From ambition to action: supporting national commitments on climate change with technology

Editor's note: At Google Cloud we’re working with global organizations to help them use technology to build a more sustainable future. During the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27, representatives from countries and organizations around the world — including Google Cloud — gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 7 - 18, 2022 for the latest round of climate talks. Check here for perspectives from onsite, thoughts from Google experts and customers, curated content and announcements. Or catch the event for yourself on Youtube.

As policymakers meet in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for COP27, they’re discussing how nations can unite to limit global warming, respond to the impacts of climate change on the built and natural environment, support developing countries through climate finance, and build consensus with input from various stakeholders to achieve tangible results. We believe collaboration and innovation will be essential over the next ten years, and the discussions at COP27 will be key in accelerating this.

Coming out of COP26 last year, we saw a scaling up in ambition from a range of stakeholders, and we are proud to be a partner in their mitigation and adaptation efforts and in accelerating action across our own operations, with our partners and end consumers. For example, in a recent report the International Energy Agency found that hourly matching of energy consumption with carbon-free energy sources can reduce carbon emissions more than annual matching, bringing a much higher value to the electricity system. Google has led in this regard by focusing our own efforts on decarbonizing our electricity supply at all hours and in all regions through our 24/7 carbon-free energy goal and by supporting organizations like Sustainable Energy for All and the creation of time-based energy attribute certificates which Google has been pioneering with partners across the world to increase access and reduce the costs of hourly procurement.

At Google Cloud, we work with governments, cities, businesses and NGOs to offer transformative technologies that support their climate ambitions. Many countries have set policy measures that set the table for historic emissions reductions, and we’re at COP27 to listen and understand how digital technologies can continue to play a key role in enabling action and tracking progress.

Adapting to a changing planet will require policymakers to understand a complex set of data inputs and modeling outcomes. Innovative tools running on the cleanest cloud in the industry can enable them to do just that. 

This is the defining decade for climate action, and cloud-based technologies will be essential as we move from ambition to action.