COP 28: Unparalleled Climate Innovations
When I was a 5th grader and saw headlines of the signing of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, I knew that I would pursue a career to fight climate change. Eight years later, SVYCA provided me the full-circle, life-changing opportunity to partake in their inaugural COP delegation, for which I’m forever grateful.
Leading up to my trip to Dubai for COP (my first solo trip outside of North America), it felt as though my 4 years of policy advocacy and event organizing with SVYCA had culminated to this moment where I could observe and partake in climate discussions on the global stage. COP 28 was a hands-on learning experience that gave me a chance to “burst my Silicon Valley bubble”, or explore beyond the usual solar, electrification, and EV discussions that I’ve immersed myself in within Bay Area climate advocacy. Most of all, I was struck by the urgent and committed energy from the various companies, advocates, and government delegates I networked with, who are all addressing climate change from different angles. Below, I’ll highlight some of my favorite innovations:
Within the COP28 outdoor venue space, there was a collection of glass-door booths called the “Start-Up Village”, which showcased a portfolio of innovative climate companies, assembled by venture capital accelerators like Breakthrough Energy. Some highlights from the village included:
Blue World Technologies - a Danish company committed to decarbonizing maritime shipping with methanol fuel cells and on-vehicle CCUS.
Solskin - a Swiss company specializing in solar panels that both rotate and tilt on an axis to provide renewable energy and aesthetic qualities to buildings.
Blachere Illumination - a French company that recycles plastic bottles and transforms them into stunning lighting and decoration structures.
Ooyoo - a collaboration with Cambridge and Kyoto University that resulted in DAC technology applicable from residential to industrial scales, which can transform CO2 into chalk, plastics, and other end-uses.
The COP venue contained many expo halls, and two memorable experiences from the “Energy Innovation Hub” were:
A video-centric booth from consultancy EY, which visualized a future where mass transit, EVs, and electric autonomous vehicles can be coupled with green space and walkable city design.
A booth showcasing Octopus Energy, one of the UK’s largest clean energy providers, with a plethora of domestic and international investments into solar, wind, EV charging, heat pumps, and other renewables.
Lastly, both within COP expo halls and at an offsite Bloomberg networking event, I was fortunate to develop relationships with companies like:
Breakwave Energy - an American start-up developing modular off-shore technology to harvest renewable energy from ocean waves. The company leadership, William Lyman and Andres Hernandez, were kind enough to answer questions and offer advice to myself and two other SVYCA youth over lunch, which speaks to the larger synergy that can be achieved with youth in climate.
AWorld - a European-founded app that provides educational climate resources and gamified personal carbon footprints for companies and classrooms, using the UN sustainable development goals as benchmarks.
Overall, COP 28 quelled some of my anxiety about global attitudes towards climate change, since I can reflect on the many, inspiring climate innovations that I learned about from all corners of the globe - showcasing a persisting optimism and trying spirit for global climate action. Not only that, but COP 28 allowed me to grow friendships with my fellow SVYCA youth team members through shared dinners, stories, and experiences of living together on SVYCA’s inaugural trip abroad! I’m extremely grateful to SVYCA for this life-changing learning experience and will aim to participate in future COPs as a negotiations observer.
