During EAERE 2024, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri has been appointed as EAERE Fellow, along with Madhu Khanna Rick van der Ploeg. This prestigious honor recognizes their outstanding contributions to the field of environmental and resource economics.
During the ceremony, Prof. Koundouri stated: “…The association has always been my scientific home. It has been the ecosystem since before I completed my PhD at Cambridge, where I found brilliant ideas and amazing people who technically supported me and were the reason my work flourished… You also gave me the chance to have an administrative footprint in this amazing ecosystem. I ran a conference, served as a Member of the Council, was Vice President, and then President. That was also an exciting journey and opportunity. Together, we’ve accomplished many things, but there are three achievements I’m particularly proud of: The smooth transition of editorial leadership for both of our amazing journals. The launch of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, which provides a safety net and support for our members who are young, from developing countries, have special abilities, or face gender exclusion issues. The launch, in collaboration with Cambridge University Press, of the Environmental Economics Elements books—short books on cutting-edge issues in our field. Finally, I want to highlight something important to me. The transition from our current multi- crisis situation to sustainable wealth—implementing the SDGs or translating the concept of sustainability into the real world—is very complex and science-intensive. We, as scientists, along with interdisciplinary research institutes, have the capability to produce relevant scientific solutions. However, we need to invest more time in building trust with all stakeholders to ensure our solutions are recognized, embraced, and ultimately implemented. The Policy Outreach Committee, led by Simone, is doing excellent work, but remember, as Rashid mentioned, it’s not just policymakers we need to engage with. We must also connect with businesses, financial institutions, and civil society. Building trust and creating ecosystems that acknowledge and adopt our solutions is crucial. Thank you so much.”
