ICRE8 December 2017 Newsletter
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Newsletter
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From the editor: Dear Readers, It is a great honour to be the ICRE8 Newsletter Editor and a great pleasure to launch our fifth edition. In this issue we will present the various projects, activities and events in which the ICRE8 and SDSN Greece members were actively involved during the period from March 2017 until the end of 2017. The dedication and hard work of all ICRE8 members are represented in each article and I would like to thank all ICRE8 and SDSN researchers and colleagues for their contribution, without which there would not have been this newsletter issue. I hope that you will enjoy reading our Newsletter and we would appreciate you sharing your suggestions and feedback on this issue with us. Also, at this joyous time of year, we wish you abundance, happiness and peace and may this New Year ahead bring you exciting new plans for the future.  |
ABOUT ICRE8
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.
Central to the mission of ICRE8 is the pursuit of excellence in conducting and presenting research, and a commitment to exploring relevant environmental, natural resources and energy issues, for a variety of circumstances and stakeholders and across different temporal and spatial scales. In particular, ICRE8 focuses on developing structured and methodologically sound approaches to recognizing, demonstrating and capturing the Total Economic Value of public goods and services, and integrating them in long-run cost benefit analysis, in order to inform sound and sustainable management tools and policy making, while recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of the challenge.
ICRE8, SDSN-Greece, Political Economy of Sustainable Development Laboratory (PESD) of the National and Kappodistrian Univeristy of Athens (NKUA), the Research Team on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (ReSEES) of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and Athena Research and Innovation Center, form a cluster of leading research institutes with a strong commitment to research related to the environment, climate change, energy, sustainability, and innovation, with an exceptional record in attracting research funding, achieving successful completion of influential projects with explicit policy interventions, and producing numerous academic and popular publications.
The research at ICRE8 is structured around 4 Research Departments:
Sustainable Development Solutions
Economics and Econometrics: Modelling and Applications
Stakeholder Analysis and Decision Support Systems
Energy, Economic Policy and Regional Cooperation
To read more about ICRE8, visit our website: www.icre8.eu
ICRE8 News
New ICRE8 H2020 project COASTAL!
We are really, really pleased that our COASTAL: Collaborative And Sea inTegration pLatform proposal, under the H2020-RUR-2016-2017 Call has been positively evaluated, and has now passed to the Grant Agreement Preparation Phase.
ICRE8 is a part of the 28 member consortium and the project is coordinated by the Environmental Modelling Unit (RMA) of VITO nv (VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V.), Belgium.
The goal of the COASTAL project is to formulate and evaluate business solutions and policy recommendations aimed at improving the coastal-rural synergy to foster rural and coastal development while preserving the environment. Rural development in the EU is increasingly affected by changing market developments, decreasing population densities, urban sprawl, lack of employment, desertification and other environmental, economic and social pressures. On the other hand, coastal areas provide interesting business opportunities but are also influenced by economic activities in the hinterland.
Professor Koundouri appointed member of the Scientific Program Committee at the 2018 International Conference on "Climate Change in the Mediterranean & the Middle East: Challenges & Solutions”
Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE) has been appointed as a member of the Scientific Program Committee at the International Conference on "Climate Change in the Mediterranean & the Middle East: Challenges & Solutions”, which will take place in Nicosia, Cyprus, on the 18th and 19th of May 2018, with pre-Conference Workshops taking place on the 16th and 17th of May 2018.
Professor Koundouri delivered a speech at the "EMME-CARE" launch event in Cyprus
Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE) gave a speech on Integrating the Interaction Between Society, Economy & Nature in Sustainable Development Solutions to Address Societal Challenges at the H2020 TEAMING Strategic Project "EMME-CARE" launch event at the Cyprus Institute of Technology, for the Creation of a Centre of Excellence for Climate Change and Atmospheric Research.
Two outcome papers for the ICRE8 "Deep Uncertainty" seminar series
The ICRE8 weekly “Deep Uncertainty” seminar series have continued during Fall 2017, taking place every Wednesday, from 12:00-2:30 pm at ATHENA RIC premises in Marousi, Greece. This year’s presenters were Nikolaos Englezos (ICRE8, UNIPI), Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE), Andreas Papandreou (ICRE8, NKUA), Georgios Papagiannis (AUEB), Electra V. Petracou (UAegean), Nikitas Pittis (ICRE8, UNIPI), Panagiotis Samartzis (ICRE8), and Anthanasios Yannacopoulos (AUEB).
Professor Koundouri keynote speech “Option and Other Values of the Environment” at the 14th Summer School in Stochastic Finance
Professor Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE) gave a keynote speech with the title "Option and Other Values of the Environment" at the 14th Summer School in Stochastic Finance, organized by the Departments of Statistics, Business Administration and Accounting & Finance of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and the Department of Mathematics of theUniversity of the Aegean , which took place from August 28th to September 1st, 2017 in Athens.
