The event organised by the Embassy of Australia in Athens was successfully held on Thursday, 23 October, in collaboration with the Climate Hub and with the support of the Hellenic American Union. It took place within the framework of Australia’s joint bid, together with the Pacific island nations, to host COP31 in 2026.  The screening of the documentary  “The Forgotten Pacific” by Elizabeth Koroivulaono took the audience on a journey across five Pacific islands aiming to highlight the urgent need for global climate action and the importance of international cooperation, through the powerful and moving portrayal of life today in the Pacific Islands.    

It was an honor for the Climate Change Hub to co-organise this event, as it aligns with our mission to inform and mobilise society through all available means. It also broadens the scope of our activities, both in terms of the range of events it organises and the subjects it addresses - by integrating art as a powerful tool for visualization and intervention.    

The event started with opening remarks by the Australian Ambassador to Greece, HE Ms Alison Duncan and Mrs Maria Logotheti, President and CEO of the Climate Change Hub. In her opening remarks, Ambassador Duncan outlined the facts about the vulnerability of the Pacific Islands and why climate change is the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, culture and security of Pacific communities; and Australia’s commitment to working with the Pacific to host COP31. Mrs Logotheti in her opening remarks, Maria Logotheti stated:  “The choice of Australia for the next COP31 meeting is very important, since it brings forward an issue that is critical for reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement.  Greece is an island country that is confronted with similar problems, not at the same scale. We at the Climate Change Hub can confirm that because we are working closely with Ithaka and Skiathos where we are co-designing with local actors resilient and effective set of actions that will be included in their Resilient strategies promoting democratic values by participatory  processes lie at the core of our action.”    

The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring distinguished speakers:    

• Professor Dimitris Lalas, former Director of the National Observatory of Athens (1994–2005) and Greece’s first national climate coordinator,    
• Petros Kokkalis, former Member of the European Parliament and Deputy Mayor of Piraeus, Secretary of “Kosmos”,    
• Konstantina Karidi, Vice President of the Climate Change Hub and CEO of Resilient Cities Catalyst,    

The panel was moderated by Theodore Georgakopoulos, columnist for  Kathimerini newspaper and author of  “A Greek Climate Crisis.”    

The speakers noted that the film was exceptionally powerful and moving, reminding us of the deep connection between peoples, land, and building resilience in the face of potentially absolute destruction as islanders in the Pacific are losing their land to the sea.  For Mr. Kokkalís, the film was a powerful look into the future. More specifically, he voiced his concern that “this is not just about distant islands — it is a mirror. Every new gas field, every fossil fuel subsidy, is a policy decision that generates the next wave of climate refugees. This is no longer a theoretical threat. We already have climate refugees here in Greece — people who lost everything to the fires in Evia and the floods in Thessaly. We must stop funding our own displacement and radically invest in a green, resilient future where everyone has a safe home.”    

As the global community is being called to speed up the transition toward climate neutrality, Mr. Lalas stated that “we need a new more effective narrative to gain back public involvement and drive policies. In my opinion, this should be based on the financial benefits, equitably distributed, of the greening of the economy and our way of life.”    

Talking about governance in the context of climate change Ms Karydi stated that “it is imperative to expand our definition of long-term when thinking about future and scenario planning. A four or five years horizon is in fact, implementation of prior decisions. Long-term planning has a 20-30 year horizon, and that is realistic, not aspirational. Long-term investments in this day and era should be synonymous to multi-hazard and multi-benefit planning; anything else is simply unimaginable and in the mid-run unaffordable. In other words, let's change our definition of profit.”    

In view of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), the speakers noted that there are promising signs, such as the renewed commitment to the 1.5°C target and, more broadly, the alignment with the goals agreed upon in previous Conferences, including the pledges related to the Loss and Damage Fund. Furthermore, they emphasised that this year’s COP places particular focus on subnational governance actors — regional and local authorities — marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which was the first year subnational actors were formally included in the official texts.    

Guests also explored a striking photographic exhibition capturing everyday life on the islands featured in the film – a visual tribute to cultural heritage and resilience.    

The event was attended by diplomatic representatives from various countries, as well as officials from the political landscape, the Municipality of Athens, international organisations, representatives of the academic community, and civil society engaged in issues of climate change and resilience.