In the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, a community of smallholder farmers living along the banks of the Amazon River and its tributaries are grappling with a problem that may threaten their livelihoods. These farmers rely on the cultivation of guaraná (Paullinea cupana), a prized cash crop.
Misiones, with its sprawling forests, has long been the heartbeat of Argentina’s forestry industry. Carlos Scarnichia, General Manager of a forestry firm that focuses on design, production and marketing of remanufactured wood products, sees the potential of these lands, not only for the richness of the wood, but also for its role in preserving nature.
In the pastoral landscapes of Chile, two farming ventures face increasing challenges from unpredictable weather, water scarcity, and rising temperatures. This is putting a strain on their businesses and threatening their livelihoods. WIPO GREEN is helping these farmers adapt to climate change by connecting their needs with corresponding green technology providers. Through this process, farmers hope to reduce their reliance on non-renewable energy, improve their yields, and become more resilient to the effects of climate change. But this challenge isn’t limited to Chile. As climate change intensifies, farmers around the world will need to adapt their practices.
In the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, a community of smallholder farmers living along the banks of the Amazon River and its tributaries are grappling with a problem that may threaten their livelihoods. These farmers rely on the cultivation of guaraná (Paullinea cupana), a prized cash crop. Yet a pressing problem looms large: the quest for water to wash their harvested guaraná fruits, an essential step to maintain the quality of the berry, upon which their incomes depend. WIPO GREEN has stepped in to help address the water needs of the farmers by connecting them with the right technology suppliers. This initiative ensures water for crop washing and daily use, enhancing crop quality and securing livelihoods.
Palm oil is a highly diverse low cost crop that is used in food, cosmetics and even as biofuel. Global demand has rapidly increased over the past 10 years and production consequently spread over vast areas of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the cultivation of palm oil comes with significant adverse effects on the environment. The positive news is that technologies are available to mitigate these negative impacts.
China is leading the world in accelerating the use of electric vehicles (EVs). Ahead of both Europe and the United States, nearly a quarter of all newly registered cars in China are electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. More EVs are expected to have been sold in China in 2022 than in the rest of the world combined. This trend is due to a diverse set of governmental and regional mandates and incentives. In its recent five-year plan, Beijing proposed to have two million EVs on the road by 2025. This is an ambitious goal and does not come without challenges. All these new EVs need to be recharged somewhere, creating the need to accelerate the implementation of charging facilities as well as greener sources of electricity production.
In 2021, The Bluetech Clean Air Alliance (BCAA) and WIPO GREEN joined forces to launch the WIPO GREEN China Cities Green Technology Acceleration Project - seeking environmental solutions for Chinese cities. The purpose of an acceleration project is to match green tech solutions focused on a specific geographical area or technological domain with technology seekers. In this case, the project's main objective is to support China in achieving the climate commitment of reducing carbon emissions by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.
A group of students from Toyo University in Tokyo, Japan, embarked on an ambitious project to manufacture a new moisturizing hand serum using local products. Their success was partly due to a licensing agreement with Shiseido that allowed them to use the company’s green technology, listed in the WIPO GREEN database, to manufacture their innovation.
In the south of Bali, Indonesia, there is a place where tropical trees are interspersed with shiny metal panels; this is Green School, where children of all ages are learning to fight environmental challenges.
Portuguese company Cubo Environmental Technologies has developed a compact, modular, containerized technology to treat and supply safe drinking water to small population clusters of 500 to 3,000 people. But Cubo faces a challenge. Most of the target locations for its technology do not have access to an adequate water distribution infrastructure. 