The urgent challenges for the protection of the seas and oceans, in a planet that is overheating due to the climate crisis, were the focus of the 9th Delphi Economic Forum, which takes place in Delphi from April 10 to 13 and is held under the auspices of the A.E. of the President of the Republic, Mrs.Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

As the panelists stressed, innovation, new technologies, and Artificial Intelligence have a crucial role to play in addressing the consequences of extreme events, effectively combining green and digital transitions for the benefit of the environment, societies, and the economy.

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The former Greek Commissioner for Fisheries, Ms Maria Damanaki said that the situation in the oceans and seas is constantly deteriorating, highlighting the important target set by the EU for the absolute protection of 30% of the seas by 2030.

For her part, Ms. Elisabeth Lipiatou, Head of Unit, Directorate General Communications Networks, Content and Technology, Belgium pointed out that green and digital transition are important priorities for the EU. She made particular reference to the "blue digital switchover," as it is a combination of the two, with adaptation to the aquatic environment.

Mr. Iraklis Charalambidis, Professor of Maritime Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, referred to the need to introduce "maritime logistics" to address the consequences of the climate crisis.

Mr. Kostas Lagovardos, Research Director, National Observatory, Greece, said that high temperatures are well above average, both at the poles of the earth and in the oceans, but also in the Mediterranean, which is now a climate change hot spot.

For his part, Lars Ebbesson, Program Director of Sustainable Ocean Harvesting, EDIH Oceanopolis Norway, referred to the accelerating changes in the oceans and added that climate variations are now intense, causing significant changes in the fish population in the oceans.