27 September 2018: The UNFCCC announced the 15 recipients of the 2018 UN ‘Momentum for Change’ award. The winning activities contribute to one of Momentum for Change’s four focus areas: planetary health; Climate Neutral Now (CNN); women for results; and financing for climate-friendly investment. The winners will be recognized at the Katowice Climate Change Conference.

Planetary health winners are:

  • Climate-Efficient School Kitchens and Plant-Powered Pupils (Germany): ProVeg International, a nonprofit food awareness organization, created these two initiatives, which provide healthy, climate-friendly meals in German schools.
  • Santiago Biofactory (Chile): Aguas Andinas, a water utility company, is working to transform three wastewater treatment plants into “biofactories” that convert wastewater and sewer sludge into clean energy.
  • Composting Waste Treatment (Haiti): Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods is promoting an ecological solution to poverty and climate change through actions including restoring local environments, building composting toilets, reducing the spread of disease and restoring local environments.
  • Sri Lanka Mangrove Conservation Project (Sri Lanka): Seacology, a nonprofit environmental organization, is conserving and replanting mangrove forests with the aim of supporting Sri Lanka to become the first nation to preserve and replant all its mangroves.

CNN winners are:

  • Carbon Neutral Government Program (Canada): In 2010, the British Columbia government became the first government at the state, territorial or provincial level in North America to take 100% responsibility for its greenhouse gas (GHG) “pollution.”
  • Forest Green Rovers (UK): The Forest Green Rovers are working to create the greenest football club in the world by promoting renewable technology, sustainable living and eco-thinking among football fans.
  • Kilimanjaro Climate Neutral Supply Chain (Norway): Norway’s second largest electricity retailer, Fjordkraft, is using its purchasing power to inspire its suppliers to achieve climate neutrality by 2019.
  • Monash (Australia): Australia’s largest university has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030.

Women for results winners are:

  • Feminist Electrification (Haiti): EarthSpark International, a women-run enterprise, is working to ensure pro-women outcomes in all its energy access projects.
  • HelpUsGreen (India): This award recognizes women for cleaning up the Ganges river by using ceremonial flowers to create compost.
  • “Yalla Let’s Bike” (Syria): This women-powered initiative is working to fight climate change while ending verbal harassment of female cyclists.
  • Women Leading a Food Sharing Revolution (Sweden, UK, US): OLIO, a neighbor-to-neighbor food sharing app, enables neighbors to connect with each other and local shops and cafes to share leftover food in their community.

Financing for climate-friendly investment winners are:

  • Catalytic Finance Initiative (Global): Bank of America Merrill Lynch is collaborating with its partners to mobilize US$10 billion for climate change mitigation and sustainability-focused investments that are both innovative and high-impact.
  • Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) (Rwanda): FONERWA is one of the first national climate change and environment investment funds in Africa.
  • The MAIS Program (Brazil): The MAIS Program helps family agricultural operations to adapt to climate change by mainstreaming climate disruptive technologies among farmers in Brazil’s semi-arid region.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said the winning activities “are proof that climate action isn’t only possible, it’s innovative, it’s exciting and it makes a difference.” She highlighted how the selected activities “shine a light” on scalable climate action from around the world. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the role of climate action leaders, including the Momentum for Change winners, in “stepping up to meet the global climate challenge by delivering on the Paris Agreement.”

Representatives from the Forest Green Rovers, Catalytic Finance Initiative, Santiago Biofactory, Carbon Neutral Government Program and Sri Lanka Mangrove Conservation Project shared their climate solutions at an event hosted by The Climate Group at Climate Week NYC in New York, the US. [UNFCCC Press Release]