The recipients of the 2015 UN Climate Solutions Award 'Momentum for Change' were honored during a special ceremony and gala event organized by the UNFCCC Secretariat on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference.
Sixteen initiatives were awarded prizes in the following categories: urban poor, women for results, financing for climate-friendly investment and information and communication technology (ICT) solutions.
10 December 2015: The recipients of the 2015 UN Climate Solutions Award ‘Momentum for Change’ were honored during a special ceremony and gala event organized by the UNFCCC Secretariat on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference. Sixteen initiatives were awarded prizes in the following categories: urban poor, women for results, financing for climate-friendly investment and information and communication technology (ICT) solutions.
Led by the UNFCCC Secretariat, Momentum for Change recognizes “Lighthouse Activities” that are innovative and transformative solutions addressing climate change as well as economic, social and environmental problems. The winning initiatives are practical solutions that provide replicable and scalable examples of how people, governments and businesses can address climate change. Originally announced in October 2015, the winning initiatives show how climate action, such as using solar power, geothermal heat, emissions reduction or reforestation can at the same time reduce poverty, improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and generate new sources of income.
During the Gala, participants watched short films introducing the winning activities in the four categories, followed by presentation of the awards. The winning initiatives in the urban poor category include: ‘E-waste: From Toxic to Green,’ and an initiative creating jobs to recycle electronic waste out of landfills in India; ‘Solvatten Solar Safe Water Heater,’ a project using solar water heaters to purify and heat water in Kenya; and the ‘Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative,’ which supports community-led sustainable growth across Latin America.
The winners of the category women for results include: ‘Fostering Cleaner Production,’ a project reducing emissions in manufacturing in Colombia; ‘Harvesting Geothermal Energy,’ an initiative to generate income with geothermal waste-heat in El Salvador; ‘Planting Trees to Save the Mangrove,’ a women-led initiative to protect forests while generating income in Guinea; and ‘SELF’s Solar Market Gardens,’ a project that empowers women farmers through solar drip irrigation in Benin.
The winners in the category financing for climate-friendly investment include: ‘Azuri PayGo Energy,’ an initiative deploying pay-as-you-go energy systems for rural homes in African countries; ‘Deforestation-free Cocoa,’ a system of carbon-asset-backed loans to protect forests and produce cocoa in Peru; and ‘Microsoft Global Carbon Fee,’ an initiative to reduce corporate emissions through an internal carbon price.
The winners in the category ICT solutions include: ‘ChargePoint Electric Vehicle Charging Corridors,’ a project building a network of electric vehicle express charging stations in the US; ‘Enabling Farmers to Adapt to Climate Change,’ an initiative using ICT solutions to build farmers’ resilience in Uganda; ‘Fairphone,’ a sustainably produced smartphone from the Netherlands; ‘Lifelink Water Solutions,’ a project using ICT tools to provide safe, sustainable and affordable water in Kenya; ‘Mapping Exposure to Sea Level Rise,’ an initiative building capacity to assess risk from sea-level rise in Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea; and ‘Mobisol Smart Solar Homes,’ a project deploying solar power to households in Rwanda and Tanzania. [UNFCCC Press Release] [UNFCCC Webcast] [Momentum for Change Website] [IISD RS Coverage of Gala Event] [IISD RS Story on October Awards Announcement]