Initiatives Αρχεία - Ae4ria

Climathons

Mary Psilou — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:37:27 +0000

Climathon is an ideathon that aims to attract and raise awareness among citizens about the issues facing local communities related to climate change. Citizens, with the guidance of mentors, are called upon to propose sustainable and innovative solutions with the goal of mitigating and adapting to climate change. At the heart of the initiative are the organizers and participants of Climathon in each city, who support and promote the movement worldwide.
Climathon is one of the initiatives of EIT Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community for Climate), supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The goal of Climathon is to strengthen the actions of municipalities and citizens in addressing climate change. To date, Climathon has succeeded in uniting 200 major cities in 65 countries across 6 continents, supporting innovative actions within the urban environment and hosting over 9,000 participants!
Since 2019, 24 Climathons have been organized in 13 cities in Greece (Athens, Piraeus, Agia Paraskevi, Penteli, Thiva, Larissa, Lavrio, Volos, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Chania, Heraklion, and Mytilene) under the guidance of the Sustainable Development Unit – ATHENA RC and specifically Mrs. Lydia Papadaki (Researcher, ATHENA RC, University of Piraeus) with PI Professor Phoebe Kountouri (Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business & Technical University of Denmark; President of the European Association of Environmental Resource Economists; Director of the Sustainable Development Unit at ATHENA RC; President of SDSN Global Climate Hub; Co-chair of SDSN Europe).

For further information see below all Climathons:

Climathons in Greece

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SDSN Global Climate Hub | Systemic pathways to Climate Neutrality and Climate Resilience

Mary Psilou — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 10:49:41 +0000

Launch:

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN) mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

SDSN Global Climate Hub was launched, as an SDSN Thematic Network, on the 6th of July in a pre-COP27 event that took place at the nation’s most senior and prestigious research institution, the Academy of Athens, by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Maria Cortes-Puch, Vice President of SDSN, the Chair of the Hub, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business and Denmark Technical University, as well as Director of the Sustainable Development Unit at ATHENA Information Technologies RC and Co-Chair of SDSN Europe and the Co-Founders Prof. Yannis Ioannidis, Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, President ACM and Prof. Christos S. Zerefos, Secretary General of the Academy of Athens,Head of the Research Center for Atmospheric Physics & Climatology of the Academy of Athens,Professor Emeritus.

The SDSN Global Climate Hub hosting institutions are the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and “Athena” Research & Innovation Center (ATHENA RC) and it is supported by the associate partners, the Academy of Athens and the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Αephoria (AE4RIA).

Mission & Approach:

“Recognizing the need for leaders worldwide to take immediate decisive action to reduce the causes of climate change, the SDSN Global Climate Hub has made it its mission to provide science-based recommendations for combating the climate crisis and preventing further deterioration. It will use extensive data, knowledge, and technologies provided by experts in various fields to implement country-specific action plans to be adopted and reinforced by society.

Solution pathways included in these plans will include elements such as (1) Existing technologies, (2) Circular economy, (3) Nature-based solutions, (4) Digitalization, (5) Innovation commercialization, (6) Sustainable finance and adaptation investment schemes, and (7) Policy reforms.”

The approach for the above is to build on the development of metrics and assessment of local and national SDG achievement carried out by UN SDSN, and to incorporate this into complexity science modelling, while bridging the gap between the models produced and the non-scientific community. The work will be focused around mitigation and adaptation measures, or solutions, across three strategic pillars (technical, financial and policy) within a multi-disciplinary framework of expertise from different sectors, genders and geographies.

The Units:

The SDSN GCH holds 9 Units that represent the stages that a country should work through for the design and implementation of detailed climate neutrality and climate resilience pathways. The nine units are led by talented experts and members of the UN SDSN. These are:

The SDSN GCH plans to integrate the outcomes of different efforts around integrated assessment modeling for climate change (energy, land use, demography, economy etc.) to ramp up international efforts on the path to decarbonization and climate resilience. More specifically, the SDSN GCH is conducting a systematic review of the most significant models in use, to identify possible synergies and overlaps between the models, as well as gaps,or specific aspects of decarbonization that are not covered.

