When: Wednesday, April 3, 15:00 – 21:00

Where: Deree Upper Level Library & Deree Student Lounge

Organized by: ACG Center of Excellence for Sustainability, in collaboration with Deree Environmental Studies program, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece and Climate KIC Greece. Under the auspices of the Bank of Greece.

Open to the public

Photographs and/or video will be taken during the event.

A half-day Symposium, addressing one of the most challenging issues of our time: Climate Change.

The symposium aims at offering the participants – and primarily students from both public and private educational tertiary institutions – the opportunity to be exposed to the views and practical ideas of renowned and inspiring professionals from business, NGOs and the academia. The Symposium will include a panel discussion with an interactive Q&A session, workshops, an open to the public photo contest and an exhibition of Deree student projects.

Speakers include Governor Yannis Stournaras as the keynote speaker, Socrates Famellos, Alternate Minister for Energy and Environment, Prof. Dimitris Lalas, University of Athens, Prof. Manolis Pleionis, Director and President of the Board of Directors of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Nikos Charalambidis, Executive Director of Greenpeace Greece, Dr. Andreas Papandreou, Professor of Environmental Economics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens & UN SDSN Co-Chair, Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, Athens University of Economics & Business, Climate KIC Director & UN SDSN Co-Chair, Dr. Anastasia Misseyanni, Head Department of Science and Mathematics & Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Deree, and Dr. Michael Valahas, Director ACG Center of Excellence for Sustainability.

For further information please contact Ms. Rania Assariotaki, ACG Sustainability Manager, Office of Public Affairs at [email protected].

Symposium Sessions

15:00 – 18:30 Scientific Session: Fighting Climate Change: How can we act responsibly?

This session is aimed at presenting the scientific content of Climate Change in Greece. It focuses on elaborating on the current state, threats and challenges for the future, under the global Climate Change conditions. Central goal of the session is to present Climate Change under different but interrelated scientific perspectives, while stimulating discussion and critical thinking on how to formulate holistic solutions able to combat this global problem and eliminate its negative impacts for the environment and the society.

19:00 – 20:30 Gamifying Climate Change

This session will use popular gaming techniques to enhance understanding of climate change impacts, identify level of awareness and assist the process of formulating relevant solutions.

Game 1 ‘SDGs and Climate’ (Fully booked)

The ‘SDGs and Climate’ Game is a two part  interactive test of knowledge game where the whole group of participants vote lively for the best suitable answer among various possible ones for the meaning and scope of the 17 UN SDGs plus the  EIT Climate – KIC objectives. A third part of the game will be dedicated to voting the best startup idea concerning the climate change problem coming from the CLIMATE KIC accelerator program.

Game 2 ‘Debating Tennis’ (Fully booked)

A game in which players debate and argue in favour or against motions/statements related to climate change. The game is aiming at improving understanding of the current climate conditions and alerting the participants regarding the impacts of climate change.

Game 3 ‘Stabilization Wedges Game’ (Fully booked)

‘The Stabilization Wedges Game’ is a team-based exercise (a Board Game) that teaches players about the scale of the greenhouse gas problem; it focuses on already existing technologies that could enable a pathway of reduced carbon and eliminate the dramatic impacts of climate change.

21:00  Music Performance by Deree students of MU 1044 Jazz and Popular Music Ensemble

Musicians/Performers
Athanasios Lamprou- voice, Sophia Polychroni- voice, Vasileia Maxakouli- piano, Alexis Nantaragia- electric guitar, Aspasia Nistikouli-electric bass, Christos Papadopoulos- drums, George Alexopoulos- keyboard, Achilleas Spais- voice, Elia El Haddad- Electric Guitar, Dimitris Tortulas- keyboards

To see the full program click here.

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Please reserve your seat here!

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Speakers’ bios

Yannis Stournaras
Governor, Bank of Greece

Born in Athens, December 10, 1956. He graduated from the Department of Economics, University of Athens (1978). He obtained his post-graduate degrees (MPhil 1980, DPhil 1982) from Oxford University, where he also worked from 1981 to 1985 as a Research Fellow and Lecturer at St. Catherine’s College and as Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Today he is Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Athens (joined 1989). From 1994 to July 2000 he was Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. From 2000 to 2004 he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Emporiki Bank. He served as Director General of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) (September 2009-June 2012). He was Minister of Finance from July 2012 until June 2014. Since June 2014 he is Governor of the Bank of Greece.