Globaqua Programmes of Measures Integration Workshop, 12 - 13 of September 2017, Athens
The Globaqua Project (FP7) Programmes of Measures Integration Workshop took place on the 12thand 13th of September, 2017, in Maroussi, Greece. The workshop was hosted by ATHENA Research and Innovation Center. Within the purposes of the project on managing the effects of multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems under water scarcity, the workshop foci were the development of the joint stakeholder survey, as well as the coordination and integration of work within the project work packages with the aim to effectively produce recommendations for Programmes of Measures. The issues covered in the workshop addressed questions on how partners can make a coordinated effort towards the joint stakeholder survey and how the joint stakeholder survey can inform the development of Programmes of Measures recommendations. Participants included Ralph Ludwig (LMU), Phoebe Koundouri (ATHENA, AUEB, ICRE8, LSE), Ebun Akinsete (ATHENA, ICRE8), Stella Tsani (ATHENA, ICRE8, AUEB), Philippe Ker Rault (Wageningen Environmental Research), Alberto Pistocchi (JRC) and Nick Vouvoulis (Imperial College).
The EAERE 2017 conference, organized by ICRE8, was a great success!
The 23rd annual scientific conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) was hosted by ICRE8 in Athens, from 28 June to 1 July. Nearly 150 different sessions were held at both the Megaron International Conference Center and ALBA Graduate Business School, on topics ranging from climate change, sustainable development, and environmental policy, to ecosystems and biodiversity, renewable energy, clean technology and greening of the economy. More than 800 economists, students, policy makers, and practitioners attended the conference. Although, the majority of attendees came from Europe, people from all continents of the world participated, traveling from countries as far away as Chile, Uruguay, New Zealand, Korea and the Philippines.
The EAERE 2017 conference was organized by ICRE8, in cooperation with Athens University of Economics and Business, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the ATHENA Research and Innovation Center. The conference was held under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens, with invaluable support from a number of local sponsors including the ALBA Graduate Business School, John S. Latsis Public Foundation, the Bank of Greece Climate Change Impacts Study Committee, Gutenberg Publishing House, Katogi Averof Winery, the Mariolopoulos – Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences, and Kathimerini Newspaper.
The conference featured keynote addresses from world-renowned experts on vital environmental issues, as well as policy sessions and thematic sessions, and presentations of a large number of research papers in parallel and poster sessions. There was also an exhibition including environment-related publications from Springer Publishing, Cambridge University Press, Environment for Development, University of Chicago Press, and the Environmental Defense Fund, while Elsevier and the journal Nature Sustainability provided generous sponsorships. Evening events at the Parko Eleftherias, the garden of the Academy of Athens and the Ecali Club allowed participants the opportunity to interact informally while enjoying Greek hospitality in natural environments.
EAERE 2017 Related Policy Workshop on Sustainability and Resource Valuation
The Workshop was organized under the auspices of SDSN Greece by the Political Economy of Sustainable Development Laboratory (PESD) of the Department of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Business (ReSEES Laboratory) and the International Center for Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8). PESD and ICRE8 are the hosting institutions of SDSN-Greece. The workshop took place on Wednesday 28th of June, at the historical premises of the Kostis Palamas building at the University of Athens, and brought together interdisciplinary participants including leading international experts, academics and practitioners from various scientific fields, with the aim to provide answers to the following question: How should one evaluate and manage natural resources over time and space in an uncertain world?
Andreas Papandreou, Professor of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, opened the workshop with a talk about the political economy perspectives of climate change policy indicating areas of advancement and steps yet to be implemented. Next, participants attended a recorded lecture of Jeffrey D. Sachs, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, Columbia University and Leader of the Global Sustainable Development Solutions Network who pointed to the role of education on achieving sustainable development in times of crisis. Phoebe Koundouri, Professor of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business, and Scientific Director of ICRE8, in her presentation on deriving economic value and the role of information under uncertainty highlighted the importance of valuation in implementing sustainable development. Yannis Ioannidis, Professor of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and President and General Director of ATHENA Research and Innovation Center spoke about the importance of big data to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linking the topic to valuation aspects. Maria Damanaki, Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy, complemented the discussion on the importance of valuing nature with a practitioner’s perspective to the role of nature to fighting climate change. Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge, provided further insights with his presentation on the theory of reproductive rights and environmental externalities. Anastasios Xepapadeas, Professor of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business and University of Bologna, wrapped up the workshop with a presentation on the theory and modeling of environmental and resource-use networks.
ICRE8 participated in the 11th Meeting of the SDSN Leadership Council & the T20 Summit
ICRE8 General Administrator and SDSN-Greece Manager, Klea Morianou, as well as SDSN Greece Youth Coordinator, Christina Christoforou-Livani, participated in the SDSN Leadership Council meeting in Berlin, Germany, on the 30th and 31st of May, hosted by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and the ESMT. It was organized in collaboration with the Think T20 Summit, which featured two SDSN-hosted side events on the role of religion in global problem solving and on the SDGs and oceans. The T20 and SDSN agreed to partner on future work on long-term transformation pathways.
