News

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri recently gave an interview to Liberal - Φιλελεύθερος Εκδοτική Α.Ε. on a challenging yet highly significant topic: U.S. tariffs and their wider economic implications.

She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to public understanding of such a complex issue.

Prof. Koundouri extends her sincere thanks to journalist Alexandros Velmachos for the invitation.

The full article is available here

As the world accelerates toward a cleaner energy future, ensuring energy security remains a complex challenge. A severe blackout in Spain and Portugal in April 2025 exposed critical vulnerabilities tied to intermittent renewable energy, aging grid infrastructure, and insufficient contingency planning.

Energy security—defined by the United Nations as the continuous availability of affordable energy—hinges on the “Four A’s”: availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability. The blackout revealed weaknesses in all three except affordability, highlighting the risks of relying heavily on variable renewables without adequate storage and grid resilience.

Renewable energy is central to achieving net-zero emissions and reducing geopolitical risks, but its integration demands smart grids, energy storage, and modern infrastructure. The transition faces technical, regulatory, and social hurdles.

The UN’s Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) is providing global engineering expertise to support this shift, addressing barriers like financing, skills gaps, and fragmented regulations.

Building a secure, sustainable energy future will require coordinated investment, regulation modernization, public engagement, and cross-border cooperation to balance innovation, reliability, and inclusivity—meeting the needs of both people and the planet.

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri’s latest article in Voice Business & Politics News examines the economic consequences of the Middle East crisis, with particular focus on the Israel–Iran conflict and its global ripple effects. The article highlights the impact on key sectors in Greece, such as shipping and tourism, which are experiencing increased fuel and insurance costs, while inflation continues to burden households and businesses.

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, Chair of the (SDSN) Global Climate Hub and Professor of Economics at the Athens University of Economics and Business, will be speaking at the session “Smart Tech, Fair Finance – The Promise and Risks of AI for Sustainable Development”, organized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The event will take place during the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain, on July 2, 2025, at 3:30 PM EEST. The session will also be accessible online.

As digital technologies and artificial intelligence increasingly shape global economic and social systems, this session will examine the urgent need for responsible AI governance and inclusive digital standards. The discussion will focus on strategic investments in digital infrastructure, the ethical deployment of AI, the integration of climate-smart technologies, and the significant risks of digital exclusion and unintended societal harms stemming from poorly governed digital systems.