Technology Needs Assessment for adaptation to climate change in the Belt and Road countries

doi:10.12006/j.issn.1673-1719.2022.030

Abstract

Abstract:

Seriously vulnerable to climate change, the Belt and Road countries are in urgent need of adaptation technologies transferred from other countries to combat climate change. Assessment of technology needs is a prerequisite for successful technology transfer. In this paper, a database of adaptation technology needs was established, by utilizing the Technology Need Assessment (TNA) reports submitted by the Belt and Road countries under the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Four indicators, (a) how many times a certain technology is requested, (b) the number of countries which put forward a certain technology, (c) the GDP a certain technology can cover, (d) the population a certain technology can benefit, and two analytical perspectives, both regional and technical, were used in evaluating the technology needs. Four kinds of adaptation technologies were determined to be of general concern: agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery production (Y02A-40), water harvesting, water conservation, and efficient water use (Y02A-20), adaptation technologies in coastal areas and river basins (Y02A-10), and technologies that contribute indirectly to climate change adaptation (Y02A-90). However, different Belt and Road countries have different adaptation technology needs due to their unique geographic location and socioeconomic circumstances. Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and some Asian countries have raised concerns regarding the need for technologies for protecting and renovating their domestic infrastructure (Y02A-30) because their infrastructure is greatly affected by climate change. High temperatures and precipitation due to climate change have exacerbated disease outbreaks in water bodies and air, so Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and the Caribbean are in need of technologies to protect human health from extreme weather (Y02A-50). In order to facilitate effective technology transfer along the Belt and Road and improve countries’ ability to adapt to climate change, it is imperative to invest in the research and development of climate adaptation technologies, concentrating on the needs of technology recipient countries, and tap into the Belt and Road’s existing network of technology transfer centers.

Key words: The Belt and Road Initiative, Technology Needs Assessment (TNA), Climate change adaptation, Technology transfer

GAO Mei-Xun, CHEN Min-Peng, TENG Fei. Technology Needs Assessment for adaptation to climate change in the Belt and Road countries[J]. Climate Change Research, 2022, 18(6): 731-742.

Figures/Tables 6

Table 1 Classification of Belt and Road countries which had submitted Technology Needs Assessment (TNA)

Table 2 Classification of technologies for climate change adaptation (Y02A)

Fig. 1 Adaptation technology needs in the Belt and Road countries

Fig. 2 Adaptation technology needs of the Belt and Road countries in the Asian region. (a) How many times a certain technology is requested, (b) the number of countries which put forward a certain technology, (c) the GDP a certain technology can cover, (d) the population a certain technology can benefit

Fig. 3 Adaptation technology needs of the Belt and Road countries in the African region. (a) How many times a certain technology is requested, (b) the number of countries which put forward a certain technology, (c) the GDP a certain technology can cover, (d) the population a certain technology can benefit

Fig. 4 Adaptation technology needs of the Belt and Road countries in Oceania, Latin America, and the Caribbean region. (a) How many times a certain technology is requested, (b) the number of countries which put forward a certain technology, (c) the GDP a certain technology can cover, (d) the population a certain technology can benefit

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