Klea Morianou also participated in the SDSN's National and Regional network staff capacity building and training event, on June 1, which was made possible through the generous support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Professor Phoebe Koundouri appointed the national pivot for the economy platform of the BLUEMED initiative
Prof. Phoebe Koundouri was appointed the national pivot for the economy platform of the BLUEMED initiative. The BLUEMED initiative, developed under the Italian Presidency of the EU Council in 2014 together with the Mediterranean EU Member States and Portugal and the support of the European Commission, fosters integration of knowledge and efforts to develop blue growth in the Mediterranean and promotes joint actions of relevant research and innovation priorities. In addition, it maximises the leverage effects of the research investments. BLUEMED offers a shared strategic framework for working towards a healthy, productive and resilient Mediterranean Sea that is better known and valued. It is designed to tap into the full potential of the marine and maritime sectors, structuring transnational cooperation to create new ‘blue’ jobs and to promote and improve social wellbeing, sustainable prosperity and the environmental status of the region and its surroundings. Four national platforms (Economy, Policy, Technology, Knowledge) will interact with and inform all relevant Greek stakeholders about the actions planned in the framework of Blue Growth in Greece and the Mediterranean, in relation to the European Strategy for Adriatic Ionian macro-region (EUSAIR) and the BLUEMED Initiative. ICRE8 is an active stakeholder of the Economy platform.
ICRE8 joined the Greek Hub for Blue Energy led by the Hellenic Centre for Marine research and the Center for Renewable Energy Sources
ICRE8 joined the Greek Hub for Blue Energy led by the Hellenic Centre for Marine research and the Center for Renewable Energy Sources. Senior researcher Dr. Stella Tsani represented ICRE8 at the Greek Hub demonstration event organized by the Greek partners of the PELAGOS project (Promoting innovative cLusters and nEtworks for mArine renewable energy synerGies in Mediterranean cOasts and iSlands-PELAGOS). The Hub aims at strengthening the cooperation among various stakeholders for supporting innovation in blue energy. ICRE8 is happy to support the Greek cluster for Blue Energy.
The EU waters and the Ocean of Tomorrow: New book by Prof. Koundouri on the investment assessment of multi-use offshore platforms
The latest book edited by Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE), The Ocean of Tomorrow, Investment Assessment of Multi-Use Offshore Platforms: Methodology and Applications - Volume 1, develops and applies an integrated socio-economic assessment of multi-use offshore platforms in European marine locations in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coast. The book is based on the interdisciplinary research within the MERMAID project (EU-FP7) in developing and applying an Integrated Socio-Economic Assessment of the sustainability of Multi-Use Offshore Platforms, using the results from the natural and engineering sciences as inputs, boundaries and constraints to the socioeconomic analysis. The book offers insights that result from a multi-disciplinary approach which combines a broad range of expertise in hydraulics, wind engineering, aquaculture, renewable energy, marine environment, project management, socio-economics and governance. The analysis follows views and assessment of world experts from all relevant disciplines from academia, big companies and potential investors that have joined forces in the MERMAID project.
In the end of 2017, the second volume of the Ocean of Tomorrow will follow on the socio-economic framework for assessing multi use off-shore platforms investments. This framework results from the integration of the socioeconomic analysis of three FP7 funded projects under the call OCEAN.2011-1: Multi-Use Offshore Platforms, namely: MERMAID (Innovative Multi-purpose Off-Shore Platforms: Planning, Design and Operation), TROPOS (Modular Multi-use Deep Water Offshore Platform Harnessing and Servicing Mediterranean, Subtropical and Tropical Marine and Maritime Resources) and H2OCEAN (Development of a Wind-Wave Power Open-Sea Platform Equipped for Hydrogen Generation with Support for Multiple Users of Energy).
New ICRE8 Projects
ICRE8 has recently started to be involved in two new projects, COASTAL and BLUEMED CSA, that are part of the Horizon 2020 framework program. Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever, and aims to put research at the heart of the EU’s blueprint for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth and jobs. The COASTAL project is dedicated to fostering rural and coastal development while preserving the environment and it is structured around six closely interacting work packages with six complementary case studies in Sweden, Belgium, France, Spain, Greece, and Romania. The BLUEMED project is a Coordination and Support Action aimed at supporting the implementation of the BLUEMED Initiative as a key policy reference for all actors of Blue Growth in the Mediterranean.
COASTAL (H2020)
COASTAL - Collaborative lAnd Sea inTegration pLatform
The goal of the COASTAL project is to formulate and evaluate business solutions and policy recommendations aimed at improving the coastal-rural synergy to foster rural and coastal development while preserving the environment. Rural development in the EU is increasingly affected by changing market developments, decreasing population densities, urban sprawl, lack of employment, desertification and other environmental, economic and social pressures. On the other hand, coastal areas provide interesting business opportunities but are also influenced by economic activities in the hinterland.
BLUEMED CSA (H2020)
BLUEMED is the research and innovation Initiative for promoting the blue economy in the Mediterranean Basin through cooperation. It is the strategy of reference for the Mediterranean countries to work together for a healthy, safe and productive Mediterranean Sea. The BLUEMED Initiative will contribute to the creation of new ‘blue’ jobs, social wellbeing and a sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors through the implementation of its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, the BLUEMED SRIA.
