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:
- Climate Data Platforms and Digital Applications
- Atmospheric Physics and Climatology
- Climate & Energy Systems Modeling
- Climate, Land Use, Water-Food-Energy-Biodiversity Nexus Modeling
- Climate & Health
- Innovation Acceleration for Climate Neutrality and Resilience
- Just Transition: Policies, Finance, Labor Market
- Transformative and Participatory Approaches
- Education, Training, Upskilling and Reskilling
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:
- Sustainable Blue Growth
- Water- Food- Energy Nexus
- Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation and Sustainable Finance
- SDGs – ESG: Quantification and Acceleration
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
