Putting a Face on Climate Action

Putting a Face on Climate Action

Each year at Momentum for Change, we invite companies, NGOs and governments to apply to be recognized as a ‘Lighthouse Activity’ – a practical, scalable and replicable example of what people around the world are doing to tackle climate change.  Back in May, I wrote on Climate Access about our search for inspiring examples of climate action.

We announced this year’s winners just a few days before the annual United Nations Climate Talks. From all corners of the globe, they’re evidence of the burgeoning effort to address climate change.

  • The Earth Roofs in the Sahel Program addresses deforestation and poverty by promoting a traditional, low-carbon building technique. Local builders are trained in how to use renewable and locally available mud-brick to create comfortable, well-insulated and affordable housing.
     
  • In Thailand, women are leading the way to renewable photovoltaic power via the Solar Power Company Group. The company has attracted solar investment worth upwards of US $800 million in Thailand’s fossil-fuel-dominated industry.
     
  • In the Hindu Kush Himalayan foothills of India, where climate change has been intensifying flooding and threatening villages, the Community-Based Flood Early-Warning System uses wireless and mobile technology to help people adapt to climate change impacts. The system warns agencies and vulnerable communities downstream when river water reaches critical levels, helping save lives and property.

 

Each year, our Lighthouse Activity winners attend that year’s UN Climate Talks. The global scale of the negotiations can feel abstract and theoretical. Our winners represent an important reminder to negotiators that climate action is happening each day, and they give that action a human face. 

image via UNFCCC.int 

 

More