Updates on Ongoing ICRE8 Projects
1st BRIGAID International Conference proceedings and presentations now available!
You can now download the proceedings and presentations of the BRIGAID First International Conference, that was held in Venice on the 9th and 10th of November 2017.
The conference aimed to provide a better insight on how to foster the role of end-users for an improved development of climate resilience innovations.
A sample of innovations supported by BRIGAID and the main BRIGAID frameworks and methods to support the development of innovations were introduced. Moreover, a number of end-users across Europe presented how they are coping with adaptation to increasing natural disasters and explained why end-users are key actors in bringing new products, new processes and new forms of organization into adaptation solutions to climatic events.
Prof. N. Theodossiou key-note presentation on the “The impacts of extreme rainfall on transport networks” at the 4th BRIGAID Project meeting (Venice, 9-10 November 2017)
ICRE8 researchers Prof. N. Theodossiou (AUTH, ICRE8), Evita Mailli and Petros Xepapadeas attended the 4th BRIGAID Project meeting, held in Venice on the 9-10 November 2017, representing ICRE8. The meeting was held at the Thetis SpA in Venice.
Prof. N. Theodossiou (AUTH, ICRE8) participated in the BRIGAID conference in Venice, providing a key-note presentation on the “The impacts of extreme rainfall on transport networks”. The presentation initiated a very interesting discussion on a number of topics like the development of monitoring instruments, ways to reduce the impacts of soil erosion and methodologies to improve the estimations of the profile of extreme rainfall events under climate change conditions.
THE BLUEBRIDGE WEBINAR: NEW GENERATION TOOLS FOR AQUACULTURE
The Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of NKUA, the SMEs CITE and i2S and ICRE8 participated in the BLUEBRIDGE PROJECT, which has a main aim the bridging between the information technology world and the Blue Economy communities. This group organised the "New generation tools in Aquaculture" Webinar on Wednesday 22th of November 2017.
For more information, click here.
The DAFNE Project Partners meeting in Zurich
ICRE8 was represented by Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE) and Dr. Nikos Englezos (ICRE8, UNIPI).
RECONNECT (Interreg) Kick off Meeting took place in Heraklion, Crete
The RECONNECT kick off meeting took place in Heraklion, Crete on the 8th and 9th of November 2017. Project partners came together to discuss project communication plans, deliverables and workflows and they presented the case studies of interest that included the following regions: Karpathos Saria and Astakidonision (Greece), Cavo Greco (Cyprus), Ksamil Bay and islands (Albania) and Gradina-Zlatna Ribka (Bulgaria). Stella Tsani, senior researcher at ICRE8, presented the work on social survey and choice experiment to be completed for the project.
The SIMRA Project Newsletter - October 2017
SIMRA (Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas) is a four-year project (2016-2020) funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme. It aims to advance understanding of social innovation and innovative governance in agriculture, forestry and rural development – and how to boost them – in marginalised rural areas across Europe and around the Mediterranean, including non-EU countries.
The DAFNE Project Newsletter is released!
To read it online, please click here.
The DAFNE First General Assembly took place in Leuven, 20-22 September 2017
For more information on the DAFNE project please visit the project website at https://dafne.ethz.ch.
Recent Publications
New book by Prof. Koundouri: The Ocean of Tomorrow, Investment Assessment of Multi-Use Offshore Platforms: Methodology and Applications - Volume 1
In the near future, the European oceans will be subjected to a massive development of marine infrastructures. The most obvious structures include offshore wind farms, constructions for marine aquaculture and the exploitation of wave energy. The development of these facilities will increase the need for marine infrastructures to support their installation and operation and will unavoidably exert environmental pressures on the oceans and marine ecosystems. It is therefore crucial that the economic costs, the use of marine space and the environmental impacts of these activities remain within acceptable limits. Hence, offshore platforms that combine multiple functions within the same infrastructure offer significant economic and environmental benefits. A key initiative in this context has been the launch of “The Ocean of Tomorrow” FP7 cross-thematic calls aiming at fostering multidisciplinary approaches and cross-fertilisation between various scientific disciplines and economic sectors on key cross-cutting marine and maritime challenges.