A Strong Global Presence:

Although less than a year old, the SDSN GCH is already actively participating in key events, some of which you may explore below:

Sept 2022 – SDSN Global Climate Hub participated in several side events and meetings on the occasion of the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, USA. Learn more here
Nov 2022 – SDSN Global Climate Hub actively participated at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Read the Press Release here.
Dec 2022 – The SDSN GCH hosted a post-COP27 workshop in collaboration with the UNFCCC Climate Change Global Innovation Hub held at the premises of the prestigious Academy of Athens, Greece. Read here the Summary of the workshop.
Feb 2023 – 6th G-STIC Conference in Rio de Janeiro. Prof. Koundouri, chair of SDSN GCH presented the work of the Hub in two High-Level Plenary Sessions and at the High-Level Dialogue of the Conference. Learn more here. Collaborations: SDSN Global Climate Hub & Columbia Global Centers l Rio de Janeiro. Learn more here | SDSN Global Climate Hub & Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI). Learn more here
April 2023 – The hybrid workshop “Systematic Review on Integrated Assessment Models for decarbonization pathways” moderated by Prof. Jeff Sachs and Prof. Phoebe Koundouri at “Athena” Research and Innovation Centre and was organized by SDSN Global Climate Hub. Read the extended report of SDSN GCH IAMs Workshop here

Research Projects & Initiatives:

The Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Αephoria (AE4RIA) supports the SDSN Global Climate Hub with the knowledge and expertise gained by many ERC, Horizon2020, Horizon EU, PRIMA, Erasmus+ research projects under the following categories:

Through the Hosting Institutions of the SDSN Global Climate Hub and UN SDSN Network, there is a strong connection with the following Initiatives.

SDSN SEAs Initiative
SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group
Pricing Externalities Initiative
Professional Course: UN SDSN ESG
Other initiatives include “SDGs Transformation in Universities”, “Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports” and “Climate Change effects on Cultural Heritage”.

For further information, please visit the website of the SDSN Global Climate Hub

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Human Security for All | UN Trust Fund & World Academy of Art and Science

Mary Psilou — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 10:17:26 +0000

An initiative of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security and
the World Academy of Art and Science
in support of the United Nations’ commitment to Human Security

Visit the HS4A website

What is human security?

Human security¹ starts with people and what it means for us to be safe and secure. It means security from harmful disruptions and calamities – in our homes, our jobs, our communities, and our environment.
It’s also about our needs and hopes, our chance to develop our potential, especially those of us who are the most vulnerable.
Human security is about empowering people to participate in making choices on how they can be most secure and resilient in face of current and future risks.
Often policies and solutions assist people with one aspect of human security. But when a crisis comes along, it affects us in many ways.
Consider COVID-19, which threatened our lives and health but also our economies – many lost their jobs and their ability to put food on the table. Others, confined to their homes, experienced threats to their personal security.
Or consider people who have been forced to leave their homes due to natural disasters. People who are displaced need places to live and be safe, jobs and income to survive, but also community networks, a sense of belonging and ways to sustain their culture and their dignity.
In response to these and other threats, our needs and hopes must be heard and heeded – our insecurities must be tackled together, comprehensively.
Without human security, there is no national or global security. Read more on HS4A campaign background

A proven approach to human security:

In ensuring human security for all, we draw on lessons learned from applying the human security approach in more than 295 programmes in 135 countries.²
The human security approach is a framework for assessing, developing and implementing comprehensive responses to complex challenges in communities, countries or regions. The approach puts a priority on prevention and creating early warning mechanisms to detect threats, minimize their impact and, when possible, prevent their occurrence. It is a valuable tool for tackling today’s interconnected threats and addressing their root causes before they become much bigger humanitarian, economic and environmental crises.

Seven dimensions of human security:

Economic security
Food security
Health security
Environmental security
Personal security
Community security
Political security

Featured Events:

EarthX is the world’s largest environmental gathering, convening heads of industry, thought leaders, investors, innovators, researchers, policymakers and the everyday global citizen. This year’s event was held on April 19-24, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. Read more
The 6^th International Conference on Future Education was held online on March 7-9, 2023. Leading educators and policy-makers discussed on the central importance of the United Nation’s Human Security Approach as an integrating framework for educational reform. Read more
Human Security for All (HS4A) was the central theme of the CES 2023, held in Las Vegas, USA on 5-8 January 2023. Consumer Technology Association (CTA) promoted innovative solutions by businesses to address global human security issues. Read more
The 2023 Annual Symposium focused on the issue of human security, including the intersections of human security with sustainable development, durable peace, and gender justice. Read more

