Thirteen game-changing initiatives from around the world were announced today as winners of the UNFCCC's Momentum for Change climate change award.

Winning activities include:

• A Google-led project that could catalyse the rooftop solar market for millions of people across the United States
• An ingenious net that harvests fog from the air to provide drinking water for people on the edge of Morocco’s Sahara Desert
• North America’s first revenue-neutral tax that puts a price on carbon pollution
• A project that has established the first women-specific standard to measure and monetize women’s empowerment benefits of climate action

Other winners include the EU’s largest crowdfunding platform for community solar projects and a project in Malaysia initiated by Ericsson that uses sensors to provide near real-time information to restore dwindling mangrove plantations.

Further winners are a company that provides solar systems to homes and businesses in rural Tanzania through an innovative financial package and a Swedish city that became the first in the world to issue green bonds, enabling it to borrow money for investments that benefit the environment.

The Momentum for Change initiative is spearheaded by the UN Climate Change secretariat to shine a light on some of the most innovative, scalable and replicable examples of what people are doing to address climate change. Today’s announcement is part of wider efforts to mobilize action and ambition as national governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activities underline how climate action and sustainable development is building at all levels of society from country-wide initiatives to ones in communities, by companies and within cities world-wide,” UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said. “By showcasing these remarkable examples of creativity and transformational change, along with the extraordinary people behind them, we can inspire everyone to be an accelerator towards the kind of future we all want and need.”

Each of the 13 winning activities touches on one of Momentum for Change’s three focus areas: Women for Results, Financing for Climate Friendly Investment and ICT Solutions. All 13 will be showcased at a series of special events during the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco (7 November to 18 November 2016).

The 2016 Lighthouse Activities were selected by an international advisory panel as part of the secretariat’s Momentum for Change initiative, which operates in partnership with the World Economic Forum Global Project on Climate Change and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.

Read on to learn about these 13 game-changing activities:

From plant-based beef burgers to pay-as-you-go solar energy, it’s evident that tomorrow’s world is already here. These are just two of the ten most innovative solution finalists which will be celebrated at the annual Sustainia Award Ceremony, taking place on 3 November in Copenhagen.

Now in its fifth year, the Sustainia Award Ceremony is an international event that showcases and celebrates outstanding performance within sustainability. It is hosted by leading sustainability firm Sustainia, which has tracked more than 4,500 solutions to date from all over the world.

The ten finalists have been selected from the 2016 Sustainia100, published earlier this year, which showcases 100 solutions for a cleaner, greener and fairer future. The final nominees represent ten sectors, ranging from food to fashion, and are also mapped against the impact they make on the Sustainable Development Goals. The final solutions represent the new global context of sustainable innovation, as they are developed and deployed in five continents including countries like Peru, Korea and Afghanistan.

Morten Nielsen, Managing Director of Sustainia, said:

“As the world’s leaders have dispersed from the United Nations General Assembly, and we gear up for COP22, these finalists are a vital reminder that sustainable action is already underway. We, rightly, demand more from our politicians, but we must also focus our energy on the difference we can all make. These ten solutions show that innovation isn’t limited by geography, age, power or passion – these are the things that will help us realize our sustainable future.

All ten finalists are eligible for two award categories. The Sustainia Award is selected by the Sustainia Award Committee, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger; and the Community Award is selected by public vote. Anyone can vote for their favourite Community Award finalist, by visiting the Sustainia website.

This year’s Sustainia Award Ceremony comes at a time of mounting interest amongst global leaders for solutions to the world’s biggest challenges, across all sectors. This is something Sustainia seeks to consolidate through a new partnership with the UN Global Compact. Building on the five-year success of the Sustainia100, the two organizations have made a commitment to build a dynamic digital platform for global sustainable solutions, called the Global Solutions Platform. The new platform will launch in early 2017 and will provide a single access point to the most innovative solutions, through the click of a button.

For more information about the ten finalists for the Sustainia Award Ceremony, and for the chance to vote for the Community Award winner, visit http://www.sustainia.me/sustainia-action-forum/vote/

For more information and interview requests:

Katie McCrory / km@mm.dk / +4591405026

The goal of the Put A Price On It campaign is to put a price on carbon pollution by mobilizing the support of generations most affected by climate change: young people. The campaign will elevate the importance of carbon pricing through innovative communications tactics (film, social media, and celebrity endorsements), while empowering students across the country to directly lobby their members of Congress and build a groundswell of support from young voters.

The campaign is being launched by the Emmy-award winning TV series, the Years of Living Dangerously, and is led by the co-founding directors of Our Climate (formally Oregon Climate), the nation’s first Millennial-led carbon price and rebate organization.

Putting a price on carbon, and all other greenhouse gases, is an indispensable step in the effort to achieve climate stability. Climate change is not caused by a shortage of rooftop solar panels or an excess of gas pipelines; even ocean acidification and extreme weather events are symptoms of a larger problem: the true costs of fossil fuels are hidden. We are not paying for drought relief, wildfire protection, or superstorm recovery when we fill our gas tanks or invest our 401ks in fossil fuel companies. The hidden costs of our energy choices -- to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives lost every year -- will be paid by countless people who don’t get to choose, from inhabitants of low-lying islands to unborn generations.

