Sustainability is rightly at the top of corporate and political agendas worldwide. In November 2022, the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference ("COP27") took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. This international gathering marked the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi asserted on the conference website: "In the thirty years since, the world has come a long way in the fight against climate change and its negative impacts on our planet; we are now able to better understand the science behind climate change, better assess its impacts, and better develop tools to address its causes and consequences."

Innovation has a vital role in the fight against climate change, and new technologies will be essential in the move to "net zero." This function was recognized at last year's COP26 in Glasgow, where 40 members signed the so-called Glasgow Breakthroughs, setting targets to accelerate the deployment of clean technologies in power generation, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agriculture. The summary decision alone mentioned "technology" no fewer than 10 times.

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