This World Environment Day, Village Square speaks to youth activists with rural roots who are working towards climate literacy, climate change mitigation, flora and fauna conservation, river protection and preserving traditional knowledge in sensitive ecosystems.
With the world feeling the impact of climate change daily, environmental advocacy is the need of the hour. To make it more impactful, it needs to be realised at the grassroots level. Effective solutions for climate change can be developed through community-led action and the participation of the youth. India is home to several young activists who have become internationally celebrated changemakers. This World Environment Day, Village Square catches up with some of them to gain a perspective on the actual work being done on the ground by promising young individuals.
22-year-old Hina Saifi, who hails from Sisola village of Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, has six years of climate change advocacy behind her. She works proactively to spread awareness about the effects of air pollution and its solutions, renewable energy and public transport.
“I saw many factors of environmental pollution in my village which include brick kilns, stubble burning, cooking on wood or coal, use of plastic and no waste disposal techniques. It bothered me. Seeing all this, I started making people aware,” explained Saifi.
She believes in the power of grassroots-level climate activism and thus works to empower rural communities with low access to climate literacy. She does this through door-to-door activities, pamphlet distribution and public meetings.
Saifi also puts her faith in the power of the youth, especially girls, to make a positive impact on environmental advocacy and activism. Through activities like poster making and essay writing, she also educates women and children on climate change as she believes that they are the most affected by the phenomena.
Her counterpart from Odisha’s Puri district, Soumya Ranjan Biswal, is a 26-year-old native of the coastal village of Gundalaba. With a B.Com degree from Nimapara Autonomous College, Biswal is also a devout environmental activist, driven by his passion for wildlife and nature conservation. He has proactively led wildlife conservation activities with a focus on the protection of Olive Ridley sea turtles. His approach to climate resilience revolves around mobilising fishing and coastal communities through nature-based solutions.
“My village is 500 metres away from the coastline. As a member of a community directly affected by climate change, I’ve witnessed frequent displacements and relocations due to cyclones and tsunami warnings since childhood”, said Biswal. After learning about nature-based solutions for coastal resilience and disaster risk reduction, Biswal was motivated to make coastal biodiversity conservation a priority in his region to mobilise the community for a safer future.
He engages with various stakeholders, including local women, youth, intellectuals, journalists, political leaders, and the forest department for education and community sensitisation about sustainable mangrove ecosystem management. His work includes spreading environmental awareness among school children and holding storytelling sessions, bicycle rallies, school programmes and village meetings.
“Climate Change and its various related events are the harsh realities that we have to face if we really want to survive the crisis created by climate change. We need to act now if we want to exist. Each and everyone should contribute to the cause”, offered Biswal.
That said, the activists face a lot of hurdles, both personal and logistical when fighting to mitigate the effects of climate change and sensitise the local communities.
Take the instance of Saifi, who is pursuing an MBA. “I come from such a village where even today girls struggle to pursue further studies. Despite the difficulties I continued my studies”, she shared with Village Square.
She also faced hurdles as an environmentalist when common people did not take an interest in learning about such issues. However, through her resilience and constant efforts, Saifi has been able to bring about a positive change. She further said, “My hard work and dedication helped make a difference as more children are now enrolling in schools. No one in my village knew about climate change and now I am trying to educate them about it”.
Saifi has also been recognised by the We The Change campaign launched by the United Nations In 2021. She strongly encourages youth empowerment for climate action and said, “My message to the world is that we do not have a planet B and it’s high time to take climate action. There is no value in an expensive car, luxurious home, and lots of money on a dead planet. We must act now before it’s too late.”
For his decades-long commitment to marine conservation and advocacy, Biswal was recognised by UN India among 17 Young Climate leaders. He Is also the founder of Odisha Paryavaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan, a charitable trust dedicated to the cause of preserving the dwindling ecosystem.
He is a recipient of the Times Now Group’s Amazing Indian Awards 2022 in the environment category, and has also featured in the Limca Book of Records for his marine wildlife conservation awareness cycling initiative in 2019.
Some other noteworthy changemakers in this field are the likes of Archana Soreng from Odisha’s Sundargarh, Varsha Raikwar from Madhya Pradesh’s Orchha and Sarath KR from Kerala.
Soreng works as a research officer at Vasundhara, an Odisha-based action research and policy advocacy organisation. Representing Asia, Soreng is among the seven members of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on climate change.
Sarath KR, a folk art enthusiast, has used his love for the arts to raise awareness about the climate emergency. He’s a part of the Kerala-based Vayali Folklore Group and is a passionate campaigner for rivers. He works proactively for the conservation of the Bharathapuzha river which faces an increased threat from anthropogenic activities.
Raikwar has spent her time as a radio jockey at Radio Bundelkhand 90.4FM to raise awareness about various climate-related topics. She has used her voice to keep her audience informed about health, cleanliness, girls’ marriage and agriculture, among other topics.
The planet’s future may hang in the balance given the increasing threat of global warming, and other climate-related disasters that are affecting all corners of the globe today. However, there is always hope as the youth take on the mantle of climate change advocacy, for they are the future leaders of tomorrow.
The lead image at the top shows climate change activist Hina Saifi, who hails from Sisola village of Meerut.
Aditi Sahoo is a second-year BA student at Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. Aditi is passionate about communication, writing and research.