New articles
Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: Developments in Economic Models of Groundwater Management
(article)
A new article by ICRE8 researchers Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE) and Nikolaos Englezos (ICRE8, UNIPI) as well as ICRE8 associated researcher Prof. Catarina Roseta-Palma has been published in the International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol 11, Issue 1:
Koundouri, Phoebe, et al. “Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: Developments in Economic Models of Groundwater Management” International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, Vol. 11: No. 1, pp 55-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/101.00000091
Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (SMIRES) (article)
A new paper by ICRE8 Research Director Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE) has been published in the journal “Research Ideas and Outcomes”: "Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (SMIRES)":
Datry T, Singer G, Sauquet E, Jorda-Capdevilla D, Von Schiller D, Subbington R, Magand C, Pařil P, Miliša M, Acuña V, Alves M, Augeard B, Brunke M, Cid N, Csabai Z, England J, Froebrich J, Koundouri P, Lamouroux N, Martí E, Morais M, Munné A, Mutz M, Pesic V, Previšić A, Reynaud A, Robinson C, Sadler J, Skoulikidis N, Terrier B, Tockner K, Vesely D, Zoppini A (2017) Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams (SMIRES). Research Ideas and Outcomes, 2017. e21774. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.3.e21774
You can read it online or download it following this link: https://riojournal.com/article/21774/list/9/
Does the supplemental nutrition assistance program really increase obesity? The importance of accounting for misclassification errors (article)
Vassilopoulos, Achilleas and Drichoutis, Andreas C. and Jr., Rodolfo M. Nayga and Lazaridis, Panagiotis. "Does the supplemental nutrition assistance program really increase obesity? The importance of accounting for misclassification errors", Journal of Applied Statistics , vol. 0, no. 0, 2017, pp. 1-10.
Consumer preferences for fair labour certification (article)
Drichoutis, Andreas C and Vassilopoulos, Achilleas and Lusk, Jayson and Nayga, Rodolfo M, (2017). ''Consumer preferences for fair labour certification European Review of Agricultural Economics'', Volume 44, Issue 3, 1 July 2017, Pages 455–474, https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbx002
Deconstructing Sustainable Development (article)
Ebun Akinsete and Margaret-Mary Nelson (2017). ''Deconstructing Sustainable Development'', The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic, Social and Cultural Context, Volume 13, Issue 1, pp.53-71. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Published online: March 1, 2017.
Do Agents’ Characteristics Affect their Valuation of ‘Common Pool’ Resources? A Full-Preference Ranking Analysis for the Value of Sustainable River Basin Management (article)
Osiel González Dávila, Phoebe Koundouri, Theologos Pantelidis, Andreas Papandreou, “Do Agents' Characteristics Affect Their Valuation of 'Common Pool' Resources? A Full-Preference Ranking Analysis for the Value of Sustainable River Basin Management.”Science of The Total Environment, Volume 575, 1 January 2017, Pages 1462-1469, Elsevier, ISSN 0048-9697, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.014.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716321805
Download
A methodological note for the development of integrated aquaculture production models (article)
Tsani, S. and P. Koundouri. "A methodological note for the development of integrated aquaculture production models" Frontiers in Marine Science 4 (2017): 406. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00406
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2017.00406/abstract
Forthcoming Events
5th GLOBAQUA Training Course: ‘Economics of Sustainable Water Management in accordance to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (MEA) and Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030’
16/11/2017
The 5th GLOBAQUA training course on Economics of Sustainable Water Management in accordance to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (MEA) and Sustainable Development Goals of UN Agenda 2030 will take place on the 19th and 20th of February 2018 in Athens, Greece under the auspices of the UN SDSN Greece.(www.unsdsn.gr).
More
ISBS 2018 International Sandy Beaches Symposium
10/11/2017
2018 International Sandy Beaches Symposium: Linking knowledge to build integrated paradigms and face global change challenges
The ISBS 2018 will be held from the 25th to the 29th of May 2018. It will be hosted by the Institute for Marine Biology Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, at Gournes Pediados, Heraklion. It is organized in collaboration with ICRE8 under the auspices of SDSN Greece.
The ISBS2018 will be paired with the annual conference of the Euro Working Group on Decision Support Systems, which in 2018 will be on Environmental-based Decision Support Systems. Occasions of meeting between the two groups of researchers will be created.
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ReSEES News |
About ReSEES
The Research Labaratory on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (ReSEES) was founded in 2016 by Prof. Phoebe Koundouri and its field of expertise is 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, policy relevant interdisciplinary research on environmental, natural resources and energy issues.
New ReSEES Project
Sustainable Development Indicators for Integrating the Assessment of Corporate Performance in Corporate Financing Decisions (NSRF - National Strategic Reference Framework)
The objective of the present research is to propose a European-wide Sustainable Development Indicator (SDI) at the firm level which would provide investors in private and public sector projects with a screening tool for their investment choices indicating whether the outcomes of the strategies pursued by the underlying firms are in line with the goals of sustainable development. The characterization of corporate performance measures as SD compliant recognizes the shift in investors’ attitudes towards more ethical investment projects and at the same time identifies and rewards those private and public corporate agents who choose to align their strategies with what consumers and society at large perceive as sustainable and welfare-enhancing. Our proposed methodology consists of the following tasks: (i) identify the set of objectives making up the desired development set in a way that reflects the policy aspects involved in the productive strategies adopted by the underlying firms and robust at the same time reflecting the potential heterogeneity of applications (ii) propose a number of flexible design mechanisms (iii) identify the potential inefficiencies of the associated welfares measures. In this way, the proposed SDI should provide an adequate set of eligibility criteria which potential firms should satisfy in order to attain a higher rating. Our attempt requires valid empirical data which we hope to finance with the support of the present funding request.
