An Indian organisation Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) has won the prestigious 2020 UN Global Climate Action Award for its efforts to tackle climate change amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The recipients of the UN award have brought focus to the examples of what people have been doing across the globe to fight climate change in a year that cast darkness on many.

In the Hindu Kush Region, there are more than 16 million people without access to basic energy mainly due to their geographic remoteness. GHE conducts Impact Expeditions to remote Himalayan villages and uses a portion of the expedition fee to fund the capital cost of the hardware, transportation, installation and training of village-scale solar micro-grids.

The recipients of the 2020 United Nations Global Climate Action Awards, announced Tuesday, bring focus to the best examples of what people across the globe are doing “to combat climate change in a year that has cast darkness upon so many.” According to a statement on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) website, GHE is the one of the world’s first outfit using tourism and technology to bring solar energy to remote communities as recognised by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

The micro-grid infrastructure set up by GHE is owned and operated by the community. To date, the GHE has electrified more than 131 villages in three regions of India, directly impacting the lives of more than 60,000 villagers. More than 1,300 travellers from 60 different countries have been a part of these expeditions. Enabling livelihood through homestay tourism has generated over USD 114,000 in income for the villages, which represents a 45 per cent increase in the annual household income, the statement said.

UNFCCC said this year’s award-winning projects demonstrate leadership on climate change by nations, businesses, investors, cities, regions and civil societies as a whole. They range from the Caribbean’s only carbon-neutral hotel to the world’s first platform fully dedicated to green bonds to the first all-women solar team in Lebanon.

Congratulating the winners of the 2020 UN Global Climate Action Awards, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the winners provide tangible proof that climate action is underway around the world. “It is exciting to see these climate solutions, which reinforce my call for decisive leadership on climate change by governments, businesses and cities, and for a green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Let us keep pressing ahead to build a more sustainable and equitable future for all,” he said.

About the UN Global Climate Action Award:

The awards are lead by the momentum for change initiative at UN Climate Change. The announcement of awards is also a wider effort to mobilize ambition and action as national governments work towards the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The projects under the UN Global Climate Action Award are recognised as the innovative solutions that help drive progress on many other sustainable development goals and not just address climate change. The recipients of the award send a strong political signal to all the nations.