IEA’s first major Energy & AI Global Conference
At major IEA conference, decision-makers from tech, energy and government underscore AI’s implications for energy security and transitions.
A Circular System to Turn Plastic Waste into Innovative New Products
LIXIL has developed "revia," a circular building material that reuses hard-to-recycle plastic waste by combining it with waste wood. This innovative process allows different materials to be crushed and extruded together without sorting, making it possible to effectively use almost all household and commercial waste plastics. Revia aims to address the issue of plastic waste and reduce CO2 emissions by over 80% compared to burning waste plastics and wood. The material is versatile, boasting a handmade, wood-like texture, and is suitable for various applications, from building materials to everyday products.
Majority of Britons now say climate change among biggest problems country faces
A majority (52%) of Britons now say climate change is one of the most, if not the single most, important problems the country faces – up from 46% last year, according to a new survey.
Climate Finance – Looking Ahead to 2025
This year’s UN Climate Change Conference, COP29, concluded in Baku on 24th November. A new climate finance goal was the locus of the two-week agenda, with the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) amounting to $300bn, to be contributed to by developed countries on an annual basis. The NCQG will also scale up finance to developing countries, from public and private sources, with an agreed target of $1.3 trillion per year by 2035. Although this outcome fell short of expectations, efforts must now be accelerated to deliver the NCQG and bridge the climate finance gap.
UN Plastics Treaty Talks End Without Agreement
Negotiations for a legally binding UN treaty on plastic pollution extended to 2025 after talks in Busan faced disagreement on production limits.
Governing Global Industrial and Financial Policies in the G20
Co-Chairs of the Group of Experts to the G20 Taskforce on a Global Mobilization Against Climate Change (TF CLIMA) set out framework for making green growth achievable across the G20 and globally.
Sustainable Investment Forum Europe 2025
The Sustainable Investment Forum Europe 2025 will bring together key stakeholders to explore the alignment of sustainable investment strategies for a just, net zero and nature positive transition.
COP29 – Week Two Summary and Final Outcome
The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) officially ended at 5:31am on Sunday 24 November, 35 hours after initially planned. The road to COP29 was not an easy one, and its conclusion perhaps leaves more questions unanswered than answered.
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Hydrogen Transition Summit Highlights
Returning for its fifth edition at COP29, the Hydrogen Transition Summit is the largest and longest-running hydrogen event at COP. The summit convened over 500 key stakeholders from across the hydrogen value chain on 15 November, including policymakers, investors, hydrogen producers and off-takers, tech innovators and project developers, with a shared objective of advancing hydrogen markets to support the global transition towards a low carbon economy.
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Agri-Food Systems Summit Highlights
The Agri-Food Systems Summit brought together global leaders, farmers, business innovators, and policymakers to tackle the pressing challenges of food systems transformation, to both adapt to and mitigate climate change, at COP29. Chair of the Summit, Jake Fiennes, Director of Holkham National Nature Reserve and General Manager at Conservation Holkham Estate, led a packed one-day program, where participants engaged in dynamic panel discussions, fireside chats, and the Future Food Systems Hackathon, giving every voice in the room a say. Attendees shared cutting-edge solutions, challenged conventional thinking, and forged connections across sectors to accelerate action. From innovative financing models to farmer-led pathways to sustainability, the summit spotlighted the bold ideas needed to ensure food systems are equitable, resilient, and climate-smart.
COP29 – Transforming Agri-Food Systems
COP29’s Food, Water and Agriculture Day shined light on the transformative power of agrifood systems to drive emissions reductions. However, efforts must be pushed from both sides, mitigation and adaptation, as these systems are particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change.
Week One at COP29
The UN’s Climate Summit entered its second week today, with pressure put on moving the needle on a new global finance deal. Last week, Heads of State and Government convened for the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, with thematic days covering finance, investment and trade; energy/ peace, relief and recovery; and science, technology and innovation / digitalisation.
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Sustainable Innovation Forum Highlights
Highlights from two days of panel discussions, dialogues, keynotes, and interviews with climate leaders spanning business, policy, finance and the UN at the Sustainable Innovation Forum.
Day Two in Baku – World Leaders Summit and a Global Carbon Deal
As the global average temperature reaches 1.54°C in 2024, COP29 continues for its second day in Baku after success in agreeing a centralised carbon market under the UN.
COP29 Begins In Baku
As COP29 officially starts today in Baku, IRENA’s latest report signals to the gap remaining between political announcements and actual country plans and policies, calling for ambitious NDC updates that reflect the global pledge to triple renewable power capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030.
Climate Adaptation on the Agenda at COP29
UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2024 finds that nations must dramatically increase climate adaptation efforts, starting with a commitment to act on finance, one week ahead of the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at COP29.
COP29 One Week To Go – The State of Clean Energy Deployment
This time next week, COP29 will be in full force. Ahead of these climate talks, the IEA’s latest Clean Energy Market Monitor shows continued growth in clean energy deployment, but wide variations among regions and technologies exist amid increased manufacturing capacity and declining costs.
COP29 One Week To Go - New Collective Quantified Goal
A week today, COP29 will kick off in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the climate finance landscape is expected to shift with the establishment of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). The NCQG aims to replace the existing $100 billion annual climate finance target, set in 2009, with a more ambitious goal that considers current climate vulnerabilities and increased funding needs in developing countries. Projections suggest that developing economies will need around $1.1 trillion by 2025, rising to $1.8 trillion by 2030, with the private sector expected to play a more substantial role than before.
Engaging the Business Community at COP29 – Agri-Food Systems
Global climate goals are unattainable without agrifood system solutions. The private sector can play a key role in financing and scaling solutions that lower environmental impact, build resilience, support adaptation and reduce GHG emissions, whilst ensuring food security.
Engaging the Business Community at COP29 – Green Hydrogen
Low-carbon hydrogen is essential for reducing emissions in hard to abate sectors such as heavy industry and transport. However, the sector’s required rapid expansion depends on stronger demand stimulation policies, clarity on government support, and overcoming cost and infrastructure challenges to meet ambitious global targets by 2030, as underscored by the IEA's Global Hydrogen Review and the Breakthrough Agenda Report 2024.