While security has become a central priority, she emphasises that Europe’s long-term resilience depends on sustained investment in productivity, climate resilience, the green and digital transitions, and strategic international partnerships—particularly within an increasingly complex and multipolar global landscape.

Watch the full interview (in Greek):

Το άρθρο Interview with Prof. Phoebe Koundouri on Europe’s Defence Spending Shift and Long-Term Resilience εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Drawing on the latest findings from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the discussion highlighted that 2025 is expected to rank as the second warmest year ever recorded globally. This development was presented not as an isolated occurrence, but as part of a persistent and well-documented trend of rising global temperatures.

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri underlined that this warming trend is intensifying the frequency, duration, and severity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, floods, and wildfires. These phenomena impose substantial social and economic costs, with far-reaching consequences for public health, labour productivity, critical infrastructure, energy systems, and food security.

The interview further emphasized that while the necessary scientific knowledge, data, technologies, and solutions already exist, the central challenge lies in effective implementation. This requires sustained capacity building, robust monitoring frameworks, and strong international cooperation.

Watch the interview (in Greek)

Το άρθρο Prof. Phoebe Koundouri in an Interview on MEGA News COSMOS: 2025 Climate Trends and Their Socioeconomic Implications εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

In her intervention, titled “War and the Environment: Geopolitical Instability and Its Impacts on Biodiversity,” Professor Koundouri examined how today’s multidimensional crises—climate change, environmental degradation, economic and social instability, demographic pressures, and geopolitical conflict—accelerate biodiversity loss and disrupt ecosystems. She also emphasized the central role of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the most comprehensive global framework for addressing these interconnected challenges, highlighting the urgency of integrated tools that bridge science, technology, finance, and implementation capacity.

Professor Koundouri further presented the systems-based methodologies developed at Ae4ria – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria, which bring together scientific evidence, technological innovation, financial instruments, and stakeholder engagement to support sustainable transitions. These methodologies also inform the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2027, where she serves as Chief Scientist.

Professor Koundouri extends her sincere appreciation to the organizers for the invitation.

Watch the keynote and full event here

Το άρθρο Addressing Biodiversity and Geopolitical Challenges: Keynote at “Climate Action 2025” εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Together with Dr. Marc Paganini (ESA), the session examined how Earth Observation can support accelerated and more effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as 2030 approaches, while also informing the post-2030 development agenda.

In her intervention, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri emphasized that the achievement of the SDGs is not feasible without the systematic integration of Earth Observation. She underscored the necessity of combining geospatial, environmental, and socioeconomic data to understand the complex and interconnected global challenges of our time and to design science-based, actionable pathways for sustainable development.

Prof. Koundouri presented a three-step, data-driven implementation framework:

1. Continuous monitoring and assessment using Earth Observation, statistical datasets, IoT outputs, and socioeconomic indicators.

2. Development of science-based pathways and integrated modelling that capture interdependencies across land, water, energy, ecosystems, the economy, and society.

3. Advancements in financing, capacity building, and governance reform to ensure equitable, scalable, and effective implementation.

Το άρθρο Earth Observation and the SDGs: Accelerating Action Toward 2030 and Beyond εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Prof. Koundouri recently had the pleasure of discussing these themes in an interview with Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), hosted by Prof. Sergio Vergalli within the Research Program “Modelling the Energy Transition (MET)”. The conversation explored the complexities of global climate governance and the COP process, the profound interconnections between mitigation and adaptation, and the realities of today’s intertwined economic, social, and environmental multi-crises.

The discussion also highlighted the crucial role of capacity building and digital twin systems in designing and testing evidence-based, just, and future-proof sustainability pathways before their implementation in the real world.

Watch the full interview here

Το άρθρο An Interview with FEEM: Exploring Climate Transformation and the Role of Science, Technology, and Policy εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

She highlighted Greece’s exceptionally high absorption rate of 50–59%, which reflects the country’s strong progress in delivering mature and impactful investments. Prof. Koundouri emphasised that the next EU framework will continue to prioritise the green transition, digitalisation and overall resilience, and underlined that Europe’s long-term competitiveness must be built on innovation, decarbonisation and strategic autonomy.

