A beleaguered farewell to 2022, a trepidatious transition to 2023
February 23, 2023
2022 certainly kept the world on its toes: armed conflict, inflation, energy crisis, year three of the COVID-19 global health emergency, disruption of global supply chains, continued biodiversity loss, extreme weather events—the list is long and daunting. As humanity struggles to combat these complex, inter-related global challenges, it’s becoming clearer with each passing day that we must do things differently. While that is, unfortunately, beyond WIPO GREEN’s remit, it doesn’t stop us from thinking big while doing what we can to help the world move in the direction of green innovation, sustainability, less waste, and more mindfulness of our shared challenges—and potential solutions.
Last year saw WIPO launch a new flagship publication, the Green Technology Book, aimed at putting innovation, technology and intellectual property at the forefront in the fight against climate change. It was created in cooperation with partners Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) and the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASTR). The Green Technology Book comes at a time when we are all experiencing the effects of a changing climate that is becoming increasingly unpredictable in terms of the magnitude, speed, and impact of new weather patterns. The inaugural edition focuses on available solutions for climate-change adaptation to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and increase resilience. It concentrates on three areas where climate impacts are particularly important: agriculture and forestry, water and coastal regions, and cities. The findings build on the WIPO GREEN Technology Database, which connects green technology providers from around the world with those seeking environmentally friendly solutions. The Book will be an annual publication, with the 2023 edition focusing on climate-change mitigation technologies already in the works.
Our WIPO GREEN matchmaking and Acceleration Projects continued to stride ahead in 2022 and we’re celebrating four matches in China, Indonesia and Japan. During Acceleration Projects, which focus on a particular geographical area or technological domain, providers and seekers make crucial connections that can lead to green tech deployment or transfer. The projects generate relevant knowledge about the local green tech landscape and are a gateway to a range of potential funders, legal counsel, and local and international commercial networks.
Together with WIPO’s IP for Business Division we ran the second installment of the WIPO GREEN IP management clinic in 2022, this time focusing on sustainable fashion. The IP Management Clinic assisted seven small and mid-size enterprises from around the world through workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions. We were proud to host Louis Vuitton’s Sustainability Team as part of the workshop.
Last year also saw the launch of WIPO GREEN’s new IPO Green project, through which we cooperate with and support national intellectual property offices around the world to discuss ways to promote and support green innovation. We are excited to continue this in 2023, organizing workshops to exchange and to inspire.
In 2022, our inspirational Women in Green series continued to feature noteworthy women, including Marta Cañada, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Abora Energy, a company that develops cost-effective hybrid solar panels. Ms. Cañada led the development of the most cost-effective hybrid solar panels ever created, securing a certified world record in solar efficiency.
No Year in Review would be complete without extending our gratitude and appreciation to our diverse group of partners – 150 in total in 2022! Our partners’ role as Advisory Board members is essential to guide WIPO GREEN in its continued evolution and growth. As we transition in to 2023, WIPO GREEN’s current five-year strategic period will conclude. This coming year will be a time for reflecting on what has worked well over the past five years and what can be done better in the coming 2024-2026 period (yes, this will be a shorter, three-year strategy, acknowledging the incredible speed of change, especially in the field of environmental sustainability and green innovation). We look forward to working closely with our partners throughout 2023 to shape WIPO GREEN’s future.
Looking back on 2022, it was another dynamic year for WIPO GREEN, filled with new ideas, new projects, and a number of achievements and milestones that have been several years in the making. In contrast, the broader global situation was not nearly as bright, and so we begin 2023 with cautious optimism that the global community will illuminate a clear path forward to resolve the many human-made challenges with which the world at large grapples. WIPO GREEN will continue to do its part, facing, as ever, questions and challenges that are so much bigger than we are.
Wishing all of our partners, friends and colleagues a healthy 2023 full of new ways of being and doing.
By the WIPO GREEN Team