Eight years ago when UNIDO-Egypt embarked on a mission to accelerate the uptake of industrial energy efficiency there were barely any local service providers, and even fewer local success stories. Fast forward to today and hundreds of Egyptian industrial organizations and technical consultants have been trained by UNIDO; new energy services companies have emerged; key government ministries have introduced policy incentives; 1,220 GWh of energy has been saved and millions of tons of CO2 emissions have been avoided.

As a programme partner of the World Resources Forum 2021, the Green Industry Platform and GO4SDGs, are jointly hosting an online workshop “In Africa for Africa: Weaving solutions for textile circularity challenges” on 12 October. The workshop will invite SMEs, retailers, and other textile value chain stakeholders to discuss how to bridge communication gaps and deliver a coordinated support structure for circularity.

Limited free tickets are available! Write to contact [at] greenindustryplatform.org (contact[at]greenindustryplatform[dot]org) to secure your free registration!

Hi all, I am joining and hope to share some valuable activities soon.

In the latest #TheGreenRenaissance podcast, reflections from PAGE@HLPF 2021 ?

Find out how governments can turn economic recovery into sustainable economic transformation (... the answer? A mix of finance, private sector incentives, citizen engagement, and partnerships).

Listen and subscribe ? bit.ly/3ziY6A6

With Guy Ryder (International Labour Organization), Inger Andersen (UN Environment Programme), Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Germany), H. E. Elizabeth Thompson (Government of Barbados), Dr. Febrio Nathan Kacaribu (Ministry of Finance, Indonesia) and Melati Wijsen (Youth Climate Activist).

At its latest board meeting in March 2021, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved $1.2 billion in funding for 15 climate change projects in developing countries. However, funding for only two of these projects, or 1.5% of the total amount, went directly to developing country institutions.

Most of the climate finance provided by the GCF flows through international institutions such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP) or the World Bank. The GCF has accredited 62 developing country institutions as eligible for direct access so far, but 42 of them have yet to receive actual project funding.

Why is it crucial to give developing countries greater direct access to finance?

World’s biggest shipping company is the first to order large carbon-neutral vessels that can sail from China to Europe and across the Pacific. Maersk ordered eight new vessels that can run on traditional bunker fuel and “green” methanol, to replace older ones as freight rates rocket amid a shortage of vessels to deal with the large demand following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Each vessel costs about 10-15 % more than a traditional ship given its dual-fuel engine. Maersk executives said they thought big customers were willing to pay up for green transport.

HEINEKEN Green Challenge is inviting citizens to propose creative and innovative solutions for the Mexican countryside.

The challenge is looking for projects from the idea level to startups with growing sales that impact on:

• Innovation in the value chain of the agri-food sector
• Fair trade and community development
• Sustainable pest management
• Crop diversity
• Soil conservation, health and nutrition
• Self-sustaining energy conservation and management
• Productivity and climate change

Photo by analuisa gamboa on Unsplash