2019

  • The proceedings of the workshop on “Research in the Field of Energy in Greece” were published within the framework of the Foundation’s collaboration with the Energy Committee of the Academy of Athens. The workshop was held on November 30, 2018 at the Institute of Biomedical Research of the Academy of Athens.
  • On March 1-3, 2019 the Chairman of the Foundation, following an invitation by the Organizing Committee of the Delphi Economic Forum, organized a roundtable discussion on ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE. The speakers were Mr Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Mr Guy Brasseur, Director of the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg and of the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry at NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) of the United States of America, Mr P. Kapros, Professor at the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio), Mr A. Xepapadeas, Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Ms. Phoebe Countouri, Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business, and Mr Yasuhiro Shimizu, Ambassador of Japan.

From the left to the right can be seen the NTUA Professor P. Kapros, the Director of the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg and of NCAR. G. Brasseur, the WMO Secretary-General, P. Tallas, Professor and Academician Ch. Zerefos, the Ambassador of Japan Mr Yasuhiro Shimizu, Ph. Countouri Professor of the Athens University of Economics and Business and Mr A. Xepapadeas Professor of the Athens University of Economics and Business.

  • At an event co-organized on March 4, 2019 by a) “300”, Cultural Scientific-Philosophical Club of Lamia, b) the Municipality of Lamia, c) the Roumelioti Cultural Center, d) the Association of Greek Physicists of Fthiotida Prefecture and the Association of Amateur Astronomers of Fthiotida in the hall of the Municipal Gallery of Lamia, the Chairman of the Foundation Professor C. Zerefos represented the Foundation, as a keynote speaker in a series of public awareness lectures. Title of the lecture : “The Anthropocene Period in Greece”.
  • On March 11-12, 2019 the Chairman of the Foundation, Professor Ch. Zerefos represented the Foundation at the GEO Brussels High Level meeting, where the Foundation participates as a Member.
  • On March 25-26, 2019 the CFC – 11 Symposium took place in Vienna, Austria. Professor Ch. Zerefos represented the Foundation and he presented the paper titled “A note on possible effects of the unexpected increase in global CF C – 11 to ozone profiles and erythemal doses at ground level” with the assistant professor Mr K. Eleftheratos. This paper has been submitted and is currently under review by the prestigious Journal of Geophysics – Research.
  • Between May 29 and June 1, 2019, the professor and chairman of the MKF represented the Foundation and inaugurated the operations of the Conference titled AIC 2019 XXXIIIe International Conference of the Association International de Climatologie which was held in Thessaloniki. The professor delivered a lecture titled “Living in the Anthropocene”.
  • On June 14-17, 2019 the 2nd International Conference on “Trauma and Crisis” took place at the Mediterranean Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki. The conference was co-organized by the International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Processes (IAGP) and the Mariolopoulos-Kananginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences. IAGP is the first force in the field of psychosocial interventions in natural disasters and extreme phenomena, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and floods which result from the effects of climate change. The conference was attended by more than 300 scientists coming from countries that have experienced extreme natural disasters such as Japan, Brazil, Italy and others and the papers presented concerned the phenomena of natural disasters and climate change as well as their impact on society.

General view of the hall during the Ceremony.

  • On July 29, 2019 Chairman Professor Ch. Zerefos represented the Foundation in Paris at the centennial celebration of IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics).

A commemorative photo from the centennial celebration of IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics).

  • The Summer School on “The Impacts of Climate Change on the Agri-Food Chain” was held on September 9-14, 2019 at the SchlossRauischholzhausen in Hessen, Germany.
    The summer school was organized by the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen of Germany, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Mariolopoulos-Kananginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences.
    The aim of the summer school was to bring together prominent scientists and researchers who, through a series of lectures, practical lessons and discussions with the participants, would be able to communicate the issue of the rapid environmental and socio-economic changes observed in the Mediterranean and their impact on specialized sectors of agriculture.
    The topics covered were the following:

    • The impacts of climate change on regional agricultural systems
    • Emerging risks and opportunities for adjustment
    • Food supply security and sustainable food production
    • Agricultural policy and economy
    • Climate models and crop cultivation modelling

    The summer school welcomed 30 students from 13 different countries including Greece, with 9 students who had the opportunity to attend the program. Distinguished professors and scientists from Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Italy took over the teaching.

Students and Professors of the summer school at SchlossRauischholzhausenin Hessen, Germany.

  • The book “Geophysical Phenomena and the Alexandrian Littoral” by authors Niki Evelpidou, Christos Repapis, Christos Zerefos, Harry Tzalas and Kostas Synolakis was published by the Mariolopoulos-Kananginis Foundation and the Oxford Publishing House Archaeopress Publishing LTD.
    This book focuses on the geomorphological and archaeological findings of the Alexandria coastal zone, with a view to providing a comprehensive overview of its evolution, taking into account long-term and short-term factors.
    The book offers an extensive background on the geomorphology and the recent geo-archaeological history of Alexandria, through the study and analysis of historical maps and natural disasters. On the coastal zone of Alexandria there are numerous archaeological findings, such as tombs, quarries and ancient remains of buildings as well as geomorphological features, which reveal its complex evolution. New data, such as ancient fish tanks and shipwrecks, are analyzed in order to understand the evolution of the coastal zone during the Eastern Holocene. All chapters come with detailed images and maps, thus giving the reader the opportunity to form an extensive overview of the particular features of Alexandria.
  • The book titled “Elias Mariolopoulos (1900-1991). The father of modern Climatology in Greece” by author D. Panagiotopoulos was published by the Mariolopoulos-Kananginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences and the ESTIA Publishing House.

    The book cover: Elias Mariolopoulos (1900-1991). The father of modern Climatology in Greece.

    Elias Mariolopoulos indisputably belongs to the tribe of scientists who, with their lives and work, left their imprint on the science of Climatology and contributed to the consolidation of Environmental Sciences in our country.
    Studying the path of these persons, the institutions they created and directed, as well as the ideas they stood for and the way the society greeted them, constitutes an original observatory, on the one hand to highlight personal paths, on the other to tell the social, political, scientific, and institutional history of an entire period. One such path is the subject of this biography.
    Elias Mariolopoulos combined the qualities of a realist and a liberal citizen, while he had political prudence and a sense of measure. Being sensitive and restive as a human and a scientist, undoubtedly endowed with scientific, administrative and executive skills, he contributed to broadening the real scope of science and knowledge but also to their application and diffusion to society.

  • The Mariolopoulos-Kananginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences, represented by the Secretary-General of the BoD, Emeritus Professor Mrs. Polyxeni Nicolopoulou-Stamati, in association with the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER), co-organized a conference which was held at Bielefeld, Germany between 14th and 15th October, 2019. This conference focused on the Precautionary Principle and its applications on the use of pesticides, genetically modified organisms and other environmental hazards.
    Although the Precautionary Principle is a regulated treaty of the European Union, it is often ignored, misinterpreted or breached by the European Commission, the Member States and groups of corporate representatives. It is therefore very important that it be understood how necessary it is to implement it effectively, with sustainable paths, with reasonable trust, which do not harm public health, biodiversity and the environment based on the knowledge available today, at the same time acknowledging that rigorous proof of safety is a delusional goal.
    The ENSSER discussions and activities continue after the completion of the conference in Bielefeld, always aiming to protect and improve human health from harmful environmental effects.