Press & Publications:

UN Publications on Human Security – Repository of Academic Literature
Educational Program organized by the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents. Read the Interviews
Cadmus journal issued a special report in support of the HS4A global campaign. The intention of the report is to foster awareness and understanding of the concept of human security from a multitude of perspectives and different dimensions at the local, national and global level. Read the report
Force for Good, WAAS partner and an institution focused on transforming capitalism, published a report on the first day of the CES 2023 event. The report points out and warns that the world is not on track to achieve the UN SDGs – targets designed to help protect people and the planet. It also estimated that tech investment and innovation can help cut the cost to fund the SDGs by $55 trillion. Read the report
Press coverage of the CES 2023 event

WAAS-Human Security Newsletter – Read the Newsletter

– Launch of HS4A at 2023 Consumer Electronics Show
– Faith-based Symposium on Human Security
– Int’l Conference on Education for Human Security
– HS4A campaign through Int’l Amateur Radio Network
– Human Security Media Library

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Financial Portfolio SDG dashboard

Mary Psilou — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 12:05:09 +0000

AE4RIA is working on assessing the SDG footprint of financial portfolios by integrating the SDG framework in asset pricing model theory. The SDG footprint of financial portfolios refers to the portfolio sensitivity to SDGs, through the implementation of various Arbitrage Pricing Theory Models.

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SDG company Sustainability assessment framework

Mary Psilou — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 12:03:56 +0000

AE4RIA is working on the SDG company Sustainability assessment framework, which is consistent with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. Framework transposes the Company ESG Reporting framework to SDGs by mapping an extend set of sector-specific ESG KPIs to SDGs and provides a dashboard for the implementation of SDGs at a company level.

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SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group

Mary Psilou — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:28:05 +0000

SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement call for deep transformations in every region and actions by all parts of governments. With the European Green Deal (EGD), the EU has designed a comprehensive framework for decarbonizing the European economy, reducing pollution and wastes, and placing sustainable development at the center of the European policy agenda.

SDSN Europe has gathered a Senior Working Group, consisting of top-level academics and stakeholders, to mobilize expertise for the successful implementation of this transformative regulatory framework. SDSN Europe is ideally placed to provide evidence-based advice to European policy-makers, through the expertise and scientific knowledge of ten networks and over 360 member organisations across the continent.

SDSN’s European Green Deal Senior Working Group is led by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, both world-renowned economists and global leaders in sustainable development. To support the transformations in Europe towards the future we want, they have gathered a group of leading experts in the fields of sustainable development, environmental economics, green finance, corporate social responsibility and transformative policies. Together they contribute to the following objectives:

Identify and promote technological and policy pathways for decarbonization by 2050 within and across EU Member States.
Identify and promote adaptation pathways within and across EU Member States.
Identify socially inclusive pathways that “leave no one behind”.
Provide strategic recommendations and mobilize experts for the ongoing implementation of the European Green Deal through SDSN networks.
Mobilize experts to rethink policies for clean energy supply and climate adaptation projects, across the economy, industry, production and consumption, large-scale infrastructure, transport, food and agriculture, construction, taxation and social benefits.
Mobilize stakeholders in partnership with the SDSN European networks to guarantee local engagement and support for these policies.

If you would like to know more about the EGD Senior Working Group, please contact us at europe@unsdsn.org.

Reports of the Senior Working Group

The European Green Deal includes wide-ranging goals for a climate-neutral, resource-efficient, technologically advanced, and socially equitable continent. EU leaders have also decided to integrate the SDGSs in the European Semester, the major process for the coordination of national economic and employment policies in the EU, putting ‘people and the planet at the center of EU economic policy’. Additionally, the EU has responded to the immense challenges posed by the pandemic with a strong ‘Next Generation EU’ package to boost economic recovery while pursuing Europe’s green transition.

In an attempt to connect the dots between these four major policy initiatives – the SDGs, the European Green Deal, the European Semester, and the EU recovery plan – the EGD Senior Working Group published a report, entitled ‘Transformations for the Joint Implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the European Green Deal: A Green and Digital, Job-Based and Inclusive Recovery from COVID-19 Pandemic’. The report, published in February 2021, supports policymakers with actionable strategies that can guide EU-wide and national economic recovery in line with the continent’s overarching sustainability agenda. Click here to watch the full video of the launching event.

