On 21 October 2025, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri participated in a distinguished panel discussion titled “The Eastern Mediterranean & the Climate Crisis: Lessons from Greece for COP30”, held at the Columbia Global Center in Athens, Greece. The event was organized by Columbia Global Center Athens in collaboration with Columbia Global, as part of the “Road to COP30: Local Voices, Global Pathways” series, which highlights regional perspectives on climate action leading up to COP30.
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).