 

Socrates Famellos,
Alternate Minister for Energy and Environment

Socrates Famellos was born in Athens in 1966 and raised in Thessaloniki. He holds a Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MSc in Environmental Planning from the Hellenic Open University.

He was first elected as Member of the Parliament with SYRIZA in January 2015 and re-elected in September 2015. He was appointed Parliamentary Representative of SYRIZA in October 2015, and Chairman of the Inquiry Commission of the Parliament in April 2016, which was aimed at investigating the legality of the bank loans given to Political Parties and Mass Media owners. He was appointed Alternate Minister for Environment and Energy in November 2016.

As Chemical Engineer, Mr. Famellos has extensive experience in the fields of Environmental Engineering, Water Resources management, Recycling, Solid and Liquid Waste Management. He has been member of the Board of the Technical Chamber of Greece from 1997 till 2015, and member of the National Delegation of the Technical Chamber of Greece from 2003 till 2015.

Professor Dimitris Lalas

Prof. Dimitris Lalas has represented Greece in the international climate change negotiations from 1995 to 2005 and from 2009 till 2013. He served as the Director of the National Observatory of Athens from 1994 till 2005 and prior to this from 1988 to 1990 as the first Director of the Greek Center for Renewable Energy Sources. He has held positions at the University of Athens (chaired professor of Meteorology) and in the United States. He headed the teams that compiled the first national plan to reduce GHG emissions in Greece in 2001, the Greek EU Emissions Trading Allowance Allocation Plans in 2003 and 2006 and the first Greek Energy and Climate Roadmap to 2050, in 2011. He continues to be active in the energy-climate-environment-economics nexus.

Professor Manolis Pleionis
Director and President of the Board of Directors of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA)

Manolis Pleionis is the Director and President of the BoD of the National Observatory of Athens, a Professor at the Physics Department of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Astrophysics, Optics & Electronics (INAOE) of Mexico and Vice Chairman of the Board of the Science and Technology Museum NOESIS.

He received a Mathematics degree from the University of Crete and a PhD in Observational Cosmology in 1989 from the University of Sussex in the UK. He has published over 220 scientific articles and many popular science articles, while he has supervised many doctoral, master’s and undergraduate theses. His research interests are related to Observational Cosmology, Large-Scale Structure of the Universe and Extragalactic Astrophysics.

Nikos Charalambides
Executive Director of Greenpeace Greece

He has studied Physics in the University of Athens, pursued his post graduate studies (MSc) at the University Pierre et Marie Currie (Paris VI) in France on Meteorology-Oceanology and later post graduate studies (MSc) at the University of Athens, Greece, in General Oceanography.

Since 1985 he is actively involved in environmental protection mainly through his participation in grassroot organizations. In 1992 he joined Greenpeace as ocean ecology campaigner. In 1998 he became coordinator of the campaigns department. Since February 2002 he is the Executive Director of Greenpeace in Greece.He is following the debate on energy-climate change for more than 20 years.

Andreas A. Papandreou
Professor of Environmental Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Andreas A. Papandreou is a Professor in the Economics Department of the University of Athens. He received his BSc in Economics from the University of London, Queen Mary College and his MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. He became a Doctor of Philosophy at Merton College, Oxford University, in 1990. Dr. Papandreou has 30 years of academic experience in various universities, including University College London and Harvard. His research and published work are mostly in the fields of environmental economics, institutional economics, political economy and welfare economics. Among his publications are “Externality and Institutions” (1998) Oxford University Press. He is alternate Head of the Department of Economics and Director of the Section of Political Economy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He is a Research Associate of the International Center of Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8). He is the Director of the Political Economy of Sustainable Development Lab (PESD) at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The Lab has also established the Athens Behavioral and Experimental Economics and Social Sciences Unit (ABEESS) to undertake, inter alia, experimental research relating to sustainable development. He is Co-chair of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece (SDSN Greece).

Dr. Michael T. Valahas
Director, Center of Excellence for Sustainability, Office of Public Affairs, The American College of Greece

Michael Valahas is the Director of the Center of Excellence For Sustainability at The American College of Greece and Adjunct Professor within the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. He received his BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and his PhD in Virology from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, as a Maitland-Ramsay Scholar. He has been a member of the Deree faculty since 2006 and serves in teaching positions both within Deree and Pierce. Since 2017 he directs the CES through which he has aided the sustainability efforts of ACG through lecturing and outreach. His research interests include the biological chemistry of small molecules, molecular virology as well as environmental biochemistry.

