Google yesterday announced a series of commitments to advance sustainability efforts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and its participation, as the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) approaches.
Commenting on these commitments, Anthony Naccache, CEO of Google in the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The phenomenon of climate change is one of the most important challenges that we all face around the world, and the commitments we announce today are only a mirror that reflects part of our responsibility as a company to contribute. In a more sustainable environment. Through COP27, we look forward to discussing new policies and commitments that could help us reduce carbon emissions over the next decade.”
Through Local Commitments, Google seeks to support people in making more sustainable decisions, whether across products, or through region-wide partnerships, that help businesses make their environmental contributions.
- Providing daily options that achieve environmental sustainability through Google products:
- Announcing the launch of the "Friendly Friendly Route" feature in Google Maps, people can choose the restaurants behind it for fuel. The type of vehicle's engine can be selected - whether it runs on gasoline, diesel, or electric power. Next few weeks, then starting in a number of countries in the region during the year 2023.
Giving travelers the ability to search for eco-friendly hotels and flights with lower carbon emissions through “Google Search” for various geographical locations in the MENA region.
Google Arts and Culture launched the Calling our Corals project to help researchers and scientists monitor the state of coral reefs, including those in Sharm El Sheikh, track illegal mining operations, and measure success in places where coral restoration is working. This project will include Egypt as the first Arab country to participate in this global initiative. People can experience the interactive installation of the project at COP27, hear the sounds of coral reefs in Sharm El-Sheikh and other countries, and learn about the impact of the destruction of the reefs on the ecosystem. The crisis facing coral reefs raises the concern and interest of many researchers working to protect them.
- Supporting sustainability initiatives in the region
- A $1 million grant from Google.org to Mercy Corps to mentor 5,000 entrepreneurs in the region. 30% of businesses will be selected according to how well they focus their efforts on solutions related to sustainability.
Supporting the Clima Tech Run 2022 competition organized by the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation with the aim of assisting startups working in the field of addressing climate change around the world. As part of this partnership, Google will participate in the selection of the winning projects, provide financial support to one of these companies, and provide a number of trainings for the ten selected companies.
A live broadcast of parts of the activities of the COP27 Conference - which will be held from November 6-18, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - is available on the official channel of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change via YouTube, so that more People around the world have access to the event and learn more about climate change.
It is worth noting that the announcement of these commitments is the latest in Google's ongoing efforts towards environmental sustainability and achieving net zero emissions by 2030, by promoting the use of carbon-free energy sources in global operations, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing remaining emissions through Carbon removal and other solutions. This pledge includes the use of carbon-neutral energy sources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by 2030 in all operations, including cloud regions soon to come to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Google has been buying renewable energy since 2010 and has been the first major company to have its annual electricity use entirely based on renewables for the past five years.