COP29: Global Collaboration to Address Global Issues

Global issues are best addressed via international collaboration and collective approaches. Enter COP29, held November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan, to convene a variety of interests working to drive climate action around the world through the advancement of sustainable practices and increasing climate resilience. COPs — the Conference of Parties — are U.N.-led, annual conferences on climate change.

Co-leading the first Standards Pavilion at a COP event with the International Electrotechnical Commission and International Organization for Standardization, UL Standards & Engagement and the other organizations comprising the Pavilion worked to establish standardization as an essential component of climate action strategies. 

For ULSE, COP29 is an opportunity to showcase its work to advance sustainability through standards, strengthen its working relationships with IEC and ISO, build greater awareness and recognition of ULSE and its work, and develop strategic partnerships to foster the exchange of information and expertise. These were achieved through extensive on-site networking and supporting the Standards Pavilion’s program of presentations and panel discussions. Further, the valuable contributions of colleagues from UL Research Institutes and UL Solutions in the Pavilion’s programming showcased how each organization works to achieve the UL mission of working for a safer world.

ULRI, ULSE, and UL Solutions collaborated to present Built Environment Resilience: Addressing Climate Hazards in Fire Safety and Energy Systems. Panelists included ULSE Senior Program Manager Caitlin D’Onofrio, ULRI Materials Discovery Research Institute Vice President and Executive Director Stuart Miller, and others from Standards Australia and the International Code Council. The event, moderated by Rick Ziegler, head of trade and multilateral affairs at UL Solutions, covered the importance of improving the resiliency of fire safety and energy systems and other structures to mitigate the effects of severe weather, wildfires, and other effects of climate change. 

Standards 101, presented by ULSE Regional Director Kolin Low, provided a high-level overview about standards to build awareness about their development and application – along with the opportunities to get involved in the process.

D’Onofrio also participated in the panel discussion, Finance and Standards for Scaling Renewable Energy. A key topic throughout COP29 was identification of sources of capital necessary to fund the projects and programs to achieve a more sustainable future. Similar questions surfaced in ULSE consumer research about sustainability: U.S. adults are uncertain about who is responsible for leadership on sustainability amid demonstrating concerns about environmental issues.

In her remarks during the session, D’Onofrio talked about the importance of collaboration with financial institutions to grow awareness of how standards and their application in the marketplace can help avoid risky investment concerns stemming from issues with unreliable equipment — such as solar energy farms in Africa. 

“We know there is going to be a resilience issue,” D’Onofrio said. “There are a lot of solar farms out there which, unfortunately, aren’t working. They’re supposed to last 25 years, and in two to three years, they’re shutting down.” She explained that lenders can more confidently invest in projects which involve products certified to applicable standards and have better assurance when funding sustainability programs.

Demonstrating knowledge and expertise to elevate the global discussion about climate change was an important goal for UL Standards & Engagement. Equally important is applying the knowledge gained and leveraging the partnerships built at COP29 to expand our impact to help create a more sustainable future through standardization.