Flagship Actions:

GENERAL INFORMATION

Main objectives of the Flagship Action:

• To integrate, harmonize and optimize existing climate services and early warning systems for major natural hazards and disasters in Greece, including corroborative observations as well as development of specialized tools by competent national infrastructures.
• To exploit new research outcomes and methodologies to introduce novel climate services and innovative early warning systems for natural disasters related to climate change.
• To create a single national database by systematically collecting, checking and archiving climate and environmental parameters, data from earth observation satellite systems, and data from value-added models and products; and to allow open and free use of the above by the Greek and international scientific community.
• To disseminate valid and timely information to institutional bodies that are responsible for decision-making, designing intersectoral policies (with an emphasis on tourism, agriculture, forests/ecosystems, and civil protection), as well as shielding citizens and, in general, social and economic activity from the impacts of climate change.

The Action involves the establishment of an interdisciplinary consortium destined to be the principal advisory body for citizens and the government on climate change and its impacts.

The Flagship Action for Climate Change will be based on the following three pillars:

• PILLAR 1: Science and high-quality data on climate change.
• PILLAR 2: Climate change impacts, adaptation, mitigation and economic assessment. Further developing methodology approaches and computational tools for a thorough assessment of climate change impacts and of adaptation measures in key areas of interest for Greece; Planning/evaluation of decarbonization scenarios for the Greek economy up to 2050 and assessment of their impact on electricity cost, economic growth, employment, etc.
• PILLAR 3: Hazard and risk assessment for natural disasters. Assessing the risk for loss of human lives as a result of natural disasters and developing appropriate early warning, disaster management and risk reduction tools.

Action participants:

1. National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development (IERSD) and Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) (Coordination)
2. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)
3. Academy of Athens, Research Centre for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology (KEFAK)
4. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh)
5. Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH)
6. Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR)
7. National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSR Demokritos)
8. National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
9. University of Crete (UoC) – Environmentaland Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL), Natural History Museum of Crete (NHMC)
10. Technical University of Crete (TUC)
11. University of the Aegean (UoA)
12. University of Patras (UP)
13. Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS)
14. “ATHENA” Research and Innovation Centre (ATHENA)
15. National Centre of Social Research (EKKE)

The Network will remain open to new members and allow for the participation of, and access to, additional partners, to the extent it contributes to its goals and objectives.