UK to showcase expertise in green technology at UN Climate Change Summit in Marrakech
The UK is proud to support Morocco as it prepares to host the UN Climate Change Summit (COP22) in Marrakech next week.
The UK is looking forward to the first convening of the Parties to the historic Paris Agreement following its entry into force.
The level of international support reflects both the urgency and the importance of tackling climate change in nations across the globe. In the UK we have already begun the necessary parliamentary steps for domestic approval of the Paris Agreement and expect to have completed this process by the end of 2016. We look forward to sharing our experiences in Marrakech.
Green is GREAT pavilion
The UK will have a Green is GREAT pavilion in the Solutions and Innovations area of the Green Zone, showcasing the best of British expertise and innovation in green technology, finance and clean energy solutions. Here the UK will be running a full programme of workshops, with talks from companies and NGOs and receptions throughout COP22. The full programme is available to download below.
Highlights include:
- On 8 and 9 November, workshops on the waste water industry in the UK and on producing energy from waste.
- On 11 November, an in-depth look at low energy solutions, featuring British companies and organisations such as The Carbon Trust, Sgurr Energy, Ricardo Energy & Environment, Fuel Economy Solutions, Clarke Energy and Western Solar. The guest of honour at this event will be the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Morocco, Dr. Andrew Murrison MP.
- On 15 and 16 November, a focus on Green Finance, featuring the City of London and companies such as Aviva, the Green Investment Bank, Climate Investment Initiative, Legal & General Investment Management, Price Waterhouse Coopers and HSBC. Sir Roger Gifford, Chair of the City of London’s Green Finance Initiative will host a high-level panel event sharing the UK’s expertise in emerging markets, with practical advice on raising private capital to finance the Paris pledges.
Come and see world-class British technology including:
- the world’s first purpose-built, hydrogen fuel-cell motorcycle, built by Intelligent Energy
- Transport System Catapult’s (TSC) self-driving, electric-powered pod
- Drenched’s innovative hand-washing tap that reduces water consumption in mosques by 90%
- Pavegen’s pioneering floor tile that generates electricity when you walk across it
- FuelActive’s design to capture unwanted contaminates in fuel, resulting in increased engine performance and efficiency, and reduced emissions
Ahead of the UK’s participation, British Ambassador to Morocco Karen Betts said:
In December 2015 a historic climate change agreement was reached in Paris. The world pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rises to no more than 2oC. A year on and now Morocco is hosting the next UN Climate Change Summit – COP22 – in Marrakech. It starts in less than a week’s time, on 7 November.
This will be the first COP after the Paris Agreement has entered into force, which it will do on 4 November. This is a really important milestone. It marks the fact that 55 countries, representing 55% of global emissions, have now ratified the Agreement.
So all of our commitments made in Paris are now turning from aspiration to action. All states, including the UK, will now need to demonstrate what we are doing to put in place climate change plans and to provide financial support to developing countries to help them reduce carbon emissions.
Here in Morocco, COP22 is a topic of conversation everywhere – government ministers, media celebrities, academics and ordinary people are all talking about it. I was in Fez last week, a wonderful, ancient city in the centre of Morocco and the country’s former capital, where shopkeepers told me how important they thought COP 22 was. Their contribution, they said, was that they no longer give plastic bags to shoppers, who now need to bring their own bags or buy a biodegradable one. I spoke at a university while I was there, and again the students were all talking about COP 22, and about working on Morocco’s clean energy programme after they graduated.
This is an exciting time and the UK is delighted to be participating in COP22. Come and see us at our ‘Green is GREAT’ pavilion, in the Solutions and Innovations area of the Green Zone, where we will be showcasing the best of British green expertise and innovation.