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The green technology industry could be worth several trillion dollars by 2030, but developing countries will miss out on growth unless they leapfrog now, the United Nations said Thursday.
At roughly the same rate three years ago, the most advanced countries are already outpacing developing countries as exporters of green technology, the United Nations Trade and Development Agency, UNCTAD, warned.
And without intervention to bridge the gap, early adopters build lasting benefits, making it even more difficult for developing countries, UNCTAD said.
“We are at the beginning of a technology revolution based on green technologies,” said Rebecca Greenspan, the agency’s chief executive.
“Losing this wave of technology … will have long-lasting negative implications.”
UNCTAD estimates that 17 key frontier technologies at the forefront of green innovation could create a market worth more than $9.5 trillion by 2030 – up from $1.5 trillion in 2020.
The technologies include artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, biofuels, nanotechnology, 5G, gene editing, robotics, 3D printing, wind power and blockchain.
They can be used to produce goods and services in a way that leaves a smaller carbon footprint.
The United States and China currently dominate these fields, with a total of 70 percent of patents.
– very rich land –
In terms of readiness to use and use these technologies, the UNCTAD ranking is dominated by high-income countries led by the United States, Sweden, Singapore, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Of the BRICS countries, Russia 31st, China 35th, Brazil 40th, India 46th and South Africa 56th – they are ranked highest on the African continent.
China’s lower-than-expected ranking is due to poor rural internet coverage and slow broadband speeds.
However, several Asian countries have outperformed, with India ranking higher in terms of GDP per capita at 67, the Philippines at 54 and Vietnam at 44, making them well-positioned to seize the initiative.
Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa are at great risk of missing out on the current window of opportunity.
Although it’s only a start, a gap is opening up in green technology exports, with developed countries outpacing the rest.
In the developed countries, the total export of green technology in the year It has risen from $60 billion in 2018 to $156 billion in 2021, while at the same time, spending from developing countries — including China — has risen from $57 billion to $75 billion.
In those three years, developing countries’ share of world exports fell from more than 48 percent to 33 percent.
– trade, climate, IP laws messed up –
Small developing countries that have done little to address climate change have been hit the hardest — but are still struggling to find the technology to help prevent it, UNCTAD said.
The agency’s deputy head, Pedro Manuel Moreno, is caught between promoting economic growth and protecting the environment.
“They need more investment, more technology transfer and more global linkages between international climate and trade agreements,” Moreno told reporters.
He said trade laws should be changed to help developing countries protect green industries through tariffs, subsidies and government procurement.
He said the trading system should be aligned with the famous Paris climate change agreement so that green technology can be effectively transferred to developing countries.
Shamika Siriman, UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, said there is an urgent need for “less stringent intellectual property management at the international level” so that such countries can benefit.
She called for patent waivers to promote climate change-related technology transfer.
rjm/nl/kjm
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