100th object offers solution to two of our biggest problems

Latest: Neil MacGregor on why he picked the solar-powered lamp

Update: Watch the video as Neil MacGregor explains to Evan Davis why the solar-powered lamp was the 100th object.

Evan Davis says

I have to say, in my view, absolutely right to pick an object or objects that are relevant to the whole world, not just the West.

Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder-director of the Ashden Awards, says

It's great news that the solar lantern is the 100th object. It's a small object that represents a solution to two of our biggest global problems: climate change and poverty.

How we tackle climate change and how we reduce poverty are vital questions to address if we are going to survive the 21st Century. Clean renewable energy has to be the energy of the future and affordable, accessible energy is crucial for ending poverty. This 100th object meets both those challenges.

Ashden's Senior Advisor, Anne Wheldon, says

I thought that the solar lantern was up against stiff competition with the mobile phone, particularly now that phones mean banking and the internet as well as calls and SMS. But Neil MacGregor was so right. All the great things you can do with a mobile phone don't work unless you have a power supply to charge the battery, and solar can provide that power anywhere.


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