Solar Lights in the City of Peace

Solar lights have recently been placed on the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. According to Independent Catholic News, earlier this month “people of many faiths gathered … as part of a global interfaith climate action. Building on the momentum from the People’s Climate March in September that mobilized hundreds of thousands of people, faith groups held solar-lantern events in thirteen countries to call for progress towards an international agreement on climate change.”

The gatherings took place to correspond with the Lima Climate Change Conference, which is taking place 1-12 December in Lima, Peru. The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th session of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. According to USA Today, “The talks are well past the stage of attempting to avoid climate change; instead, they are effectively focused on preventing things from turning from bad to devastating.”

The view from Ottawa, Canada, according to a Press Release also sought to bring attention to the international agreement to address climate change. The vigil was to take place in nine communities across Canada. According to the press release, “#LightForLima is coordinated by OurVoices.net, a multi-faith, global climate campaign. OurVoices.net’s organizers hope that an outpouring of concern from people of diverse faiths around the world can help political leaders reach a climate deal.”

The press release also makes a plug for solar lights. In a twist on the religious tradition of candle-lit vigils, many of the vigils including the vigil in Ottawa are using solar lamps. For each lamp used in the vigils, two lamps will be delivered to African rural communities by SolarAid, enabling children to study and read after dark. The solar lamps will replace kerosene lanterns that fill poor households with noxious fumes, leading to thousands of deaths annually.”

Solar lights in developing countries have already had a significant impact. According to a recent article in the HuffingtonPost, “they’ve helped fellow human beings save money for food, reduced the necessity for unhealthy fuel sources and made life safer for women and others who have to move about at night.” The HuffingtonPost interviewed Joe Hale, from Global BrightLight Foundation, to talk about “the solar lamp project and how it has helped improve the lives of the people who call the Kiziba Refugee Camp home.”

Solar energy is but one piece of the puzzle to address the world’s energy needs, but for some in a refugee camp in Rwanda, just that little bit of energy can have a life-changing impact.