Updates on Ongoing ReSEES Projects
ReSEES has participated in many projects since its foundation and recently it has been involved in the following projects: GLOBAQUA (FP7), Integrated Management Plan for Cyprus Coastal Waters, Climate Change under Uncertainty, National Contribution: GENESIS Project, National Contribution: MERMAID Project. In this section, you can read more about the updates on these projects.
Globaqua Programmes of Measures Integration Workshop, 12 - 13 of September 2017, Athens
18/09/2017
The Globaqua Project (FP7) Programmes of Measures Integration Workshop took place on the 12thand 13th of September, 2017, in Maroussi, Greece. The workshop was hosted by ATHENA Research and Innovation Center. Within the purposes of the project on managing the effects of multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems under water scarcity, the workshop foci were the development of the joint stakeholder survey, as well as the coordination and integration of work within the project work packages with the aim to effectively produce recommendations for Programmes of Measures. The issues covered in the workshop addressed questions on how partners can make a coordinated effort towards the joint stakeholder survey and how the joint stakeholder survey can inform the development of Programmes of Measures recommendations. Participants included Ralph Ludwig (LMU), Phoebe Koundouri (ATHENA, AUEB, ICRE8, LSE), Ebun Akinsete (ATHENA, ICRE8), Stella Tsani (ATHENA, ICRE8, AUEB), Philippe Ker Rault (Wageningen Environmental Research), Alberto Pistocchi (JRC) and Nick Vouvoulis (Imperial College).
More
Two outcome papers for the ICRE8 "Deep Uncertainty" seminar series
11/12/2017
The ICRE8 weekly “Deep Uncertainty” seminar series have continued during the fall 2017, taking place every Wednesday, from 12:00-2:30 pm at ATHENA RIC premises in Marousi, Greece. This year’s presenters were Nikolaos Englezos (ICRE8, UNIPI), Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE), Andreas Papandreou (ICRE8, NKUA), Georgios Papagiannis (AUEB), Electra V. Petracou (UAegean), Nikitas Pittis (ICRE8, UNIPI), Panagiotis Samartzis (ICRE8), and Anthanasios Yannacopoulos (AUEB).
The seminar has so far resulted in two papers:
1) Koundouri, Phoebe and Pittis, Nikitas and Samartzis, Panagiotis and Englezos, Nikolaos and Papandreou, Andreas (2017). Ambiguity Aversion, Modern Bayesianism and Small Worlds.
2) Koundouri, Phoebe and Pittis, Nikitas and Samartzis, Panagiotis and Englezos, Nikolaos and Papandreou, Andreas (2017). Alternative Types of Ambiguity and their Effects on Climate Change Regulation.
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Newsletter |
About SDSN Greece
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 and was officially launched in September 2017. It is co-chaired by Prof. Phoebe Koundouri and Prof. Andreas Papandreou, aiming to contribute to achieving the goals of the SDSN network.
SDSN Greece News
Official Launch of SDSN Greece - A Success!
22/09/2017
An Aristotelian Perspective on Sustainable Development
The inauguration of the Greek Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in Greece kicked off on September 6th, 2017 with a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the UN SDSN Global network. This was followed by an Executive Dinner of the Leadership Council of SDSN Greece, where the co-chairs of the network Prof. Phoebe Koundouri and Prof. Andreas Papandreou introduced the prominent members of the Leadership Council of SDSN Greece to the distinguished guests of the wider SDSN Greece community. The guest of honor Prof. Sachs was the keynote speaker at the event and shared his inspiring reflections about sustainability and its connection to Greece’s rich and profound history.
On September 7th & 8th, the 3rd Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Mediterranean Conference & Official Launch of SDSN Greece took place at the premises of the National Bank of Greece and the University of Athens. Both SDSN Greece events were co-organized by ICRE8 – International Centre for Research on the Environment and PESD Laboratory on Political Economy of Sustainable Development, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Business Laboratory on Research on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability (ReSEES/AUEB) and ATHENA Research Center. ICRE8, ReSEES/AUEB, ATHENA RC and PESD form a cluster of leading research institutes with a strong commitment to research on sustainable management of natural capital and technology, with an exceptional record in attracting research funding, completing influential projects and producing numerous academic and other publications, all with explicit policy interventions. The conference received nationwide coverage by communications sponsor Skai Media Group.
During the two-day conference, SDSN Greece Co-Chairs Prof. Phoebe Koundouri and Prof. Andreas Papandreou, as well as distinguished speakers from Greece and abroad, including Prof. Sachs and former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, spoke on topics ranging from climate change, sustainable development, and environmental policy, to ecosystems and biodiversity, renewable energy, clean technology and greening of the economy. There was also a special emphasis on the need to better incorporate and expand the role of sustainability issues within research activity and teaching of the Greek educational system, which was addressed by the Hellenic Universities Rectors’ Synod. Synchronous to the SDSN Mediterranean Conference was the Inaugural Annual SDSN Greece Youth Event, held at the Cultural Centre of Athens, and aimed at encouraging the younger generation to become informed and take action on issues of sustainability.