On May 3rd 2022, the group launch the second annual report, entitled ‘Financing the Transformations for the Joint Implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the European Green Deal’ which: provides an overview of the EU policies published since 2020 in support of the implementation of the European Green Deal, explores the financial implications of the Joint Implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the European Green Deal, and stresses the need for private financial flows to be directed towards sustainable projects and activities. Europe has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate the transformation to sustainable societies, whereby governments intervene proactively and co-design a systemic green transition with broad participation of societal stakeholders. With the EGD Senior Working Group, SDSN aims to support this transformation and mobilize expertise from high-level stakeholders from a broad range of sectors. Click here to watch the full video of the launching event.

Members

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, University Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business (co-chair)

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri is a world-renowned environmental economics professor and global leader in sustainable development. She is a University Professor at the School of Economics and the Director of ReSEES Research Laboratory at the Athens University of Economics and Business. She is also the Director of the Sustainable Development Unit and EIT Climate-KIC at the ATHENA Ιnformatics Research Center. She is an elected fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science, the President of the European Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists and winner of the prestigious European Research Council Synergy Grant. She also acts as co-chair of the SDSN Europe and SDSN Greece network.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, President UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (co-chair)

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, and bestselling author. He is the President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and University Professor at Columbia University, where he serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development. Prof. Sachs has been appointed as Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Prof. Leonardo Becchetti, Full Professor at University of Rome Tor Vergata

Prof. Leonardo Becchetti is Full Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where he also serves as Director of the Master in Development Economics and International Cooperation (MESCI). He is a member of the Board of the Italian Economist Society, president of the Ethical Committee of Banca Etica, and member of the Executive Committee of Econometica, an inter-university center for economic ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Prof. Stefan Brunnhuber, member of the Club of Rome

Prof. Stefan Brunnhuber is an economist, psychiatrist, and member of the Club of Rome. He is the medical director of the Diakonie-Klinik of Intergrative Psychatry in Dresden and Professor for Psychology and Sustainability at the University of Mittweida in Germany. Prof. Brunnhuber is Senator at the European Academy of Science and Arts (EASA) and member of the Board of Trustees at the World Academy of Arts and Science (WAAS).

Ms. Laura Cozzi, Chief Energy Modeler at International Energy Agency

Laura Cozzi is Chief Energy Modeler at the International Energy Agency (IEA). She oversees the Agency’s work on outlooks and forecasts and is in charge of overall consistency of modelling work and resulting messages. Ms. Cozzi is also Head of the Demand Outlook Division with responsibility of producing the annual World Energy Outlook, the IEA flagship publication. Prior to joining the IEA, Ms. Cozzi worked for the Italian energy company ENI S.p.A.

Prof. Marzio Galeotti, Director of Scientific Research at Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei

Prof. Marzio Galeotti is the Director of Scientific Research at Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. He also serves as Full Professor of Economics at the University of Milan, having previously taught at the University of Bergamo and the University of Udine. He holds a PhD in Economics from the New York University.

Prof. Mariana Mazzucato, Professor at University College London

Prof. Mariana Mazzucato is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP). Her previous posts include the RM Phillips Professorial Chair at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex University. She is a selected fellow of the UK’s Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and of the Italian National Science Academy (Lincei).

Mr. Carlo Papa, Managing Director Enel Foundation

Carlo Papa is Managing Director of Enel Foundation and previously served as Chief Innovation Officer of Enel Green Power. He is actively involved in think-tank activities with the Aspen Institute and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Since 2015, he also serves on the board of ARISE, the UNISDR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies.

Mr. Ketan Patel, CEO Greater Pacific Capital

Ketan Patel is co-founder and CEO of Greater Pacific Capital, where he is responsible for overall firm strategy, leads the firm’s research and ideas team and heads the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to founding Greater Pacific Capital in 2005, Ketan was a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. He was also a Partner at KPMG, where he served as a member of the Board of Directors and member of the firm’s European Strategy Team.

