry point for American liquefied natural gas (LNG), strengthening Europe’s independence from Russian gas. LNG from Greece’s Revithoussa terminal is expected to reach Ukraine this winter via the recently launched “Vertical Corridor” – an energy route connecting Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova.

AdditionEuropean Union member states reached an agreement to reduce emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. However, this agreement has flexible features, taking into account the positions of a number of countries that agreed “reluctantly.”