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Monday, 23 December 2024

Circular Economy and Climate Institution event on "The outcomes of COP29"

On December 19, 2024, the Circular Economy and Climate Institute of the EPLO successfully hosted the workshop titled “The Outcomes of COP29” at the EPLO headquarters in Athens, Greece.

Event Highlights

The workshop opened with welcome remarks from George Kremlis, Director of the EPLO’s Circular Economy and Climate Institute. During his opening speech, George Kremlis introduced the Circular Gaia Symposium, ( Circular Gaia – SYMPOSIUM ) his new annual scientific conference designed to foster global collaboration on a wide range of circular economy and carbon neutrality topics, including circular cities, green growth, energy transition, climate resilience, and cultural heritage protection from climate change impacts.

Key Panels

Political and Policy Insights Panel
Moderated by George Kremlis, this panel explored the outcomes of COP29 and the path towards COP30. Distinguished speakers included:

  • Arif Mammadov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Greece
  • Jan Dusík, Deputy Director General for Climate Action, DG CLIMA
  • Pedro Escosteguy Cardoso, Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Brazil in Athens
  • Svetlana Zhekova, Vice-President of the UNFCCC Bureau for 2024 and Co-chair of the Eastern European Group
  • Dimitris Kollias, Energy Transition Strategist and Advisor to the Greek Deputy Minister of Energy

The panel offered valuable insights into international collaboration and progress on global climate goals.

Business Sector and Energy Transition Panel
Moderated by Garyfallia Selimi, Deputy Director of EPLO’s Circular Economy and Climate Institute, this panel addressed business opportunities and challenges in energy transition. Speakers included:

  • Konstantinos Chatzifotis, EU Affairs Manager, Motor Oil
  • Monika Stanisheva, Founder, Green Transition Forum
  • Gianni Chianetta, Chair, Greening the Islands Foundation

The discussion highlighted the private sector's pivotal role in achieving sustainable solutions and emphasised the importance of carbon credits as a COP29 achievement, as well as the promotion of RES in the islands.

Civil Society and Cultural Dimension Panel
Moderated by Prof. Antonia Moropoulou of NTUA, this panel focused on culture and civil society’s role in climate action. Speakers included:

  • Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
  • Antonio Jesus Antequera Delgado, Ministry of Culture of Spain

The session emphasized the integration of cultural heritage preservation in global climate strategies and set the stage for enhancing this priority at COP30.

Present at the event was the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association – EMEA’s Communication Officer, Mr George Christopoulos who was representing EMEA (https://euromed-economists.org/about-us/ ) in this milestone event which underscores the deepening collaboration between EMEA and EPLO, as the two organizations are finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance their joint efforts in promoting circular economy, sustainability, and climate action. 

tags: EPLO, Circular Economy, COP29, Climate Change, Politics, Energy