Green Technology Tent - shining the light on international environmental technologies
by Adam Nethersole
For the first time, UNEP’s Governing Council, Global Ministerial Environment Forum and Civil Society Forum includes a “Green Technology Tent”.
Organised by Climate Action, the Green Technology Tent is aligned with the Green 'New Deal' plan to rescue world economies, which looks towards environmentally sustainable solutions to generate real growth and trigger an employment boom in the 21st Century. UNEP and Climate Action are working together to showcase new technologies that will assist governments and their populations in addressing environmental issues at the 2009 Forum.
The Green Technology Tent features innovative technologies that can assist countries around the world address their environmental concerns. The six participants include Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands presenting the case for a global switch to energy-efficient and sustainable lighting; Ecospec of Singapore are leading the way to GHG emission reductions with technology that can reduce emissions of four pollutants in a single scrubbing system; Noble Energy Solar Technologies Ltd from India are committed to contributing towards the eradication of light poverty; 2008 Saskawa prizewinners Sunlabob Rural Energy Ltd (Lao PDR) and Practical Action (Peru) are bringing clean power - solar and hydro - to remote rural communities that do not have access to grid electricity on the Eastern slopes of the Andes and in the farthest-flung regions of Lao PDR.
The United Nations Environment Programme Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP DTIE) is also part of the Green Technology Tent exhibiting Solar Chill, a global initiative that is developing a climate and ozone-friendly vaccine cooler powered by solar energy, which will directly help improve the health of children in developing countries.
For the organisations involved, this is a unique opportunity to present landmark technology and ideas to a key international audience of Environment Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, NGOs and civil society organisations gathering to consult on crucial environmental issues. These discussions are particularly valuable in the lead up to COP 15 in December 2009.
Frances Muchiri of Practical Action said “We realise the importance of environmental conservation as a result of global climate change. It is important for us to be here to show off some of the technologies we have produced in collaboration with the community in utilising their resources.”
For more information on the Green Technology Tent please contact Sula Bruce, Project Director at Climate Action Programme on +44 (0) 20 7871 0123, or sbruce@climateactionprogramme.org.
For more information on Henley Media Group’s Climate Action Programme please visit the website: www.climateactionprogramme.org.