Industry drives the engine of our modern world, but it’s also the largest contributor to global emissions. The challenge to achieving decarbonization across the board is huge.

On Decarbonization Day, under the Breakthrough Agenda, countries representing more than 70% of global GDP launched a package of 25 new collaborative actions to be delivered by COP28 to speed up decarbonization under five key breakthroughs: power, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agriculture. These measures are designed to cut energy costs, rapidly reduce emissions and boost food security for billions of people worldwide whilst also ensuring a just transition for green jobs.

In addition, building adaptation and resilience into the industry transition is vital for the protection of goods, services and local economies.

We need to produce what people want, in a way the planet can afford. Read on for more about how both the Breakthrough Agenda, and action within individual industrial sectors, are stepping up to this challenge.

Today’s Key Announcements

• A coalition of 45 world leaders have launched the Breakthrough Agenda, an unprecedented international clean technology plan to help keep 1.5°C in reach. It provides a framework for countries and businesses to join up and strengthen their actions every year in key emitting sectors, through a coalition of leading public, private and public-private global initiatives.
  
• The Carbon Dioxide Removal 2030 Breakthrough states that by 2030, carbon dioxide removals are responsibly scaled to remove 3 billion tonnes of CO2 per year, with another 500 million tonnes per annum being stored for at least 100 years. In addition, the Carbon Removals at COP is a virtual online pavilion for events, daily commentary, news and thinking during COP27 and beyond. It is a collaborative effort composed of volunteers, NGOs, and practitioners from across the carbon removal ecosystem.
• The First Movers Coalition (FMC) will launch its “FMC Cement & Concrete Commitment” to showcase the emerging global demand for green cement in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP). The Commitment will initially be launched with five signatories.
• Launch of the Africa Net Zero Concrete Group, which aims to accelerate the decarbonization of the cement sectors in Africa by exchanging lessons learned, supporting companies in their net zero trajectories via the Race to Zero and accelerating the establishment of net zero country sector roadmaps in African countries. The goal for next year is to establish these in up to ten African countries.
• The Green Cement Technology Tracker is published in order to ensure more transparency and accountability by LeadIT and its partner, the Global Cement and Concrete Association GCCA. The aim is to transparently track public announcements of low carbon investments in the cement industry.
• The launch of the Climate Investment Funds’ (CIFs) new Industry Transition Programme, the world’s first large scale dedicated finance programme for developing country industry transitions. Plans include a $410m green hydrogen investment in Egypt led by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) and a World Bank project to develop a $1.6bn green hydrogen global programme.
• Mobile network operators signal 64 terawatt hours (TWh) in new renewable energy required by 2030, and the Asia Clean Energy Coalition with Google, Meta and Samsung is launched to accelerate renewable electricity procurement in Asia. These clear demand side signals show progress towards the 2030 ICT & Mobile Breakthrough of 80% decarbonized electricity.
• Launch of the new Net Zero Playbook provides companies with a set of practical solutions to address their most complex emissions challenges. It outlines what is possible, how to get started, and provides case studies demonstrating how industry leaders are already taking action across key decarbonization levers. It’s developed in partnership between The Consumer Goods Forum, its members, and Accenture.
• The Energize program has grown to include 15 companies, and 364 supplier companies have registered. Energize is a program working to decarbonize the pharmaceutical industry’s value chain by helping them to accelerate their renewable energy procurements. This growth accounts for 22.1 TWh of electricity demand. This progress falls in line with the focus on implementation at COP27.
• The UN Climate Change High-Level Champions are calling for action across four Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Outcomes for Planning: for cities and regions to have A&R plans, companies to have A&R plans, A&R planning to be localised and consultative, and universal access to climate tools and information. The Planning deep-dive report provides additional detail on the Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Outcomes for planning and offers solutions for how they can be delivered. Further technical reports across these impact systems will be published over the course of COP27.
• Launch of the Ambition Loop for the Ocean Economy Report. The Ambition Loop is a positive feedback loop in which bold government policies and private sector leadership reinforce each other, and together take climate action to the next level. By activating the blue ambition loop, it’s hoped this can lead to further ocean-climate actions. The report also provides a framework for a system approach to ocean-climate action through the “Blue Breakthroughs.”
• Launch of the African Alliance for Sustainable Cities and Built Environment. The Alliance supports the Africa Manifesto for Sustainable Cities & the Built Environment, which sets out policies related to energy, water, materials, finance and infrastructure that African business leaders, city and government officials must support to deliver a socially- and economically-inclusive built environment for everyone across the continent.

GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION EVENTS SCHEDULE

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND WEBCAST, ACCESS HERE

Breakthrough Agenda One Year On: Launch Breakthrough Priority Actions

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 8:00 – 9:30am

Marrakech Partnership Action Event – Industry-Scaling Practical Solutions to Accelerate Industrial Decarbonization by 2030

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 10:00 – 12:00

Launch of the roadmap for climate actions in the events sector – Net Zero Carbon Events

Location: Action Room 2 (Lotus)

Time: (10:00-12:00)

Just Transition and the Future of work

Location: Capacity Building Hub

Time: 11:50 – 12:50

Marrakech Partnership Implementation Lab: Industry-Cement Breakthrough: from insight to concrete action

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Futures Lab: Carbon and Biodiversity Credits in Africa

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Fashion on the net zero

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 14:30 – 16:00

Marrakech Partnership Implementation Lab: Industry-Steel Breakthrough: from Insight to Action in this Critical Decade

Location: Action Room 2 (Lotus)

Time: 14:30 – 16:00

Futures Lab: Carbon Dioxide Removal: Pioneers from the Global South

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 16:30 – 18:00

Futures Lab: The Future of Food

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 18:30 – 20:00

EXPLORE COP27

The Children and Youth Pavilion

For the first time ever at a UNFCCC Conference, children and young people will have a dedicated space at COP27 alongside world leaders, ministers, prominent non-State actors and other delegates. Designed to amplify children and youth voices within global climate policymaking, the COP27 Children and Youth Pavilion will be entirely led by young people and has been co-created and run by influential child and youth networks. A full programme of events is here.

To celebrate Youth & Future Generations Day yesterday, the High-Level Champions Nigel Topping and Mahmoud Mohieldin stopped by the Children and Youth Pavilion to celebrate the voices of young people at COP27.

The Resilience Hub: Showcasing Resilience Solutions Everyday

The Resilience Hub continues to deliver on its mandate to elevate the knowledge of front line leaders and demonstrate locally-informed resilience solutions which can be implemented at scale. Click here for the full agenda. The Hub is accessible in-person in Area C and virtually here.

No More Fairy Tales: stories to save our planet

Before we can build the resilient zero carbon economy that we have promised future generations, we must first imagine it.

Stay inspired by reading today’s story drawn from an anthology of short stories written by a variety of authors such as Kim Stanley Robinson, Paolo Bacigalupi and others. These stories present positive visions of what a sustainable society might look like and how we might get there.

Each story links to a webpage where readers can see how they can help to make the story a reality. Compiled by the Green Stories Project, in association with Herculean Climate Solutions.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Building a maritime sector that thrives in a world of mounting climate and geopolitical shocks and stresses

“The world around us is changing faster than ever, and the speed of change is not going to slow down. As such, we cannot delay action – just see what happened to the world’s supply chains in response to external stressors such as Hurricanes Katrina and Ian, Covid 19 and Brexit.” CEO of Resilience Rising, Seth Schultz explains why and how the maritime sector is putting resilience on an equal footing with mitigation.

Africa’s future is urban – Here’s how we ensure it’s resilient

Imagine a city running out of water – homes and businesses go for days without cleaning, hospitals halt many of their services, residents line up in the middle of the night to collect water, risking human health, the economy and public safety. Smita Rawoot, Urban Resilience Lead at WRI, introduces a new Africa-focused blended finance instrument, the ACWA Fund, that supports city leaders to fund and scale high-impact water resilience solutions across Africa.

Nigeria’s cities are at severe risk from climate change. Time to build resilience, and fast

Flooding in Nigeria this year has displaced more than half a million people, according to the National Emergency Agency. Abiola Durodola, from the AdvoKC Foundation, and flood risk analyst, Abiade Idunnu explain the scale of the challenge and the opportunity before States and non-States actors alike to build resilience for the country before it’s too late.

GSK joins the Race to Resilience with pledge to support health resilience of 15 million people by 2030

All sectors must, and can, play a part in e resilience as the world’s most climate vulnerable people and communities. Find out more about GSK’s pledge to protect RREE support 15 million people, a major step towards Race to Resilience’s goal to build the resilience of four billion people globally by 2030.

Race to Resilience launches consultation to strengthen resilience metrics framework

Race to Resilience has launched a public consultation to help improve and strengthen an initiative to help partners report action, and quantify and verify impacts under a common framework.

Acknowledging the members of the Cities Race to Resilience for their leadership and commitment

City and subnational government signatories to Cities Race to Resilience have more than doubled since COP26, with more cities and subnational governments pledging to join the global campaign every day.

Launch of the Mangrove Breakthrough

The Mangrove Breakthrough is a science-based, measurable, and achievable goal for non-State actors and governments to collectively restore and protect mangroves at the scale needed to secure the future of these vital coastal ecosystems. Created in collaboration with the Global Mangrove Alliance this is a critical agenda to deliver the Sharm El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda and mitigation 2030 Breakthroughs.