 

Dr. Anastasia Misseyanni
Associate Professor, Head of Department of Science and Mathematics, Deree – The American College of Greece

Anastasia Misseyanni is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Deree – The American College of Greece. She holds a Chemistry degree from the University of Athens and graduate degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Paris 7 (DEA) and the University of Marburg (PhD). She has been a member of the Deree Science faculty since 1992. In her long career in teaching she has developed and taught a significant number of undergraduate natural science and environmental studies courses with emphasis on chemistry, biological chemistry, environmental science, ecology, water resources and integrated methods in environmental analysis, thus serving the needs of the Environmental Studies and the Liberal Education programs. She has conducted research in the fields of protein-DNA interactions and hormone-regulated gene expression. She has also been active in the scholarship of teaching. Her present research interests include Mediterranean biodiversity and green roofs, environmental health issues, sustainability initiatives in higher education, innovative teaching and learning strategies in STEM disciplines, active and experiential learning. She coordinated the development of the Deree Environmental Studies program and has served as its program coordinator since 2010. Since fall 2014, she serves as Head of the Department of Science and Mathematics. She has contributed to efforts and initiatives to promote sustainability at ACG.

Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri
Athens University of Economics and Business, Visiting Professor at the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, London School of Economics, co-chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Network – Greece & director of Climate KIC

Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri holds a PhD (2000), MSc (1996) and MPhil (1995) in Economics from the University of Cambridge (UK). She is Professor in Economic and Econometric Theory and Applications (with special emphasis on Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment) at the School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece). She is also Founder and Scientific Director of the Research Laboratory: ReSEES: Research on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability at the same University. She is the Founder and Scientific Chair of the International Center for Research on the Economy and the Environment (ICRE8, www.icre8,eu). She is a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, London School of Economics (UK). She is an affiliated Professor at the ATHENA Research and Innovation Center, Greece, where she directs Climate KIC Greece (https://www.climate-kic.org/). Professor Phoebe Koundouri is also the co-chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Network – Greece (unsdsn.gr).

Dr. Stella Apostolaki
Adjunct Professor, Department of Science and Mathematics, The American College of Greece – DEREE

Stella Apostolaki is Adjunct professor at the Environmental Studies Program, Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics of the American College of Greece – DEREE. She holds a BSc/(Hons) in Environmental Science, an MSc in Urban Water and Environmental Management and a PhD on Sustainable urban drainage systems and River Management options, obtained from the University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland – U.K, under funding received by the Environment Agency for England & Wales, in collaboration with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and by HR Wallingford Consultants. Her expertise and research interests include: integrated water management and innovation, sustainable development, sustainable stormwater management and climate change, conservation of biodiversity, public awareness – stakeholder engagement methods and public education, green urban planning with emphasis on amenity and biodiversity.

She has a wide research experience; has worked as a researcher in collaboration with Universities and Authorities in Greece and in the U.K., and has participated in numerous EU funded projects. Her work has been published in journals, international conference proceedings and books. She has a wide research experience; has worked as a researcher in collaboration with Universities and Authorities in Greece and in the U.K., and has participated in numerous EU funded projects. Her work has been published in journals, international conference proceedings and books.

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Partner Institutions

The Center of Excellence for Sustainability (CES)

The office of Public Affairs monitors and registers all sustainability-related activity and oversees the operation of the Center of Excellence for Sustainability (CES). Founded in 2011, the Center of Excellence for Sustainability is a collaborative initiative that brings together education, research, operations and events to advance sustainability on campus. CES aims to enhance and promote environmental awareness, education for sustainable development and sustainability research, while bridging educational activities and sustainable operations initiatives with experiential learning;

You can find more info here.

Deree Environmental Studies Program

Deree – The American College of Greece is the first independent educational institution in Greece to introduce a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Environmental Studies (ES), a dual degree, validated by The Open University, UK, and accredited by NECHE (New England Commission of Higher Education), US. Launched in fall 2010, the program aims to develop students’ understanding of the root causes and multiple dimensions of contemporary environmental issues – ecological, social, economic and political-, to provide students with a deep knowledge and understanding of the concepts of sustainability and to help them explore options for effectively addressing environmental challenges in an increasingly complex world. The program also aims to cultivate social responsibility and to provide students with research and employability skills. ES program graduates have been accepted to high-ranked European Universities for graduate studies and are pursuing green careers.

You can find more info here.

 

United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece

CLUSTER OF INSTITUTIONS

UN SDSN: United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Greece

Chairs: Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri and Prof. Dr. Andreas Papandreou

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) set up by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012, promotes practical problem solving for sustainable development, including the design and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015 by the United Nations.

