WIPO GREEN: The place to go for green tech

• Author: Philip Stevens
• Position: Global Challenges Division, WIPO
• Pages: 2-5

p. 2 2014 | 1

WIPO GREEN:

e place to go for

green tech

As a contribution to global ef forts to address climate chang e, WIPO recently rolled

out the new WIPO GREEN on-line mar ketplace for green technology. WIPO GREEN,

which launched as a pilot i n 2012 (see www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2012/03/

article_0006.html ), seeks to accelerate the development and de ployment of green

technologies around the world by connecting technology and service providers

with those seeking innovative so lutions to the environmental cha llenges they face.

“Our objective is for WIPO GREEN to becom e a go-to platform for green technolo -

gies,” said WIPO Director General Franc is Gurry at the platform’s launch in November

2013. “Innovative green technologies have an important ro le to play in addressing

climate change,” he said, explaining that WIPO GREEN’s main aim is “to cre ate a

technology exchange for environmentally sustainable technologies that leverages

the enormous power of the Internet to create a glo bal audience of consumer s and

a potential marketplace for suppliers.”

Our ability to address cli mate change and achieve sustainable development hi nges

on economic growth that wor ks with, rather than against, the environment. Innovative

green technology solu tions can help, by allowing us to do more with less, for exam-

ple, by developing and using alter native means of energy production, energy-saving

technology and new forms of transport or employing more sustainable agriculture

and forestry practices.

BOOSTING INNOVATION AND ENABLING DIFFUSION

The challenge is to boost in novation, while enabling spee dier diffusion of n ew envi-

ronmentally sustainab le technologies to all parts of the world, including to devel oping

countries where the nee d is greatest.

“WIPO GREEN is part of an ef fort to make technology, technology transfer and inno-

vation part of the promise of an intern ational agreement on clim ate change,” noted

Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Env ironment Programme

(UNEP). “The transition towards a green, low-carb on economy, is premised on the

ability of developing natio ns having access to state of the art techn ology, being

able also to leverage the investments that are c ommensurate with the needs for

transformation,” Mr. Steiner said. “It is our hope that this sustainab le technology

marketplace will be another opportunity for making technology part of the equation,

enabling and creating opportunities for transition.”

WIPO GREEN offers a practic al, market-based contribution to the daunting c hal-

lenges presented by climate chan ge. It “encourages technology deployment into the

developing world that allows countries to leapfrog carbon-intense development and

move to clean, efcient energ y and growth. This is done by connecting technology

leaders with national leaders looking for technology solutions and supporting the

By Philip Stevens,

Global Challenges Division,

WIPO

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