Official website: European Green Deal Senior Working Group – SDSN Europe

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UN SDSN Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas Initiative

Mary Psilou — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 12:44:07 +0000

UN SDSN Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas Initiative

Seas and Oceans are drivers for the European economy and have great potential for innovation and growth. Considering that the IPCC 2018 report warns that exceeding 1.5^oC of global warming above preindustrial levels will lead to unprecedented effects in economy, society and the environment, there is an eminent need for action targeting at the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mission

To accelerate Science Driven sustainable Blue Growth and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030) in the Euro-Asian Seas and beyond, SDSN Greece, SDSN Black Sea and SDSN Mediterranean via SDSN Europe established the Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas (SEAs) Initiative. SEAs Initiative will build on research and demonstration projects, developed by a consortium and its collaborators world-wide, and will create an SDSN high-level working group, which will work on the Science-Policy interface related to Blue Growth, as well as on producing an SDSN SEAs annual report.

The SEAs Initiative focuses primarily on SDGs 14 (Life below water) and 13 (Climate Action), but addresses also SDG6 (Clean water and sanitation) and SDG15 (Life on land) and has impact on SDG1 (No Poverty) and SDG2 (Zero Hunger), since successful implementation of the blue growth concept can provide solutions to these problems. The SEAs Initiative also includes aspects relevant to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 7 (Clean Energy Production) and SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Simultaneously, the Initiative enhances its economic dimensions through the implementation of SDGs 8, 9 and 12. The goals of the Initiative will be achieved through close cooperation, as described in SDG17 (Partnership for the goals).

Finally, bearing in mind that land characteristics (flows of water, flora and fauna, sediment, pollution etc) directly and indirectly affect sea characteristics, the SEAs Initiative focuses on a source-to-sea approach, observing all surface and ground waters as a continuum of interconnected systems. This holistic approach from river basin to sea management, is needed to examine the significant matter of land and sea sustainability.

Supporting Institutions & Projects

The UN SDSN Networks that support the SEAs Initiative are hosted by a number of Universities and Research Centers that have a long history of research projects in the field of Blue Growth.

BRIDGE-BS: Advancing Black Sea Research and Innovation to Co-Develop Blue Growth within Resilient Ecosystems

BRIDGE-BS, aims to understand how the multi-stressors impact Black Sea ecosystems and alter the sustainability of ecosystem services provided to society. Building on a unique concept linking oceanographic dynamics to resilience, ecosystem services, multi-stressors and innovation in Blue Growth; BRIDGE will deploy an interdisciplinary approach building on past and ongoing initiatives and using stakeholder knowledge. Physical, biogeochemical and ecological processes, as well as the socioeconomic dimension of the Black Sea will be assessed, mapped and modelled to establish ecosystem status and the role of multi-stressors on its resilience and potential tipping points. Beyond predicting the future states, tools will be developed for policymaking, contributing to our ability to sustain the ecosystem services. The resilient ecosystems of the Black Sea will be evaluated as a booster of innovation in the region. Further, BRIDGE will undertake an extensive outreach and capacity building campaign involving joint Masters programs, PhD student mobility and outreach integrating science, innovation and art.

(PRIMA) AWESOME: Managing Water, Ecosystems and Food Across Sectors and Scales in the South Mediterranean

The main objective of AWESOME is developing a decision-analytic platform based on a multi-level, integrated WEF model to better understand multi-sectoral WEF tradeoffs and to capitalize on potential synergies, also exploring the interdependencies and feedbacks across ahierarchy of spatial scales, from the macroeconomic development of the Mediterranean region and national scale to regional planning at the river basin scale, down to the single farm. The platform will allow simulating the impacts of alternative WEF planning portfolios composed of regional policies, river-basin strategic planning options, and innovative technological solutions demonstrated at the local scale, to generate shared economic, environmental, and societal benefits.

A Competitive Intelligence Cloud/High Performance Computing Platform for Artificial Intelligence-based Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Making.

IntelComp (Horizon 2020) Project, sets out to build an innovative Cloud Platform that will offer Artificial Intelligence-based services to public administrators and policy makers across Europe for data- and evidence-driven policy design and implementation in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy. Within its scope, a series of Living Labs is organized to explore the co-development and use of the IntelComp Platform for activities such as a holistic mapping and understanding of the laws, policies, and strategies at international, European and national level; and an analysis of innovations and new technologies to enhance mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Living Labs are deployed on a monthly basis and are based upon the committed participation of relevant stakeholders.

