Upon invitation of UN Climate Change’s Global Innovation Hub, the Future Cleantech Architects team attended COP26 in Glasgow and co-hosted two events during COP26 on the Key Takeaways from the UNIDO Global Call and our work during the past two years.
The event presented key take-aways of the UNIDO Global Call for Innovative Solutions in Cleantech and Sustainable land Management, jointly organized by UNIDO and FCA, together with UNFCCC and UNCCD. Highlighting FCA’s work during the past two years, FCA founder and CEO Dr. Peter Schniering and Deputy Head of UNIDO ITPO Germany, Vanessa Voelkel, summarized those areas in research and development that need to be accelerated immediately in order to close the innovation gaps in climate technology. Beginning with an overview of the most challenging sectors that will need to be decarbonized, the presentation discussed technologies such as less-intermittent renewables or hydrogen storage as well as new industrial processes such as innovations in cement production or maritime or aviation fuels while placing a particular emphasis on the scalability of solutions that are still in early development stages. The event was rounded off by UNIDO’s Department of Energy Director, Tareq Emtairah, who introduced UNIDO’s Global Cleantech Innovation Programme, a new cleantech ecosystem and accelerator approach designed to nurture innovators and entrepreneurs in order to promote and foster scalable solutions to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
The UNIDO Global Call for Innovative Solutions in Cleantech and Sustainable Land Management attracted nearly 300 applications from private sector entities from over 70 countries, each presenting a unique technological solution to decarbonizing the four award categories:
- Decarbonizing growing urban environments
- Clean and efficient energy generation and storage
- Circular production and industrial processes
- Sustainable land management
Initiated by UNIDO ITPO Germany in close collaboration with Future Cleantech Architects, UNCCD and UNFCCC, each application was carefully screened and handed over to an expert jury for the ultimate selection of the best innovative technologies.
This presentation showcased the UNIDO Global Call 2021 award winners, who each introduced their technological solutions and demonstrated how their projects can contribute both to addressing adverse effects of climate change and to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development.