Greece’s effort to remain an active participant in international developments concerning climate change has lost momentum in more recent times, leaving the country behind, a leading academic in Greece has stressed in an interview with energypress ahead of a UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) conference scheduled to take place in Athens on September 7 and 8.

“Of course, there have been times when greater efforts were made. At one point in the past, environmental diplomacy did enjoy foreign ministry backing and there has been a period during which a governmental effort for greater support and participation at UN and EU discussions for more advanced climate change policies was made,” noted Andreas Papandreou, an Associate Professor in the Economics Department of the University of Athens. “This effort has subsided in more recent times amid the influence of the crisis. I would say that, at this stage, political emphasis is not been placed on the issue.”

Papandreou also pointed out that economists of all political leanings now consider absolutely necessary a strong political reaction with the aim of limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The academic spoke about various forces obstructing the implementation of political decisions in this domain and also urged fellow academics to raise their voices and relay their specialized knowledge in a form that may allow citizens to gain a better understanding of climate change dangers.