On 2 December, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri delivered a lecture on “Sustainability: A Systems Approach” at Triennale Milano, as part of the KWords for the World lecture series, organised by Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) in collaboration with Hublab.
In an in-depth interview on sustainability transformation and global climate policy, Prof. Koundouri emphasized that sustainability can no longer be viewed through a single lens, drawing on her 30 years of pioneering work on interdisciplinary mathematical systems that foster sustainable interactions between nature, society, and the economy.
She advocated for a science-based, systemic approach in which nature, the economy, and society are treated as parts of one integrated system. From the work at AE4RIA – Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Αephoria – Prof. Koundouri highlighted concrete examples, including:
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Digital twins of national systems for systemic decision-making
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Climate and energy modelling for robust transition pathways
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Water and land-use strategies that respect ecological limits
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Financing tools to accelerate a just and inclusive transition
The event was introduced by Alessandro Lanza, Executive Director of FEEM, and the conversation was moderated by Massimiliano Rizzati, researcher at FEEM’s Modelling Energy Transition (MET-ABM) programme.
