Moderated by Dr. Evangelos Gerasopoulos, Vice President of the National Observatory of Athens, this panel examined the critical need for alignment between climate science, infrastructure, energy, finance, and citizen behavior to foster resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban environments.
Mauricio Rodas, former Mayor of Quito and Secretary of the SDSN Global Commission, highlighted the significant financing gap faced by cities in meeting climate objectives, noting that only 11% of climate finance is allocated directly to urban areas. He introduced the Green Cities Guarantee Fund, an initiative designed to provide cities with direct access to funding for climate-resilient infrastructure projects.
Panel Insights:
-
Prof. Giannis Adamos, Assistant Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, presented the ARSINOE_EU project, emphasizing the importance of co-creation with local authorities and fostering behavioral change to achieve urban sustainability.
-
Dr. MJ Mijeong Park, CEO of the International Center Empowering Action and Research Professor at Kyung Hee University, outlined four pillars for city transformation: a realistic vision, innovation, cross-sector collaboration, and citizen-centered strategies, underscoring the need to strengthen the connection between scientific research and local implementation.
-
Longfei Li, Head of Communication and Cooperation at GEIDCO’s Europe Office, addressed the challenges facing urban energy systems and advocated for a dual strategy combining local resilience with regional interconnection to manage increasing demand and climate risks.
-
Prof. Karyn Morrissey from the University of Galway stressed the necessity of incorporating health and well-being as core metrics in city planning, highlighting the public health impacts of heat, pollution, and flooding.
-
Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, Chair of the SDSN Global Climate Hub and professor at Athens University of Economics and Business and the University of Cambridge, introduced integrated modeling tools such as the FABLE Calculator and the P2R financing toolkit, which assist countries in aligning climate, biodiversity, and development goals with effective investment planning.
The session concluded with remarks by Dr. Massamba Thioye, Project Executive at the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub, who presented the vision of “co-flourishing cities” where people and nature coexist harmoniously. He proposed the concept of eco-augmented cities that employ nature-based solutions to restore ecosystems while supporting sustainable urban development.