BACKGROUND

The idea innovator company, Ideanco, signed a collaboration agreement with the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO) to strengthen work on climate change and transform challenges into opportunities by creating the future and accelerating the formation of future jobs.

This collaboration comes when the COVID-19 pandemic and the worsening global economic condition simultaneously hit hard the developed and developing world. With a primary focus on sustaining economic growth, enhancing social inclusion, improving human welfare, and creating employment opportunities, WGEO and Ideanco are scaling up their efforts to provide hope and much-needed assistance for climate innovators leading environmental change across the globe. WGEO will host CLIMATHON 2021 during the World Green Economy Summit (WGES) at EXPO 2020 in Dubai, UAE; where people from all over the world will come together and connect with each other, share ideas, learn and innovate.

Abdulrahim Sultan, Director General for WGEO stated, “Climathon 2021 is an opportunity for young innovators to become change makers; identifying tangible solutions to real climate challenges that cities are facing around the world. We hope that through this program, we provide these innovators a platform to excel, connect and learn, in order to advance global efforts.” Climate change is already taking its toll worldwide, considering the severe heatwaves and devastating droughts, to decimated forests and coastlines eroded by rising sea levels. Climathon 2021 will bring together innovators in niine cities across North America and Asia to resolve three core challenges: Agribusiness, Air Pollution, and Mobility. Climathon 2021 selected cities are New York, Boston, Tampa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, San Diego, Dubai and Beirut. The outcome is to create real innovative solutions that will be beneficial for the communities locally, regionally, and above all, globally.

In addition, Maher Ezzeddine, the CEO of Ideanco, highlighted: “The pandemic has been a simple reminder that lack of preparation can have lots of uncertainties and concerns. Our collaboration with WGEO strengthens the early implementation of a green pandemic recovery by having innovators worldwide work together to find solutions for the climate challenges. A green pandemic could minimize greenhouse emissions and bring the world closer to meeting the 2℃ goals of the Paris Agreement. Changing the world tomorrow starts today with one idea, we are thrilled to collaborate with WGEO in creating opportunities for a better world.”

Innovators who excel at the five-day Greenhouse training academy will be grouped into cohorts to tackle the set challenges in a “hybrid” format for a full 72-hours in each city before pitching their ideas in front of a relevant and well-respected judging panel. These ideas will develop into tangible, sustainable solutions, projects, and potential start-ups that address climate challenges in all cities worldwide.

Top solutions provided by the innovators will be incubated and developed further at the Ideanco Lab to form resilient climate startup(s) and create future jobs in climate change.