Building on the success of these events and encouraged by the broad support across the political spectrum, the Strategic Management Board of SDSN Greece is now shaping the way forward. Special focus will be placed on SDSN Greece’s three cross-cutting issues and a connection will be established with the following four thematic priorities: 1) Sustainable Shipping & Marine Resource Management, 2) Sustainable Tourism, 3) a Sustainable Food-Water-Energy Nexus and 4) Training and Education in Sustainable Development.
For more photos and media coverage & interviews from the 3rd SDSN Mediterranean Conference & Official Launch of SDSN Greece, click below.
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Watch online: “Sustainable Allocation of Investments: Integrating Natural Capital in the Equation” – Session 2, Official launch of SDSN Greece, September 2017
13/12/2017
We are in the process of uploading all sessions of the official launch of the SDSN Greece, anchored within the 3rd International SDSN Mediterranean Conference (MED Solutions), which was held on September 7-8, 2017, in Athens, Greece. You can now watch Sessions 1 and 2, chaired by Prof. Andreas Papandreou (PESD, NKUA, ICRE8) and Prof. Phoebe Koundouri (ICRE8, AUEB, LSE), Co-Chairs, SDSN Greece. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content on the SDSN Greece Launch and 2017 Med conference: ICRE8 YouTube Channel.
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Watch online: “Sustainable development in times of crisis” – Session 1, Official launch of SDSN Greece, September 2017
07/12/2017
“Sustainable development in times of crisis” was chaired by Prof. Andreas Papandreou, Co-Chair, SDSN Greece. It was the 1st panel session of the official launch of the SDSN Greece, anchored within the 3rd International SDSN Mediterranean Conference (MED Solutions), which was held on September 7-8, 2017, in Athens, Greece.
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“Entrepreneurship for the Circular Economy" co-organised by SDSN Greece
07/12/2017
Prof. Andreas Papandreou, co-chair of SDSN Greece, gave a speech at the workshop “Entrepreneurship for the Circular Economy" in Sparta, on December 1st 2017. The workshop was organized by the School of Human Movement and Quality of Life of the University of Peloponnese with the collaboration and participation of SDSN Greece.
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Professor Koundouri presentation at the “Shoreline clean-up and what then? Planning the next steps” conference
22/11/2017
ICRE8 research director, Professor Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB, ICRE8, LSE) and SDSN Greece co-chair participated in the “Shoreline clean-up and what then? Planning the next steps”, organized by the A.K. Laskaridis Public Benefit Foundation on Monday, November 20th 2017. Prof. Koundouri gave a keynote presentation on “Sustainable Blue Growth: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece”.
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EAERE 2017 Related SDSN Greece Policy Workshop on Sustainability and Resource Valuation
28/06/2017
The Workshop was organized under the auspices of SDSN Greece by the Political Economy of Sustainable Development Laboratory (PESD) of the Department of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Business (ReSEES Laboratory) and the International Center for Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8). PESD and ICRE8 are the hosting institutions of SDSN Greece. The workshop took place on Wednesday 28th of June, at the historical premises of the Kostis Palamas building at the University of Athens, and brought together interdisciplinary participants including leading international experts, academics and practitioners from various scientific fields, with the aim to provide answers to the following question: How should one evaluate and manage natural resources over time and space in an uncertain world?
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Watch the videos from the "Policy Workshop on Sustainability and Resource Valuation"
30/10/2017
The Workshop was organized under the auspices of SDSN Greece by the Political Economy of Sustainable Development Laboratory (PESD) of the Department of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, in collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Business (ReSEES Laboratory) and the International Center for Research on the Environment and the Economy (ICRE8). PESD and ICRE8 are the hosting institutions of SDSN-Greece. The Workshop brought together interdisciplinary participants including leading international experts, academics and practitioners from various scientific fields: Andreas Papandreou, Professor of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, Columbia University and Leader of the Global Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Phoebe Koundouri, Professor of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business, and Scientific Director of ICRE8, Yannis Ioannidis, Professor of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and President and General Director of ATHENA Research and Innovation Center, Maria Damanaki, Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy, Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge, Anastasios Xepapadeas, Professor of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business and University of Bologna.
To watch the videos from the Workshop, please follow the link:
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''The history and the future of the nuclear program of Iran'' - SDSN Greece Youth event, Thursday 14 December, Athens
Within the established partnership between UN SDSN Greece Youth and SAFIA (Student Association for International Affairs), the academic event under the title ''The history and the future of the nuclear program of Iran'' took place on the 14th of December at the Deanery of the School of Economics and Political Sciences at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Paparigopoulou Hall.
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UN SDSN Greece Youth Workshop: “Talk: Your Voice Makes You Stronger”
07/12/2017
SDSN Greece Youth organised and held an interactive, experiential workshop entitled “Talk: Your Voice Makes You Stronger” on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The workshop took place during the four-day pilot festival “The Athens We Need”, which was organised by Organisation Earth with the cooperation of Design 4 Futures.