DOORS: Developing an Optimal and Open Research Support system to unlock the potential for blue growth in the Black Sea

DOORS, aims at bringing the four pillars of the SRIA into reality, turning the challenges into opportunities for a highly valued Black Sea. It will harmonise research and provide the infrastructure to better understand the Black Sea, particular ecosystem characteristics, develop the framework to support Blue Growth and early development of start-ups, and provide evidence to inform policy and behavioural change.

X-KIC Activities: Cross-KIC Water Scarcity Activities (EIT Climate-KIC)

Good-quality water supply is a prerequisite for economic and social progress, especially in the RIS regions targeted in Southern Europe. In the early stages of the project in 2020, six main challenges to tackle water scarcity were identified ( 1- Enabling Agile Water Management, via Digitalization; 2- Raising Awareness and Promoting Education; 3- Unlocking Water Governance and Financial Schemes; 4- Optimizing and Matching Water Supply and Demand; 5- Ensuring Better Water Consumption and Production Control to Allow Legal Enforcement;6- Fostering Climate Change Readiness.) The Cross-KIC RIS project in 2021 aims to build on the knowledge, experiences and results achieved so far in the first year of the program to further tackle these challenges. The project will become the reference as a knowledge-sharing and a capacity building program for innovative companies working to fight against water scarcity in the South of Europe.

Maritime ClimAccelerator (EIT Climate-KIC)

The Maritime ClimAccelerator, supported by EIT Climate-KIC, through its vast network of collaborators, will offer participating start-ups funding, training, peer to peer coaching and theme-specific mentoring (both virtually and in-person). 30-40 start-ups will be accepted per year and will be asked to provide innovative solutions for the transition to sustainability of the maritime industry, both locally and globally, and will be given the opportunity to present their ideas in front of investors, port authorities and shipping companies. The Maritime ClimAccelerator will thus provide start-ups with a unique opportunity to test, demonstrate and validate their solution.

Deep Demonstrations for Zero-Net Emissions in the port of Piraeus

The maritime sector accounts for 90% of global trade and 2.2% of global GHG emissions – a figure projected to increase threefold by 2050. Within the Deep Demonstration for maritime hubs, the port of Piraeus is working with other ambitious partners on land (Port of Valencia) and at sea (Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Shipping) who share a common ambition to create a circular, inclusive, net-zero-emissions maritime sector. The Port of Piraeus and its partners have been carefully selected to reﬂect diﬀerent geographical, economic & social environments and diﬀerent development stage in their environmental strategies and activities.

ARSINOE: Climate Resilient Regions Through Systemic Solutions and Innovations

Systems Innovation Approach (SIA) addresses the growing complexity, interdependencies and interconnectedness of modern societies and economies, focusing on the functions of the cross-sectoral system as a whole and on the variety of actors. The Climate Innovation Window (CIW) is the EU reference innovations marketplace for climate adaptation technologies. Aims to build an ecosystem for climate change adaptation solutions. Pathways to solutions are co-created and co-designed by stakeholders applies a three-tier, approach: (a) using SIA it integrates multi-faceted technological, digital, business, governance and environmental aspects with social innovation for the development of adaptation pathways to climate change for specific regions; (b) it links with CIW to form innovation packages by matching innovators with end-users/regions; (c ) it fosters the ecosystem sustainability and growth with cross-fertilization and replication across regions and scales.

Coordinators & Advisory Board

Τhe SEAs Initiative is coordinated by:

Phoebe Koundouri, Professor and Director of ReSEES Research Laboratory, Athens University of Economics and Business; Director of Sustainable Development Unit and EIT Climate-KIC Hub Greece , Athena RC; Chair SAB ICRE8; Fellow World Academy of Art and Science; President-Elect of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists; Co-chair UN SDSN Europe and UN SDSN Greece
Nikos Theodossiou, Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Chair UN SDSN Black Sea
Yannis Ioannidis, Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Former President ATHENA Research and Innovation Centre, UN SDSN Greece Strategic Advisory Board
Andreas Papandreou, Professor National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, co-chair UN SDSN Greece

