17 August 2018: The UNFCCC Momentum for Change initiative has published an interactive online annual report for 2017, which uses infographics, animation, photos and videos to highlight climate actions achieved during the last year. The Momentum for Change initiative “shines a light” on transformational mitigation and adaptation activities, or “Lighthouse Activities,” strengthens innovation, and catalyzes efforts towards a resilient, low-emission future.

The report showcases 19 winning Lighthouse Activities for 2017 selected from 223 eligible applications in five focus areas: Women for Results with 48 applications, Financing for Climate Friendly Investment with 48 applications, information and communication technology (ICT) Solutions with 40 applications, Planetary Health with 58 applications and Climate Neutral Now with 29 applications. The latter two focus areas were added in 2017 to broaden the initiative’s scope. Sixty-three applications were from Africa, 62 from the Asia-Pacific region, 30 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 32 from Europe and 11 from North America. Twenty-five applications covered more than one region.

Momentum for Change rewards innovative, scalable and practical climate actions being taken by citizens, organizations, businesses and governments.

Examples of winning activities include:

• Italy-based Waste to Wow, a woman-led ecofashion business that addresses climate change while providing jobs for disadvantaged female workers who recycle high-quality fabric waste from fashion companies to produce women’s clothing;
• the Kaxu Solar One project from South Africa, the world’s first large-scale concentrated solar power plant, which supplies energy to around 80,000 homes;
• SmartICE, an ICT tool that helps Inuit members in Canada make decisions on coastal sea ice travel by providing information to reduce travel risks, enable the planning of safe routes and avoid thin ice;
• a Haitian project that enables 3,500 recyclers to bring their recycled plastic to one of 20 recycling markets where they can exchange it for cash; and
• Aviva, the first global insurance group to offset its operational emissions, which has saved 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) through carbon finance projects and celebrated 10 years as a carbon-neutral organization.

Momentum for Change rewards innovative, scalable and practical climate actions being taken by citizens, organizations, businesses and governments. [UNFCCC Press Release] [Momentum for Change Annual Report 2017]