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Greece’s GRID seventh in Open Junior at the World Robot Olympiad
15/11/2017
The Greek team GRID came seventh in the Open Junior category during the XIV World Robot Olympiad that took place in San Jose, Costa Rica, November 10th - 12th 2017. The team, made up of members Jason Stavros Somoglou and John Papadopoulos and coached by Dialekti-Athina Voutyrakou, competed with 33 teams from 27 different countries, with their final placing of 7th with 299.67 points, a national record for the country in the Open Junior Category. The category was topped by Russia’s BuilderBot, with a total of 361.33 points.
Under the auspices of SDSN Greece, PESD Lab (NKUA) and ICRE8, the two students and their coach secured funding (and sponsorship) by the National Bank of Greece to travel to and participate in the Olympiad, with additional support provided by Lectus adv., GoogleUdacityScholars, ipackaging, CLS and logika.
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SDSN Greece Youth Annual Call for Volunteers
23/10/2017
This year’s SDSN Greece Youth Annual Call for Volunteers took place on October 19th 2017 in Athens. The meeting was organized by the SDSN Greece Youth team in an effort to attract the young people that have shown an interest in being the part of the initiative and volunteering in its actions. The call attracted more than 30 young people, some of them university students and others belonging to the young labour force of our country.
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SDSN Greece participated in Researchers' Night 2017
02/10/2017
SDSN Greece participated in this year’s Greek Researchers' Night, which took place at the National Technical University of Athens, a historic building in the centre of Athens, on September 29, 2017. With the slogan "Meet the magic of Research", this year's event took place – simultaneously – with similar events in over 300 cities across Europe and in neighbouring countries, in the biggest annual European science and research celebration. SDSN Greece Assistant Manager Sotiri Mavrikis and SDSN Greece Youth Campus Coordinator Christoforos Zafeiris presented the SDSN initiative and the SDGs in the event.
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SDSN Greece Youth participated in four events in March 2017 in Athens
04/04/2017
The SDSN Youth Greece group participated in four events/conferences in Athens. After building partnerships with TEDxAUEB and the Athens Science Festival, and having AISEC Greece and SAFIA join the SDSN Greece Youth Network, the SDSN Youth team was invited to attend events organized by the respective organizations. During these four events, the SDSN Greece Youth team informed visitors about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDSN Greece, ICRE8 and SDSN Youth Greece.
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Professor Koundouri presentation at the “Shoreline clean-up and what then? Planning the next steps” conference
22/11/2017
ICRE8 Research Director, Professor Phoebe Koundouri (AUEB, ICRE8, LSE) and SDSN Greece co-chair participated in the “Shoreline clean-up and what then? Planning the next steps”, organized by the A.K. Laskaridis Public Benefit Foundation on Monday, November 20th, 2017. Prof. Koundouri gave a keynote presentation on “Sustainable Blue Growth: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Greece”.
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SDSN Greece Forthcoming Events
5th GLOBAQUA Training Course: ‘Economics of Sustainable Water Management in accordance to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (MEA) and Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030’
Venue: Athens, Greece
Date: 19th-20th of February, 2018
Under the auspices of the UN SDSN Greece (www.unsdsn.gr)
The 5th GLOBAQUA training course on Economics of Sustainable Water Management in accordance to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (MEA) and Sustainable Development Goals of UN Agenda 2030 will take place on 19th & 20th of February 2018 in Athens, Greece under the auspices of the UN SDSN Greece (www.unsdsn.gr).
The course will introduce the basic principles of resource economics related to water with focus on the Water Framework Directive and the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment. Topics covered include: Economic instruments for sustainable water management, market and non-market valuation techniques, uncertainty and risk implications for water management, political economy of freshwater and participatory approaches to water management. The course will draw heavily on practical examples from the GLOBAQUA project (www.globaqua-project.eu) and other water-related projects of ICRE8 (www.icre8.eu), the UN SDSN Greece co-hosting institution. Participants will be able to understand in depth the economics of water management and implications for sustainable development. The course will develop in morning and afternoon theory and application sessions, seminar and keynote lectures. The workshop is envisioned for postgraduate students, researchers at any stage in their professional career, as well as water professionals interested in the economics of freshwater management and sustainable development.
Coordinator
The course is coordinated by Phoebe Koundouri, Professor of Economics and Econometrics, Athens University of Economics and Business (School of Economics) and London School of Economics (CCCEP), Scientific Director of ICRE8, SDSN-Greece chair.
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ISBS 2018 International Sandy Beaches Symposium, May 2018, Crete, GR
Venue: Heraklion, Crete, GR
Date: 25 – 29 May, 2018
2018 International Sandy Beaches Symposium: Linking knowledge to build integrated paradigms and face global change challenges
The registration deadline is approaching!
The ISBS 2018 will be held from 25 to 29 May 2018. It will be hosted by the Institute for Marine Biology Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, at Gournes Pediados, Heraklion and it is organized in collaboration with ICRE8 under the auspices of SDSN Greece.
Sandy beach scientists, students and managers at all levels are invited to participate and share their research, making this symposium a platform to interact, establish links and identify synergies across disciplines.