The Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) has launched a new initiative to bridge the Net Zero energy technology gap between nations in the Global North and the Global South.

Announced at COP28, Technology Without Borders (TWB) aims to tackle emissions reduction by enabling technology transfer, and local adaptation and deployment.

It also looks to support knowledge sharing and capacity building of local technical expertise, while strengthening local supply chains, according to NZTC.

A not-for-profit energy transition specialist, Scotland-based NZTC was created on the back of UK and Scottish Government funding worth £180m ($226m) in 2017.

The organisation’s latest initiative will use new and existing funds to deliver on a ‘targeted approach’, which includes a pipeline of bankable projects being developed with partners in the Global South.

“The Technology Without Borders initiative will promote economic development opportunities during the energy transition, ensuring that nations can address poverty, energy access and climate change simultaneously,” said Luca Corradi, CTO at NZTC.

Under the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), developed countries are required to promote, facilitate and finance technology transfer to developing countries.

“NZTC and its partners are committed to leveraging our track record of accelerating the development and deployment of affordable technology solutions and unlocking private investment,” added Corradi.

The new initiative follows the Scottish Government’s £90m ($113m) Aberdeen City Region Deal investment in the NZTC.

Calling for COP28 to listen to the voices of the Global South and those affected most by climate change, Mairi McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition, praised the NZTC, saying, “Their work is vital to helping address the injustice at the heart of climate change by supporting those communities which are suffering the most but have done the least to cause the climate emergency.”

According to a study by Nature Journal, the Global South – which hosts the majority of the world’s population – is unequivocally more vulnerable to climate change than the Global North, owing to widespread poverty, income inequality and its heavy dependence on climate-sensitive sectors.