WIPO Launches New Flagship Report “Green Technology Book”; First Edition Focuses on Climate-Change Adaptation

Geneva, November 10, 2022
PR/2022/896

WIPO today launched the first edition of its “Green Technology Book” focusing on climate-change adaptation – placing these measures on equal footing with mitigation measures.

This new flagship publication is part of the Organization’s long-standing efforts to ensure that innovation, technology and intellectual property (IP) are at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

The Green Technology Book is created in cooperation with the partners Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) and the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASTR).

As the U.N. agency for innovation, creativity and intellectual property, WIPO is committed to supporting the development of green technologies and new innovative solutions in the fight against climate change.

The global IP system plays a critical role in ensuring that such solutions create impact. It helps translate basic research into tangible climate change solutions, incentivizes public and private R&D investment into environmentally friendly technologies, and generates a vast amount of information that is open and accessible to all. Innovation and technology are critical to tackling many facets of the climate crisis.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang

Access the “Green Technology Book”

Released at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Egypt, the publication covers climate-change adaptation technologies that aim to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience to climate impacts, especially in developing countries, where the effects are most heavily borne.

This first edition of the Green Technology Book focuses on three areas in which addressing climate impacts are particularly urgent: agriculture and forestry, water and coastal regions, and cities. It is a practical guide that showcases 200 currently available as well as cutting-edge technologies that are still in development. This “living publication” builds on the work of the WIPO GREEN platform, which connects green technology providers from around the world with people seeking environmentally friendly solutions.

Key findings of the “Green Technology Book”:

• Investment in climate-change adaptation has long taken a back seat to mitigation (efforts to halt the process of global climate change), but for many nations – developing countries in particular – adaptation responses and investments show the greatest immediate impact.
• Innovative adaptation technologies already exist, and new generation technologies are available on the market. However, there is still an urgent need for political drive and access to finance to implement and scale up these solutions.
• Countries face very different levels of vulnerability to climate change. While a broad range of adaptation technologies already exist on the market, they are not always accessible to those most in need.
• Careful consideration of local context is needed before technology transfer should be considered. Support of the local innovation ecosystem can help mitigate this risk.
• There is still a strong preference for hard-engineered tools when combatting the effects of climate change, but nature-based solutions are on the rise and can offer no-regret options to fight climate change. For example, restoration of mangrove forests and protection or rebuilding of coral reefs can provide coastal protection and at the same time rehabilitate ecosystems.
• Data and digitalization are increasingly important in the development of adaptation technology, but support and training are needed to ensure that these technologies reach those most in need.
• Based on patent data, China, Japan and the United States together account for a majority of technological innovation to address climate change in many key areas such as flood defense systems and biotechnology.
• Patent information does not always reflect innovation on the ground and tends to favor advanced adaptation technologies. Many nature-based solutions and low-technology options are rooted in the knowledge of local and indigenous people and may offer the most feasible solutions. Increasing the visibility of these solutions may lead to increased diversity of tools that can be applicable in other environments.

About WIPO GREEN

WIPO GREEN is an online platform for technology exchange. It supports global efforts to address climate change by connecting providers and seekers of environmentally friendly technologies. Through its database, network and acceleration projects, it brings together key players to catalyze green technology innovation and diffusion.