Recap of UN/GA Week & Climate Week
If you weren’t able to keep up with all of the activities from UN/GA Week and Climate Week, you’re in luck. We have just the recap you need. Scroll below.
Recap of UN/GA Week from The Week:
This year's U.N. General Assembly was the first in three years to convene in person due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, the world leaders arrived at the summit with plenty of pressing global issues on their minds — the two main ones being the climate crisis and the war on Ukraine. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said to the assembly, "we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction."
Just a day into the Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he was mobilizing more military personnel in the war, leading to condemnation from many countries, The New York Times reported. The Kremlin's actions underlined that the war continues to escalate, which has in turn increased inflation and food insecurity across the world. Europe, in particular, has been facing a detrimental energy crisis due to the war on Ukraine. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions continue to go up, with the G20 being responsible for 75 percent of emissions. Guterres remarked in his opening statement to the assembly that emissions need to be reduced 45 percent by 2030 in order to have a chance at being net zero by 2050, reported CNN.
While these were the main issues, another conflict brewed. Just prior to the start of the summit, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed in Iran, sparking protests all over the country and the world. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was in attendance at the General Assembly while protests were ongoing.
What were some notable moments?
With many issues looming, the General Assembly had a number of interesting and pivotal moments:
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A Brazilian call-out
The first day of the Assembly saw groups of environmental activists gather outside the U.N. headquarters in New York in anticipation of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's speech, the first of the summit. Bolsonaro went on to highlight the achievements of Brazil under his leadership, including public health, sustainable development, and economic growth, likely an attempt to win the favor of the Brazilian people ahead of his re-election attempt in October. The problem lies in Bolsonaro's claim that about 80 percent of the Amazon rainforest remains untouched; however, evidence shows that deforestation skyrocketed under the Bolsonaro regime, inciting protestors, CNN reported.
A death and a debut
British Prime Minister Liz Truss made her debut on the U.N. stage just two weeks after her appointment and only a few days after the queen's death. Truss called out Putin's actions in Ukraine, calling his escalation of forces a desperate attempt "to justify his catastrophic failures." She also talked about the late Queen Elizabeth's vision, stating that "it was vital not only to have strong ideals but also to have the political will to deliver on them." Truss continued to double down on Britain's support for Ukraine, despite the energy crisis and cost-of-living increase caused by lack of access to Russian exports, The Associated Press reported.
Human rights and wrongs
Activists once again made an appearance at the U.N., but this time in protest of President Raisi. Despite protests all throughout Iran, the president claimed that the nation is a model for justice and human rights, the Times said. In his speech, he made no mention of the protests. Raisi instead criticized the U.S. for the wars its waged in the Middle East, claiming the White House keeps "equivocating militarism with security." He also wanted confirmation that the U.S. would not exit the nuclear deal as it did under former President Donald Trump.
The Iranian president also famously canceled an interview with CNN's chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, for refusing to wear a hijab as requested. Amanpour had interviewed previous Iranian presidents, none of whom had set such a requirement.
Biden weighs in
President Joe Biden called out Russia when it was his turn to take to the U.N. stage. Biden remarked that Putin's actions "shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations charter," and vocalized America's support for Ukraine. He also announced that the U.S. was putting $3 billion toward tackling food insecurity, largely worsened by Russia's attacks and climate change, NPR reported. He called it "the human cost of climate change."
Along with Russia, Biden singled out Iran for its human rights violations. He stated that the U.S. "will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," in response to the Iranian president's remarks on the nuclear deal.
A looming presence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the U.N. stage via video to give a strong speech, highlighting Russia's actions. In his remarks, Zelensky called for punishment, stating that a crime had been committed against Ukraine. He further explained that Russia should be the one to pay for the war as punishment. Zelensky stated, "We must protect life. The world must protect life," and he urged the U.N. to take the appropriate actions in ensuring that Russia faces repercussions.
What comes next?
In the midst of all the action, much of it revolving around Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there were steps taken to address other issues. A group of world leaders met to discuss climate change. However, Biden wasn't present in the meeting, despite touting the United State's strong actions against climate change in his speech, the Times reported. The meetings acted as a forum to discuss climate policy among world leaders, many of who agree that the crisis is a pressing issue.
President Biden also met with Truss to discuss reducing reliance on Russian energy sources. Truss also agreed to keep up military support for Ukraine despite the struggles.
Regarding the war, India and China — both of which have kept relatively neutral views on Russia's actions — may be swaying in their resolve, The Washington Post reports. Despite abstaining from taking a stand during the General Assembly, India has made some stronger statements, suggesting a push toward the west.
However, issues still remain largely unanswered, with Guterres saying it best: "The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age."
Recap of Climate Week via Protocol:
After a pandemic-induced hiatus, Climate Week is back in person for the first time in two years. In some ways, it feels familiar. The city is abuzz with events and side events, celebrities like Matt Damon and climate leaders like Al Gore are floating around (and in Gore’s case, going after the World Bank president), and there are way too many happy hours to enjoy a negroni at.
But in the two years since the last in-person Climate Week, a lot has changed. The tech industry has taken a leading role in setting the pace for corporate climate commitments and climate VC is heating up. Oh, and the U.S. actually has a climate law. Those factors have dramatically shaped the conversations taking place this week.
Climate tech is a hot investment. It feels like you can’t walk a block without tripping over a climate tech founder or venture capitalist looking for the next big carbon-cutting startup.
