Countries across continents have been accelerating their efforts to pass key policies that are aligned with the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Already, many nations have begun their decarbonization efforts and are about to become carbon neutral, which reflect their seriousness to live up to their commitment to build a carbon-free world for their citizens and the people around the world.

Undoubtedly, as we race against time to achieve sustainable development, carbon emission is going to be the reference point for everything in the next 30 years. Today, governments are already preparing to execute mandatory regulations in their respective territories so as to make sure that both public and private sector entities toe the line when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint across different scopes of their activities and operations.

Next-generation technology is going to remain at the core of the carbon footprint reduction efforts for many organizations. Modern tools will be the key for companies and organizations to increase their efficiency without further harming the environment.

It is no surprise then that several institutions have already begun investing in solar and biomass power plants, renewable projects, carbon capturing, smart meters, and many other innovative projects designed to promote efficient and sustainable use of resources and protect our natural surroundings.

These technologies have emerged as of late in the midst of mounting sustainability calls and rising global movement towards combating climate change.  Smart meters, for one, enable substantial energy savings, while modern innovative tools promoting efficient use of water have been developed as well.

An example of an entity involved in green technology is Swiss cleantech company Climeworks. In partnership with Reykjavik Energy, Climeworks has developed a technology capable of directly capturing carbon dioxide from ambient air for permanent storage underground as per the description in the company’s website.  This innovative technology serves as a carbon removal solution, which is a huge stride in the ongoing global efforts to reverse the effects of climate change.

In a bid to contribute to the international sustainability efforts, Swedish company Eco Wave Power has also developed its own green technology.  The organization created a patented, smart, and cost-efficient technology designed to turn ocean and sea waves into green electricity.

Carbon trading has also emerged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon credits marketplace provides organisations and consumers a single platform for carbon offsetting. Using blockchain technology, fintech company ClimateTrade, for instance, has built a platform where companies and consumers can offset their carbon footprint through investment in environmental projects as well as disruptive technologies developed to tackle the impact of climate change. One of the leading companies that sells its credits through ClimateTrade is Co2 Revolution.

Co2 Revolution is at the forefront of promoting drone-powered reforestation, an approach that aims to address the problem of deforestation. Through tree-planting drones, we can now reforest extensive areas in a fraction of the time that it takes if we do it manually.

On the issue of finite water supply, one of the biggest problems in the next few years is going to be the lack of pure water to drink and supply for irrigation, to name a few. We will have high shortages in some countries and most of the supply will not be fit for consumption.

There is one company using artificial intelligence (AI) to find sources of water under the soil. WaterQuest is an eco-conscious socially responsible company established in 2015 based on AI-driven virtual prospecting program. The company deploys its technology to map, identify, develop, and manage decentralized, sustainable self-recharging perennial groundwater sources. It employs AI’s data-driven methods to model and forecast non-linear hydrological processes, in addition to handling large amounts of dynamicity and noise concealed in datasets.

These are just some of the examples of the rising number of organisations across sectors that have been fully harnessing the power of technologies to help fast-track the global community’s transition to a green economy and ensure its path towards sustainable development.

Admittedly, much still needs to be done in our shift to a green economy. Concerted efforts should be consistently implemented in this department to have a prosperous future without harming the planet. To discuss more on this, let’s meet at the World Green Economy Summit (WGES) 2019, which will take place on October 20th and 21st at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.