COP 28: Microsoft and the United Nations forge an alliance, introducing an AI-powered platform to enhance climate data evaluation globally, supporting the Paris Agreement goals and increasing transparency at COP28
In a pivotal collaboration, leaders from the United Nations (UN) and Microsoft Corp. unveiled a partnership aiming to empower the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) with a cutting-edge AI-driven platform and a global hub for climate data.
This initiative is designed to streamline the evaluation and analysis of international efforts to reduce emissions, simplifying the verification process for the 196 parties aligned with the Paris Agreement.
The announcement comes at a crucial juncture during COP28, hosted by the UNFCCC and the COP28 UAE Presidency, where global leaders are assessing the sluggish progress in achieving the climate targets outlined in the Paris Agreement.
There is a growing consensus that the world must act more quickly, and the new AI and data tools will help nations do this with much greater efficiency.
Simon Stiell, the Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, highlighted the fact that climate change is a global emergency that transcends geographical boundaries. He also emphasised the importance of technology in helping to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Stiell underscored the significance of working with reliable partners such as Microsoft to create the necessary tools to implement the framework.
Presently, the aggregation and analysis of carbon data are laborious, relying on manual methods. Under the agreement, Microsoft will construct a novel platform to support the UNFCCC's Enhanced Transparency Framework digitally.
This platform will facilitate sophisticated analysis of global climate data, establishing a new global climate data hub and an AI-infused analytics platform. These tools will enable UNFCCC and its member states to efficiently report and verify progress towards carbon reduction targets.
The platform will cover various sources of carbon emissions, including transportation, agriculture, and industrial processes. Additionally, it will equip UNFCCC and member states with simulation tools, benchmarks, and data visualisations to strategize and plan practical carbon reduction approaches, offering substantial time and cost savings.
Microsoft has pledged to donate a sum of $3 million over two years to assist in implementing the Enhanced Transparency Framework and the Global Stocktake mechanisms established by the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement, implemented in 2015, is a collective agreement aimed at reducing emissions to combat the effects of climate change.