Through a growing number of National and Regional Networks, SDSN supports the localization and implementation of SDGs, develops long-term transformative pathways for sustainable development, promotes education around Agenda 2030, and launches solution initiatives.

The Greek SDSN has been included in the SDSN network and is co-hosted by ICRE8: International Center for Research on the Environment and the Economy and the Political Economy of Sustainable Development Lab.

You can find more info here.

ICRE8: The International Center for Research on the Environment and the Economy

Founder and Scientific Director: Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri

The International Centre for Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8) is a nonprofit private Research Centre dedicated to interdisciplinary research on sustainable development and management of the Environment, Energy, Economy, Eco-innovations and their electronic versions (hence E8). The overarching goal of the Centre is to promote the understanding and implementation of Sustainable Development, as the only non-self-destructive path of socio-economic development.

You can find more info here.

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Research Laboratory on the Political Economy of Sustainable Development, PESD

Founder and Scientific Director: Prof. Dr. Andreas Papandreou

Political Economy of Sustainable Development Lab: The academic field of Sustainable Development is by its nature multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary. Economics has always been at the core of the idea of sustainable development. Despite the substantial academic and research activity on the many aspects of sustainable development there are few research centers devoted to the political economy dimension of sustainable development. The political economy of sustainable development focuses, inter alia, on how institutions, the political environment and the economy interact and influence each other and thus form the underlying conditions that allow or prevent sustainable development. The importance of the political economy dimension is apparent when considering the failings of the global community to take adequate climate action in view of the unprecedented scientific consensus for its need. The obstacles to concerted action can be found in the way that political and economic power prevent the necessary institutional, political, and economic changes that will bring about a transition to a low carbon economy. The recent crisis in Greece has revealed in the toughest way the many failings of achieving sustainable development as well as the deeper political economy causes underlying these. The lab is dedicated to researching this crucial political economy dimension of sustainable development as well as promoting teaching and student involvement in these matters.

You can find more info here.

Athens University of Economics and Business, Research Laboratory on Environmental and Social Sustainability, ReSEES.

Founder and Scientific: Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri founded the Research laboratory on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (ReSEES) in June 2016. The ReSEES laboratory is the outcome of the evolution of the Research Team on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (http://www2.aueb.gr/users/koundouri/resees/resees.html)

ReSEES does policy relevant interdisciplinary research on environmental, natural resources and energy issues. The overarching goal of ReSEES theoretical and empirical research is to support the understanding and implementation of Sustainable Development, as the only non-self-destructive path of socio-economic development.

Central to ReSEES laboratory mission is the pursuit of excellence in the conduct and presentation of research and a commitment to explore relevant environmental, natural resources and energy, issues for a variety of circumstances and stakeholders and across different temporal and spatial scales.

You can find more info here.

ATHENA Research and Innovation Center

Director: Prof. Dr. Yannis Ioannidis

Athena Research and Innovation Center is a Public Research Center, under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

The vision of Athena RC is to serve the full spectrum of the research lifecycle, starting from basic and applied research, continuing on to system & product building and infrastructure service provision, and ending with technology transfer and entrepreneurship. The fundamental role of Athena RC is to build knowledge and devise solutions and technologies for the digital society. Its value lies in the unique collection of skills and know-how of its researchers and professional staff and its national and international reputation.

You can find more info here.

EIT Climate KIC Greece

Director, EIT Climate KIC Greece: Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri

Partner-Institutions in EIT Climate KIC Greece: ATHENA Research and Innovations Center, Academy of Athens. Uni.Fund, ERFC, UN SDSN Greece, IOBE, Eunice Energy Group

EIT Climate-KIC is a European knowledge and innovation community, working towards a prosperous, inclusive, climate-resilient society founded on a circular, zero-carbon economy. The EIT Climate-KIC is part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the EIT Community. The EIT is a body of the European Union and a global innovation leader, delivering world class solutions to societal problems

EIT Climate KIC Europe here

EIT Climate KIC Greece here

World Human Forum

Founder and Director: Alexandra Mitsotaki

Do you believe in a brighter future and our ability to build it together?

Imagine a world that puts the lives of people at the centre of development and economic thinking. Imagine a world where people feel empowered to achieve happiness; where they care for each other, other species and the environment; where acting cooperatively, ethically and responsibly is the norm rather than the exception. Imagine a world where people feel inspired to pursue their dreams and contribute to society. Imagine a world that is equitable, sustainable and pacified.

The purpose of the World Human Forum is to help create such a world.

You can find more info here.