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COP29

Climate conference opens in Baku

12 Nov 2024 - Kirsten Haupt

With 2024 on track to be the warmest year on record, the world climate summit opened on 11 November in Baku, Azerbaijan, with urgent calls for action to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

At the ITER stand in the Green Zone (#B12), ITER Deputy Director-General for Corporate Luo Delong speaks with young visitors about the ITER project and how fusion energy may change the landscape of energy supply in the future.

The president of the 29th edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP29), Mukhtar Babayev—Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources—opened the summit with chilling words. “We are on the road to ruin. And these are not future problems; climate change is already here, from the flooded towns in Spain to forest fires in Australia, from rising oceans in the Pacific to barren plains in East Africa. But we have the power to make a difference, to act and deliver. History will judge us!”

Against this background, more than 50,000 people—government officials; representatives from international organizations, NGOs, and companies; and members of the public—are gathering in Baku to agree on actions to address the climate crisis. This year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference will focus on securing a new goal on climate finance.

As fusion energy is increasingly recognized as a potentially game-changing contribution to mitigating climate change, it is only logical that the ITER Organization be represented. In addition to a constant presence at the ITER stand, over the coming two weeks ITER representatives will join the discussion and present the benefits of fusion energy for the world. Two events are also planned this week at the ITER booth in the Green Zone (#B12), moderated by ITER Deputy Director-General for Corporate Delong Luo.

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opened in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 11 November. More than 50,000 people are expected over the two-week event (11-22 November 2024).

The events are:

“International Cooperation: A Tool to Speed Up Commercial Fusion Deployment” 
Thursday 14 November 2024, 16:00 local time
Developing fusion technologies is both time and resource-intensive, making international cooperation and artificial intelligence (AI) crucial to accelerating progress. Testing facilities that mimic fusion environments are advancing the technological readiness levels (TRLs) of fusion systems and components, while proper data categorization and storage are essential for maximizing AI’s potential. In this session, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) will discuss two examples of international cooperation: the IFMIF-DONES facility (to test materials under fusion-relevant conditions) and the International Database Project led by CATF.

Speakers:
Sehila Gonzalez, Global Director Fusion Energy, CATF
Jose Aguilar, PMO Leader, Institutional Relations, Industry Liaison, Communication, IFMIF-DONES
Andrew Smith, American Nuclear Society 

“Fusion 3.0: How AI and High-Performance Cloud Computing Can Accelerate Fusion Development”
Friday 15 November 2024, 11:30 local time
Join the Clean Air Task Force for an expert discussion on fusion’s potential to deliver a transformative, zero-emission energy source for the tech industry. Fusion is moving closer to commercial viability, offering the potential to integrate a sustainable, zero-emission, and reliable new energy source into the energy mix to aid in industrial decarbonization. Rapid advancements in enabling technologies are driving this progress, with developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance cloud computing providing resources that were unimaginable just a few years ago. In this panel, experts will analyze the symbiotic relationship between AI, high-performance computing and fusion, exploring broader implications for the tech industry and the energy transition.

Speakers:
Sehila Gonzalez, Global Director Fusion Energy, CATF
Erik Fernandez, General Manager, INEUSTAR 
Lucio Milanese, CEO, Proxima Fusion 
Jake Oster, Director, Energy and Environment Policy, Amazon Web Services

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