Watch the full interview (in Greek)

Το άρθρο Prof. Phoebe Koundouri on the Future of the Greek & European Economy εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

During her remarks, Prof. Koundouri highlighted the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2027 (GSDR 2027), where she serves as Chief Scientist. The report provides an assessment of global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, revealing that the world is currently only approximately 20% on track, including on climate objectives. A central focus of the report is the critical question of how to accelerate implementation effectively.

Prof. Koundouri emphasized that sufficient scientific knowledge already exists to guide action. What is required now is co-designed transformation across systems. Through AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria and the SDSN Global Climate Hub, she is advancing integrated, science-based pathways and open platforms that translate plans into tangible investment and policy action.

She joined fellow experts Jeff Schlegelmilch (Columbia Climate School) and Efi Kyriakopoulou (AUEB/SLU) in a discussion moderated by Irene Nomikou-Lazarou (Columbia Climate School / IOBE).

Το άρθρο Accelerating Climate Action: Lessons from Greece at the Columbia Global Center Athens for COP30 εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

In her speech, she presented AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria’s holistic framework and its practical applications for companies aiming to align with international sustainability standards while maximizing long-term value creation.

AE4RIA Metrix offers tools and solutions that downscale the UN SDSN frameworks and quantify the ESG and SDG footprint of companies in line with CSRD. These decision-making tools assist companies in developing their pathways towards sustainability, creating true value beyond compliance. They also support the development of harmonized data collection processes across the value chain and the creation of a database that communicates with the provided tools.

Watch here 

Το άρθρο Keynote by Professor Phoebe Koundouri at the 17th Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Conference in Nicosia εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

The event, hosted by ASviS – Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations, the UN Global Compact Network Italy, and SDSN Italy, took place live from Rome and New York during the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week NYC.

In her intervention, Professor Phoebe Koundouri, Co-Chair of the forthcoming United Nations Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) – the last before the 2030 deadline – reflected on both progress and setbacks:

The state of the SDGs: Current reports from the United Nations and the SDSN Global Climate Hub confirm that only 17–18% of the Sustainable Development Goals are on track. Vital systems – food, water, land, and oceans – remain in deep crisis. While Europe has advanced frameworks such as the European Green Deal, global and national implementation efforts are still lagging behind.

The way forward: The SDGs must remain the global framework for action, with light revisions to reflect the impacts of artificial intelligence, shifting geopolitics, and emerging realities. Solutions are not lacking: policy frameworks, financing instruments, and technological innovations are already available. What is missing is a dedicated global mechanism to coordinate science, technology, finance, and capacity building – and to translate knowledge into large-scale action.

Watch the event recording here: Link

Distinguished speakers included:

• Enrico Giovannini, Scientific Director of ASviS and former Minister for Infrastructure and Transport of Italy

• Edmondo Cirielli, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

• Diene Keita, Executive Director of UNFPA

• Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations

Το άρθρο Professor Phoebe Koundouri Speaks at UNGA Event on the 10-Year Review of the 2030 Agenda εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

As Chair of the SDSN Global Climate Hub, Prof. Koundouri highlighted the Hub’s analysis showing that the costs of inaction are enormous, both globally and in Europe, posing serious threats to economies, public health, and ecosystems.

The UN SDSN Global Climate Hub, in collaboration with the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub, has developed detailed transition pathways for all countries in Europe and the Balkans, aimed at avoiding these costs and setting a course toward sustainable development and long-term growth.

These pathways demonstrate the technologies, policies, and fiscal and financial instruments that can accelerate climate mitigation and adaptation, while simultaneously fostering economic growth, labour market opportunities, and greater equality across Europe.

You can find the interview here at 23:09.

Το άρθρο Prof. Phoebe Koundouri on Mega TV News: The Rising Costs of Climate Change and the Pathways to Sustainable Growth εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.