Carbon dioxide removal continues to be a hot topic. The industry raised a record $882 million in the second quarter, and purveyors and purchasers put on events at Climate Week. Though the technology is years (if not decades) away from being mature, it’s clearly of intense interest.
Agtech and fake meat are also experiencing a renewed wave of interest given that agriculture and land use account for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The majority of the nine Earthshot Prize winners and finalists who participated in the organization’s Innovation Summit on Wednesday involved some sort of climate tech, from a “Google Maps for nature” to an electrolyzer that transforms clean electricity into green hydrogen. (The latter was another hot topic this week.)
The IRA is a “global game-changer,” according to President Joe Biden, who was speaking at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday. (Did we mention it’s a busy week and we are tired?) And he just might be right.
The IRA’s $369 billion in climate provisions were never going to be enough on their own. But according to what everyone from policymakers to investors said at Climate Week, it’s clear that it’s the dawn of a new era.
The law’s tax credits are already creating a surge in climate tech interest, from battery manufacturing to green hydrogen production.
It’s also encouraging some states to increase their climate ambitions. Gov. Gavin Newsom told Protocol the IRA and California’s new climate goals go “hand in glove,” and the tax credits will be “profound,” particularly for growing the state’s regenerative agriculture sector.
He added that IRA and state tax credits will work in tandem to accelerate the deployment of EV infrastructure, with the “private sector [moving] in to absorb the gaps.” “It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Newsom said.
The law could even impact policy abroad, and has climate tech firms dreaming bigger. According to Lars Lundström, CSO of H2 Green Steel, the dream of carbon pricing is still alive in Europe, and would be “the most concrete and fair way” to incentivize decarbonization, especially of heavy industry. “It’s also important to mix it with subsidizing and actually help companies to do the transition,” he told Protocol.
Data rules everything around me. The climate tech world is data-hungry. This week, startups and Big Tech executives alike emphasized the need for data organization and analysis tools. One repeated refrain: Many companies are ready to do away with the time-consuming Excel spreadsheets that they are using to itemize emissions.
To the end of empowering companies with data, Uber launched a new tool at Climate Week for its 170,000 business clients to track work-related rides’ carbon emissions.
Adam Gromis, public policy manager for Uber’s sustainability team, told us that most of those clients are small or medium-sized companies that “don’t have capacity to measure emissions, or even estimate emissions from, say, their corporate ground travel.”
Mark Kroese, Microsoft’s general manager for sustainability solutions, said that the problem is no longer that there is a dearth of data; in fact, we have a “necklace of satellites around the Earth” delivering data constantly.
Our collective task now is figuring out where that data — in conjunction with reporting by companies — can live and be accessible to those who need it, he said at a Techonomy event, and Big Tech is well-equipped to help.
Data and transparency are also important when it comes to holding governments and businesses accountable, said Catherine McKenna, chair of the U.N.’s High-level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities (yes, it’s a mouthful), at the Race to Zero and Resilience Forum.
The momentum at Climate Week is helping set the stage for the international climate talks that will be held in Egypt this November. And urgency is the name of the game.
“What we don't have is time,” Frans Timmermans, the executive vice president of the European Commission, said at the Race to Zero Forum. “We need to move at Formula 1 speed. ... If we do this in the next couple of years, we'll fix this.”
— Brian Kahn, Michelle Ma and Lisa Martine Jenkins
JUST ON THE HORIZON …
There’s a lot of hype around 5G changing everything from health care to smart homes. Researchers are now looking to put the technology to work reducing transportation energy use as part of Texas A&M University’s 5G testbed, launched in partnership with AT&T last year.
The group is specifically examining how 5G can be used to cut energy usage in autonomous cars. It’s not a matter of if this is going to happen, but when and by how much, according to Srikanth Saripalli, the director of the Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems at Texas A&M, who’s leading the research. He spoke to me about what they’ve found so far.
Like with all things 5G, it’s hard to estimate just how big the impact is going to be. Add in autonomous vehicles — another much-hyped technology that’s not scalable — and it makes those estimates even more challenging. But Saripalli’s team is working on an answer.
Stop-and-go traffic is notoriously bad for fuel economy: Pumping the pedal and then slamming the brakes consumes a lot of fuel compared to steady driving. One study found that aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by up to 40%.
The working theory is that 5G-aided autonomous vehicles can sense when there’s a traffic jam well ahead on the road and reroute or start decelerating earlier accordingly, theoretically reducing the energy consumed by that particular vehicle. Since 5G can process that information at a much higher bandwidth and with lower latency than previous networks, this could happen seamlessly.
Most autonomous vehicles being tested for commercialization are either electric or hybrid, which is why the Texas A&M team is calculating energy saved rather than carbon pollution reduced.
Early estimates show a small but meaningful savings. If all things fall into place, Saripalli’s research predicts about a 5% energy reduction per vehicle. That number comes with a lot of caveats, though.
The first is that it’s assuming a very specific set of conditions that include the number of users, the kind of antennas that exist, traffic patterns, vehicles, and more.
The most surprising finding so far has been how many variables an autonomous vehicle has to juggle on the road and how it all comes together to impact energy consumption.
Ultimately, Saripalli is bullish on the promise of 5G to improve energy efficiency in transportation; the challenge is knowing….(continue article)
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