Meet Ridhima Pandey, The 11-Year-Old Leading A Movement Against Climate Change In India
Extreme weather conditions like floods, droughts and heatwaves have become annual events and have led to the deaths of thousands of
people. We all complain about it, make impassioned claims about how it¡¯s all because
of ¡®climate change¡¯. But, how many of us
have taken a conscious effort to bring a change or tried to mitigate the
situation? Even as adults, much of what we do is restricted to big talk and no
action.
Among the few who have taken that step to bring in a positive change is the precocious 11-year-old, Ridhima Pandey hailing from the city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
¡®I am in this fight because the leaders are toying with our future and not taking concrete steps,¡¯ says Ridhima, brimming with anger over the sad state of affairs across the world.
The little climate change crusader has been monumental in garnering awareness in the society and slamming the government¡¯s misconduct and inaction in the climatic sphere. From demanding action from world leaders to making her voice heard at a global level along with Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, Ridhima¡¯s journey over the past three years has been nothing short of magnificent.
First steps towards activism
The flash flood disaster of June 16 and 17, 2013 in Uttrakhand surpassed past ones in its ferocity and destruction. More than 5,000 people died, many were injured and many went missing during the flood. At the time, Riddhima was just five-years-old, but the floods moved her to the core and piqued her curiosity about the causes.
Her father Dinesh Pandey, a conservationist with Wildlife Trust of India, went on explain the reasons behind the floods and one of the things that stoked Ridhima¡¯s activism was the consequences s of global warming, ¡°I felt so bad for the people who lost everything and it made me angry that it was solely because of climate change," she told IndiaTimes in an Interview.
¡°That¡¯s when I knew that something had to be done about it and my father helped me through it. I read up as much as possible on climate change and went on file a petition with the National Green Tribunal in 2017,¡± said Ridhima.
In the petition, she asked the court to order the Government to prepare a carbon budget and a national climate recovery plan to ensure that India does its share to reduce atmospheric CO2 below 350 parts per million by 2100, according to scientific recommendations.
She also laid emphasis on the need to move away from fossil fuels, protect forests, grasslands, soil, mangroves, engage in massive reforestation and improve agricultural and forestry practices.
¡°It took a year and a half to get a response from them. They ended up dismissing my request but none of that deterred her passion to fight against the government¡¯s inaction.¡±
One of the biggest focuses in the fight against climate change for people like Ridhima is to be part of the decision-making process, ¡°We are the ones who are directly affected by climate change and it¡¯s important to secure our futures by taking the necessary steps. That¡¯s why I sued the government and filed the petition.¡±
Response to activism and dealing with trolls
¡°Sometimes there are people around me who make fun of me by saying that I am doing this for fun or to miss classes, but I turn a deaf ear to such mockery.¡±
Riddhima¡¯s efforts haven¡¯t gone complete unnoticed though, her activism has helped inspire kids in her class to follow the same steps to take care of the environment. But there are a few who don¡¯t care and that hasn¡¯t dampened her spirit.
¡°Just like some world leaders who don¡¯t take climate change seriously and pose obstacles to their protests, there are people in the society who will refuse to be part of the fight,¡± says Ridhima who has learnt how to deal with criticism.
In 2019, she and 14 other young activists filed a complaint with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child against five respondent countries, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey.
After making hitting headlines with the 2017 petition she was shortlisted from India by a law firm to represent India in New York. It¡¯s only after she attended this convention, that she was exposed to the brutal world of online trolls.
¡°People say all kinds of ridiculous things online, but I don¡¯t let anything affect me and I pay more attention to my activism,¡± says a determined 11-year-old.
The biggest fear
Expressing her anger towards the government, Ridhima said, ¡°All I see in the news is CAA protest and violence against students, but according to me this all a ploy to distract people from important issues like Climate Change.¡±
Ridhima has no qualms giving straightforward opinions about the government¡¯s lack in taking a constructive step towards environmental conservation. She has written multiple letters to the leaders in hopes to get a positive response but in vain.
¡°My nightmare is that the future generations will end up seeing a tree in a museum, given the rate at which the environment is being razed for our resources. With trees being cut relentlessly, the future looks bleak and there¡¯s no hope if we don¡¯t act on it now,"
Striking a balance
Ever since her activism started gaining traction, Ridhima has been flooded with invites to attend various climate change seminars and meetings across the country. One of the biggest challenges for the class 8 student from DAV Haridwar, is to keep up with her homework and exams.
¡°My school is pretty strict with attendance, it¡¯s very difficult to keep up. My school Principal is very supportive and takes care of my attendance. Apart from that, I make sure that I keep up with my studies," adding that her parents have been equally supportive and have encouraged her tenacity towards climate change activism every step of the way.
The 2020 Vision & Message
Ridhima plans to launch her NGO to mobilise action on climate change and awareness and is determined to continue her higher studies on the same subject.
'My NGO is already registered, and I hope to mobilise a team of young activists fighting for the same cause." said Ridhima with a steely determination to bring a change.
At an individual level to Ridhima is very conscious about the way she consumes electricity, makes sure to avoid plastic bags at all costs and spreads awareness about the same with all her friends and family.