The Advisory Board of the SEAs Initiative offers support, guidance, and counselling to the actions of the Initiative.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Columbia, President UN SDSN
Paul Holthus, Founding President & CEO of the World Ocean Council
Dawid Lasek, Secretary General of the Association of Carpathian Euroregion
Prof. Chrysi Laspidou, University of Thessaly
Dr. Eden Mamut, Secretary General of the Black Sea Universities Network, Professor for Engineering Thermodynamics and Advanced Energy Systems and Director of the Institute for Nanotechnologies & Alternative Energy Sources at “Ovidius” University of Constanta, Romania
Mustafa Yucel, Assoc. Professor & Vice Director, Institute of Marine Sciences
Grigoris Zarotiadis, Assoc. Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences -Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

If you wish to participate in our actions, comment on our work or have an idea or project that you think that can support the SEAs Initiative, please do contact us at seas@unsdsn.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

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The Lancet COVID-19 Commission

Mary Psilou — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:52:01 +0000

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission has released their first official statement, to mark the occasion of the opening of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly on Sept 15, 2020.

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri is one of the Commissioners of the Lancet Commission on COVID-19.

The Statement highlights ten priority actions for the coming months:

1. Track down the origins of the virus in an open, scientific, and unbiased way not influenced by geopolitical agendas.
2. Suppress the epidemic through the proven package of non-pharmaceutical approaches (NPIs), as accomplished by several countries, with several in the Asia-Pacific region.
3. Base policy-making on objective scientific evidence, and stop politicians and others in positions of power from subverting clinical trials and other scientific protocols.
4. Collect and publish timely and internationally consistent data on the state of the pandemic, including humanitarian and economic consequences.
5. Ensure universal access to the tools to fight COVID-19, including test kits, therapeutics, and prospective vaccines.
6. Secure access of developing countries to financing from international sources, especially from the IMF and World Bank.
7. Direct urgent protection towards vulnerable groups, including the elderly, persons in poverty and hunger, vulnerable women, children, persons with chronic diseases and disabilities, the homeless, migrants, refugees, Indigenous Peoples, and ethnic and racial minorities.
8. Prepare for a deep restructuring of global finances, including debt relief, new forms of international financing, and reform of monetary arrangements.
9. Economic recovery will be based on public-investment-led growth in green, digital, and inclusive technologies, based on the SDGs.
10. Support UN institutions and the UN Charter, resisting any attempts at a new Cold War.

The full Statement can be found on The Lancet website (open access).

Media Coverage of the Statement

https://www.unsdsn.org/the-lancetcovid-19-commission-releases-first-statement

About the Commission

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission was launched on July 9, 2020 to assist governments, civil society, and the United Nations institutions to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission aims to offer practical solutions to the four main global challenges posed by the pandemic: suppressing the pandemic by means of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions; overcoming humanitarian emergencies, including poverty, hunger, and mental distress, caused by the pandemic; restructuring public and private finances in the wake of the pandemic; and rebuilding the world economy in an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable manner aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. There are many creative solutions already being implemented, and a key aim of the Commission is to accelerate their adoption worldwide.

More information can be found at covid19commission.org.

Το άρθρο The Lancet COVID-19 Commission εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports

Mary Psilou — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 19:44:51 +0000

IPCC 2018 warned that exceeding 1.5 °C of global warming above pre-industrial levels will lead to unprecedented effects in terms of health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth.

Given this daunting prospect, it is urgent to develop mitigating measures related to maritime transport, an activity that emits, according to the 3rd IMO GHG study, around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, being responsible for about 2.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The estimations for the imminent future are even more alarming, considering that in a business-as-usual scenario shipping emissions will increase between 50% and 250% by 2050, thus undermining the achievement of Paris Agreement objectives.

At the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, CEOs from Maersk Container Industries, the Antwerp Port, together with the organization Sustainable Energy for All, launched the Getting to Zero Coalition. The Coalition brings together 74 major shipping companies and members of civil society. The objective for 2030, i.e. to have commercially viable zero-emission vessels operating along deep-sea trade routes, has been endorsed by 11 countries to date – Belgium, Chile, Palau, Morocco, Korea, Ireland, UK, New Zealand, Sweden and France. The engagement of several countries in this ambitious project sends the strong signal that all over the world shipping industry is ready to take a green ethical stance, making a clean break from the oil-derived sludge currently powering the world’s largest vessels.

