- U.N.’s Race to Zero Campaign will team up with the tech-savvy attendees of this year’s Web Summit to match startups with potential investors.
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The shift to virtual events in response to the coronavirus pandemic may be creating new tech-savvy opportunities for cities and other entities to reach net zero carbon emissions.
The U.N. Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) launched its Race to Zero Campaign shortly after announcing that COP26 — the annual global climate leadership gathering — would be postponed until 2021.
Race to Zero is a virtual commitment: entities who sign up commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest. Already the campaign is the largest-ever alliance of its kind; it boasts commitments from 449 cities as well as 21 regions, 995 businesses, 38 major investors, and 505 universities — collectively representing 2.6 billion people, more than half of the world’s GDP, and, crucially, nearly 25 percent of global carbon emissions.
Once the commitment is made, however, the next steps toward net zero become less straightforward.
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