Measuring SDGs for a sustainable transition

The lecture will firstly connect the dots (using AI and ML approaches) between the major policy initiatives – the SDGs, the Paris Climate Agreement, the European Green Deal, the European Semester, the EU recovery plan, and showcase actionable strategies for policymakers that can guide EU-wide and national economic recovery in line with the EU's overarching sustainability agenda. It will then make the case for science-and-innovation-driven transformation to a sustainable world, introducing research projects, innovation accelerators, and science-policy interface institutions and networks, collaborating under the Alliance of Excellence for Research & Innovation on Aephoria-AE4RIA. Policy recommendations for implementing the ambitious sustainability agenda will be suggested.

About the speaker

Phoebe Koundouri is Professor in Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business and the Technical University of Denmark. She is also President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) and chairs the World Council of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists Associations (WCERE).

Her research focuses on sustainable development and, particularly, natural resources use, in which field she is recognized as a world leading researcher. Currently, she is also chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) Global Climate Hub and co-chair of SDSN Europe, with 2000 universities involved. In 2022 she received the prestigious European Research Council Synergy Grant (2022) and was awarded the Academy of Athens Excellence in Science Award (2023).

Interview with Phoebe Koundouri

C-TAKEAWAYS: Fast facts for the C-level

• The path we are on is not sustainable and more has to be done to achieve the Goals set by the UN Agenda 2030.
• SDGs were voted by 193 countries in 2015 and identify 17 goals and 169 targets.
• SDGs are the most holistic, integrated, intra-disciplinary framework that explicitly identifies how we construct pathways towards sustainability, integrating the interaction of the economy, society, and nature into human welfare support and enhancement.
• AE4RIA aims to bring together environmental and social sustainability with profit, financial and economic sustainability.
• The achievement of the Goals relies on the pace of cost-efficient technological advancements and on SDG-stimulus financial and fiscal instruments accelerating the process towards sustainability.
• Be sure to grasp all opportunities offered by regulations and policies as they could allow your company to gain a bigger share of the market and gain first-mover advantage.
• Think holistically and make sure to identify synergies between C-level managers and trade-offs for the transformation along the value chain of your company.