As part of its continuous effort to transform the European economy into a more sustainable model, the European Commission launched the Circular Economy Action Plan in December 2015. This plan aims at facilitating and promoting the transition to the circular economy through a series of legislative proposals, sectoral actions and development measures in the fields of production, consumption, waste management, secondary raw materials while promoting research, development and innovation as fundamental cross-cutting elements in the transition process.

Port areas are a crucial element of focus for the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan and can be considered ideal hotspots for further assessment and incorporation of circular economy strategies. The importance of these areas depends on the role of ‘matchmakers’ and crossing-points for all kinds of waste and industrial flows, and their function as logistic hubs for import and export of waste materials. Besides, ports accommodate industries that are active in treatment, collection and shipment of waste and stimulate the emergence of innovation circles.

Based on these considerations, the LOOP-Ports project, supported by EIT Climate-KIC, aims to promote the transition towards circular economy in this sector through the creation of a network of ports that will facilitate the exchange of information and experiences between its members, establish contact between different stakeholders, as well as create synergies and offer various training and awareness-raising tools to the actors involved in the port community.

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports was launched at the COP25 in December 2019 in Madrid, Spain. This initiative aims at bringing together researchers and technology developers, shipbuilders, shipowners, ports, policymakers and politicians, from around the globe, to work on technological and policy innovations seeking net-zero emissions in the maritime sector by 2050. The Initiative will be composed of a monthly participatory workshop, seeking to co-design a sustainable future vision and to identify technological solutions and financing tools that can support the identified pathways towards the future vision. The methodology followed by SDSN Greece, which has a more than 10-year experience on Living Labs and roundtables organisation, is Systems Innovation approach.

The Third Sustainability Summit, held in Athens, Greece on 16^th-17^th October 2019, gave key stakeholders the chance to initiate preliminary discussions on this issue. After this opening step, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports was launched at the COP25 in December 2019 in Madrid, Spain.

This Initiative will seek to address innovative solutions through a global dialogue on:

Synergies between the maritime, the energy and the financial sector, ports, Governments and Universities and NGOs
Implementation of existing international and national policies & Increase of public policy support
Incentives for the low carbon transition supporting R&D and innovation
Upscale best practices in maritime decarbonization internationally
Available financial tools and investments

Timeline:

27/11/2020: Fifth meeting of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports

31/10/2020: Fourth meeting of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports: The port of Piraeus case

30/09/2020: Third meeting of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports

31/08/2020: Second meeting of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports

31/07/2020: Kick-off meeting of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports (Press release)

For more information contact:

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri

Prof. Andreas Papandreou

Lydia Papadaki

Το άρθρο Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Initiatives Αρχεία - Ae4ria

Climathons

SDSN Global Climate Hub | Systemic pathways to Climate Neutrality and Climate Resilience

Human Security for All | UN Trust Fund & World Academy of Art and Science

An initiative of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security and
the World Academy of Art and Science
in support of the United Nations’ commitment to Human Security

Visit the HS4A website

Financial Portfolio SDG dashboard

SDG company Sustainability assessment framework

SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group

SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group

Reports of the Senior Working Group

Read the 1st EGD Senior Working Group report

Read the 2nd EGD Senior Working Group report

Members

UN SDSN Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas Initiative

UN SDSN Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas Initiative

Mission

Supporting Institutions & Projects

Coordinators & Advisory Board

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission

Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports

Initiatives Αρχεία - Ae4ria

Climathons

SDSN Global Climate Hub | Systemic pathways to Climate Neutrality and Climate Resilience

Human Security for All | UN Trust Fund & World Academy of Art and Science

An initiative of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security and the World Academy of Art and Science in support of the United Nations’ commitment to Human Security

Visit the HS4A website

Financial Portfolio SDG dashboard

SDG company Sustainability assessment framework

SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group

SDSN European Green Deal Senior Working Group

Reports of the Senior Working Group

Read the 1st EGD Senior Working Group report

Read the 2nd EGD Senior Working Group report

Members

UN SDSN Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas Initiative

UN SDSN Sustainable Euro-Asian Seas Initiative

Mission

Supporting Institutions & Projects

Coordinators & Advisory Board

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission

Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping and Ports

An initiative of the UN Trust Fund for Human Security and
the World Academy of Art and Science
in support of the United Nations’ commitment to Human Security