Following the record-breaking temperatures and drought of late 2025, SDSN Cyprus supported this critical public lecture and policy forum held at The Cyprus Institute's Athalassa Campus.
- Title: "Europe Must Learn to Live with Fire: Policy Options for Prevention, Resilience, and Fire Adaptation."
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Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
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Organizers: The Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, the European Academies Scientific Advisory Council (EASAC), and The Cyprus Institute, with the strategic support of SDSN Cyprus.
Context and Objectives
The event was triggered by the publication of the EASAC report "Changing Wildfires in Europe." Given the extreme heatwaves of 2025, the primary goal was to shift the national mindset from reactive fire suppression (putting out fires) to proactive risk management (land use and resilience).
Key Discussion Pillars
- The "New Normal" for Cyprus: Experts warned that wildfires in the EU now burn an area roughly half the size of Cyprus every year. With the Mediterranean being a climate "hotspot," the discussion focused on how Cyprus must adapt to multi-year droughts.
- The Three-Phase Management Model: 1. Pre-disaster: Prevention, education, and early warning systems. 2. Disaster: Suppression strategies. 3. Post-disaster: Recovery and ecological impact management.
- Policy Recommendations: The panel called for the integration of wildfire risk into all sectoral policies, including agriculture, urban planning, and water management.
Distinguished Panelists
The event featured a rare gathering of regional and international expertise:
- Prof. Costas N. Papanicolas: Convenor and Director of the Research Unit for Climate Crisis (Cyprus Academy).
- Prof. Efthymios Lekkas: Renowned expert in natural disaster management from the University of Athens.
- Dr. Savvas Iezekiel: Director of the Department of Forests, Cyprus.
- Prof. Thomas Elmqvist: Stockholm Resilience Center (Stockholm University).
- Dr. Orsolya Valkó: Leader of the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research.
Technological Innovations Highlighted
A major part of the briefing was dedicated to "Climate Tech" solutions currently being developed at The Cyprus Institute:
- AI-based Early Warning Systems: Using machine learning to predict fire spread.
- High-Resolution Satellite Data: For real-time monitoring of fuel loads (dry biomass) in rural areas.
- The European Wildfire Hub: Promoting Cyprus as a regional center of excellence for wildfire research in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Impact Note: The event concluded with a "SOS" call to policymakers to ensure that the findings of the 2025 Sustainable Development Report (specifically SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 15: Life on Land) are reflected in the upcoming legislative cycle.
Media coverage is attached.
SDSN Cyprus is concerned to announce the findings of the 2025 Sustainable Development Report (SDR), which ranks Cyprus 56th out of 167 countries globally and, most notably, last among all EU Member States. Find out more by reading our full press release, which is now available in both english and greek (ΕΝ / GR).
Relevant media coverage is available here.
The Co-Chairs and members of the LC of SDSN Cyprus had the honor of attending a special dinner on 29th April 2025 with Professor Jeffrey Sachs, President of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), during his recent visit to Cyprus.
During this meeting, we had the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss the future of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Cyprus.
Professor Sachs strongly emphasized the critical role that universities play in achieving the SDGs — not only through education and research, but also as catalysts for change within our societies.
Our commitment at SDSN Cyprus is to utilize the power of the academic community and collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to build a more sustainable, just, and inclusive future for all.
According to recent reports, Cyprus ranks at the bottom of the European Union states for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is ranked 58th among 167 states worldwide (https://tinyurl.com/yvcbbhek).
One aspect of this poor ranking is due to education and how, in Cyprus, the education system continues to fail to incorporate systemically and appropriately Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education curricula. According to the 2030 Agenda deadline stipulated by the United Nations (UN), higher education (HE) aims to guarantee that all learners will develop the necessary competencies to advocate for sustainability (Education, SDG 4, Target 4.7). This target includes ESD, human rights, gender equality, promotion of peace culture, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity.
At the start of the autumn semester of 2024, a group of final-year design students at Cyprus University of Technology (Georgia Demetriou, Pavlina Eythimiou, Sofia Mina, Socrates Socratous, Styliani Michael, Valeria Loizou, Anna Kotzampasaki and Panagiotis Christou) and as part of module ‘Design for Social Change, Innovation and Entrepreneurship’, decided to address the lack of SDG awareness among young Cypriots.
Firstly, the students circulated a survey among university learners, with a total of 78 participants. Among other issues examined in this survey, it was found that 50% of the participants had never heard of the SDGs, while 79.5% stated that universities in Cyprus do not provide learners with adequate information about the SDGs. Subsequently, the students used design thinking to identify a message for their target audience (the education system) and develop a visual communication campaign that targets educators (linktr.ee/cyprusyouthsdgs). ‘You never told us!’ became the main slogan of their campaign, and for each SDG, they identified facts that the education system failed to inform them about.
As visual communication students, the group had two ways to promote their campaign: social media and print-based material. Despite their efforts to find a sponsor for this worthwhile project, none has been forthcoming to help them with costs and dissemination. Despite this, and anything but discouraged, the students decided to share the costs among themselves and used their own social media accounts to promote their work.
The ‘You never told us!’ campaign runs until the end of November 2024, and you can view it online at Cyprus Youth SDGs | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
