UN Climate Change News, 9 January 2024 – Last year saw a major step change for action in climate technology under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, paving the way for greater ambition in this crucial area in 2024.
Technology plays an essential role in catalyzing climate action and building a greener, more sustainable future. Technology is also a key means of implementation to achieve the unprecedented social and economic transformations needed to maintain the goal of keeping the global average temperature at a maximum of 1.5°C.
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28, which was held in Dubai at the end of last year, Simon Steele, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said: “Only by working together, harnessing technology and taking bold steps towards a new, better and more sustainable world, will we succeed in “Tame climate change.”
The key agreement at COP28 was the results of the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement, also known as “The UAE Consensus, which calls on parties to take action to achieve, on a global scale, a tripling of renewable energy capacity and a doubling of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
Financing climate technology is crucial. As part of the decision, Parties established a technology implementation programme, supported by, among others, the operational entities of the financial mechanism, to enhance support for the implementation of technology priorities identified by developing countries.
Artificial intelligence is rising to the forefront
In 2023, the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism launched an initiative on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for climate action (#AI4ClimateAction) which is now receiving increasing interest and engagement from a diverse range of stakeholders interested in exploring the role of AI as a powerful tool for progress. and scaling up transformative climate action. The main focus of the initiative is on developing countries, in particular least developed countries and small island developing States.
At COP28, the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) in collaboration with the Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) and the COP28 Presidency hosted a high-level event under the #AI4ClimateAction initiative to discuss different aspects of applying AI in climate action in order to help accelerate the implementation of Paris Agreement.
For example, AI-powered models can provide early warning systems to alert communities about impending disasters. The efficiency and reliability of renewable energy systems can be improved through artificial intelligence algorithms that predict energy demand and optimize grid operations.
TEC and CTCN intensify their cooperation
The Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Center and Network continue to be a driving force for the advancement of climate technology and innovation in the UNFCCC process.
At a high-level event at COP28 hosted by the UAE Presidency of COP28, Steele called for international cooperation in the field of technology and innovation. He also acknowledged the “deep commitment and commendable leadership of the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Center and Network in achieving results under the first joint work program of the Technology Mechanism.”
Examples of how the two bodies are combining forces include the flagship publication on technology and nationally determined contributions (NDCs, countries' national climate action plans) and collaborative efforts to strengthen national systems of innovation and develop, disseminate and scale up low-carbon contributions. emissions, and climate resilient technologies. Such technologies can be applied to water, energy and food systems, power systems, buildings and infrastructure, along with wider business and industry sectors.
Diversity and inclusion increased to promote effective climate technology
Diversity and inclusion are crucial for effective climate technology. At COP28, the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Center and Network launched the Gender and Climate Technology Expert Roster, which will serve as a global gathering of women climate technology experts and male and female experts in the field of gender and climate change.
The Technology Executive Committee also joined forces with the UNFCCC Platform for Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples to co-convene a multi-stakeholder dialogue at COP28 and showcase indigenous technologies and technologies from local communities.
The Technology Mechanism will continue to use its convening capacity to support Paris Agreement-compliant transformative changes in the climate technology policy and action landscape through these collaborative and participatory approaches.
Looking to the future: Key milestones for climate technology in 2024
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Parties and relevant stakeholders are invited to submit their views, via the submission portal, on maintaining and enhancing cooperation between the Technology Mechanism and the Financial Mechanism by 1 February 2024, considering a set of guiding questions. For non-Party stakeholders who do not have observer status, guidance for submitting views is available here.
- The Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Center and Network, in consultation with the Chair of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI), will organize a workshop during the next UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn in June 2024 (SBI 60th session) to assess the linkages between the technology mechanism and the financial mechanism, taking into account Opinions expressed in submissions.
- The 28th meeting of the Technology Executive Committee is scheduled to take place from April 16 to 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark, followed by the joint session of the Advisory Board of the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Center and Network on April 19, and the 23rd meeting of the Advisory Board of the Climate Technology Center and Network from April 22 to 24. April. The main objective is to evaluate the implementation of the joint work program and consider the outcomes of the UAE Consensus, including the technology implementation program and the guidance provided by parties to the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Center and Network.
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