A price on carbon levels the playing field for renewable energy, reduces pollution, and generates jobs and revenue. This policy offers both the most affordable and, if well designed, the most progressive path to saving the planet. Thought leaders including Robert Reich, Bill McKibben, Christine Lagarde and even President Obama agree it is a necessary step. Institutions such as the World Bank and MIT have thrown their weight behind the policy, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, among hundreds more advocacy groups, support this economy-wide approach. There is broad consensus that carbon pricing is the solution we need. What we lack is the grassroots movement to make this politically feasible.

Young people will be hardest hit by climate, and many have the perspective, life experience, and moral gravitas to serve as the most effective spokespeople for action. Decision-makers respond to young people in a way they don’t to other groups; so they are the perfect demographic to call for solutions that are fair, grounded in science, and proven to work. The Put A Price On It campaign will focus on recruiting students to lead campaigns on their campuses, hold outreach events, and seek endorsements, as well as train them to be effective policy advocates. By working together to build the next generation of informed and powerful climate leaders, and advocating for a specific policy solution, we will #PutAPriceOnIt!

To join us, please visit TheClimateSolution.com.   

New York, New York - At an event at United Nations headquarters today, the United Nations Foundation and GOOD magazine announced the launch of Earth To Marrakech, a global movement to raise the volume and profile of the discussion around climate action. Earth To Marrakech will cultivate a global climate conversation up to and through COP22, the United Nations climate conference held this year in Morocco November 7-18.

Building off of the momentum of the first-of-its-kind Earth To Paris movement, which helped to galvanize a collective global voice for the adoption of a universal climate agreement, the Earth To Marrakech coalition will unite partners around the world for the first Earth To convening after the adopting and signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change. This historic climate agreement was adopted in Paris and signed in New York. Now, we look to Marrakech, where leaders of government, business, and civil society will meet to discuss how nations can – and must – take action to meet and exceed the commitments they have made for the future of our planet.

Earth To Marrakech will provide the opportunity for cross-sector, solutions-oriented engagement in climate change conversations around COP22; a platform for amplifying the conversation across social and digital media; and a series of activations through inspiring calls to take bold, meaningful action to address climate change.

Experts, advocates, private sector leaders, bloggers, journalists, digital influencers, and civil society leaders will unite around Earth To Marrakech to discuss creative and impactful global solutions to climate change. Participants around the world will take part through multi-language livestreamed video and real-time interactions across multiple social media platforms using the unifying hashtag #EarthToMarrakech. 

Together, we can raise our voices in a collective call to move from words to action on climate change. As leaders prepare to meet in Morocco to discuss our shared future, we’re sending a message, from Earth To Marrakech: The world has made climate commitments, and now it’s time to act. The time for bold, ambitious climate action is now! 

#EarthToMarrakech event & movement launched in #SDGLive @UN w @unfoundation @good @Connect4Climate @UNDP @UNICEF @MissionBlue pic.twitter.com/sjzjkRzO7k

— Connect4Climate (@Connect4Climate) September 21, 2016

Announcing the launch of the #EarthToMarrakech Global Climate Movement today in the @UN #COP22 #ClimateAction #SDGlive pic.twitter.com/FfZcjEhvR4

— COP22 (@COP22) September 21, 2016

We cannot get complacent on #ClimateAction - @maxschorr at #SDGLive #ParisAgreement event @UN #EarthToMarrakech launch pic.twitter.com/PCQMpGtFBX

— Connect4Climate (@Connect4Climate) September 21, 2016

New York, 8 September – Today, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) joined the UN climate change secretariat’s initiative Climate Neutral Now, becoming the first international sports organisation to do so.

The Climate Neutral Now initiative represents a global community of organisations committing to becoming climate neutral by the second half of the 21st century. Climate Neutral Now calls on organisations and individuals to measure, reduce and report greenhouse gas emissions and compensate those which cannot be avoided with UN-certified emission reductions. The initiative was launched in September, 2015 by a founding group of organisations that included Microsoft, Sony, the adidas Group and Marks & Spencer.

Today’s announcement was made during a panel discussion at UN headquarters in New York. FIFA’s Secretary General, Ms. Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura, and Mr. David Nabarro, Special Adviser on Agenda 2030 for the UN Secretary General, were in attendance, along with the Director of Strategy of the UNFCCC secretariat, Halldór Thorgeirsson, and FIFA’s Head of Sustainability and Diversity, Federico Addiechi.

The event also featured a video message by actor and activist Edward Norton, champion of Climate Neutral Now and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity. The message invites individuals and organisations to take action, including through the Climate Neutral Now initiative. 

FIFA’s Secretary General, Ms Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura said:

“Each one of us, as well as every organisation, has to take responsibility for the world we live in and lead by example. By joining the Climate Neutral Now campaign, we pledge to continue to strive towards becoming greenhouse gas emission-neutral by the mid-21st century. We also commit, as we did in Brazil in 2014, to measuring, reducing and offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions at the next edition of the FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Russia in 2018. Beyond that and through the power of football, we also aim to inspire greater awareness and best practices in sustainability standards.”

UNFCCC’s Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa said:

“The climate talks in Paris this past December highlighted the critical role that non-state actors—corporations, NGOs and individuals—are playing in addressing climate change. Every sector has an important role, but we are excited by the potential that sports organisations represent. More than one billion people watched the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil. There’s enormous potential for inspiring sports fans around the globe, in addition to the action that the sports organizations are taking in-house.”

Actor and Climate Neutral Now supporter Edward Norton said:

“Do something about your personal climate footprint  –  it can be as simple as driving a little less, using  mass transit a little more,  turning of the television or AC in the room when you are not in it, just simple little things to observe and change wasteful habits that we all have.”