The 21st century marks the First time in history where more than half of humans live in cities. From the earliest civilizations until the modern era, urbanization and non-agricultural activities were outliers to the human experience. Research suggests that 1 million people was the size limit on cities throughout history, even at the peak of empires, from Beijing to Rome to Baghdad. However, since the industrial revolution, that is no longer the case. The largest city today, Tokyo, is home to more than 37 million people, and there are ten additional urban areas exceeding 20 million people.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field that has been changing the way we live, work and interact with technology. Over the past few decades, the rise of AI has been phenomenal, and it has revolutionized every industry, from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment.

“Green government” operations are operations that minimize an entity’s environmental impact, including its energy use, water use, waste and pollution generation, and greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, “climate tech” includes technologies that are used to address climate change. While government entities across the world face tight budgets, smart investments can reduce operational costs and demonstrate how to implement climate-friendly, green activities. 

Climate change is perhaps the most important issue facing our planet today. It is an existential threat facing every single city and country without discrimination. Governments have a twofold responsibility here. First, they must wield their power to drive change across society, providing incentives and deterrents that can help citizens change habits and assets to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Second, governments must demonstrate these societal changes and lead by example to inspire other businesses industries. Often in today’s world, this approach includes public investments in tech solutions to help solve climate problems. The changes provide a healthy model for citizens to emulate and may encourage them to change some of their own wasteful habits at home.

Green government solutions are at the forefront of strategic discussions in 2023, particularly in the Middle East. The annual UN climate change conference took place in Egypt in late 2022 and will happen in the UAE in late 2023. In fact, to capitalize on the global spotlight, as well as emphasize the importance of inspiring collective action towards a more prosperous future, the UAE has officially named 2023 as the “Year of Sustainability”.

Many of the most effective green government and climate tech initiatives are small, simple changes that can easily be implemented. Municipal leaders need not wait for additional budget allocations or silver bullet contraptions to make headway against climate change.

Other green government and climate tech initiatives are more innovative and require more resources. This report will focus on these more ambitious projects and 21 different case studies are presented from different corners of the world, showcasing the variety of approaches different national and local governments are taking to reduce their carbon footprint as well as find new business opportunities for both private and public sector partners. This report does not endorse any specific government strategy but instead analyzes them to help different public sector entities evaluate which might be the most applicable in their specific circumstances.

A series of reports on government innovations from around the world

There are many ways to measure the success of a country, and perhaps the most common is the gross domestic product (GDP), or the total monetary value of a country's goods and services. GDP is likely to remain a vital indicator in the eyes of economists, but it does not reflect all aspects of concern to members of society.

This is due to the fact that some of the factors that determine the quality of life in a country cannot be measured in terms of financial value. Aspects of health, the nature of families and relationships, the quality and style of work, the surrounding environment, and education are of great importance in giving us a sense of satisfaction with our lives. Hence, we have to include these factors in our measurements to understand what matters to members of society.

On the other hand, there is a critically intertwined relationship between wealth and social well-being. That is, poverty causes unhappiness to people, but wealth alone does not make them happy. When members of society in a country suffer from poverty (such as Somalia, which has a per capita GDP of only US$600), the disparity in material wealth makes a big difference in the happiness of individuals. Conversely, when members of a society or country enjoy wealth (for example, the per capita GDP in Luxembourg is $96,000), the impact of income differences on the level of social welfare declines, and other factors gain a more significant influence.

The report includes local and international examples of how data analysis can be used to enhance the mechanism and efficiency of government service delivery, improve satisfaction levels and improve the quality of life among community members.