#WorldHabitatDay: Climate action can’t wait, say NCR’s young eco-activists

On World Habitat Day, two Delhi-NCR-based young climate leaders talk about sustainable lifestyles and responsible consumption, and how they are making a difference.

New Delhi Growing up in Delhi-NCR made teen changemaker Aditya Mukarji see “climate change at its worst”, and gave sustainable fashion entrepreneur Kriti Tula a “reality check about the fast changes in climate conditions” as she, like others, struggled to see blue skies over the Capital. They are two of the 17 young climate leaders chosen for the UN in India’s new climate campaign ‘We The Change’ to showcase innovative solutions in the run-up to 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. On World Habitat Day, today, the two eco-activists talk about doing their bit for the planet.

On World Habitat Day today, eco-activists Aditya Mukarji and Kriti Tula, two of the 17 young climate leaders chosen for a new climate campaign by UN in India talk about doing their bit for the planet.

At 17 years of age, Mukarji has campaigned against single-use plastics, such as straws and cutlery, in the hospitality space, including Khan Market restaurants. His crusade began with a video of vets pulling a plastic straw out of a turtle’s nose. Being a Gurugrammer also shaped his activism. He explains, “Air pollution is now a constant problem. We started living with masks way before the pandemic started. We have waste management issues as well as people don’t practise proper waste segregation.”

Meanwhile, Tula’s efforts are focused on recycling resources. The 33-year-old, who makes products from garment manufacturing waste, says, “It may seem small or tedious, but given the huge environmental costs of [mainly fast] fashion — from water guzzling cotton crops to unsustainable levels of cloth production — it can make a great difference.”

Both youth activists feel the need for greater participation to make real progress against climate change. While Tula feels it is hard to see “any real change if people with capital don’t commit to build better businesses”, Mukarji believes if “two or more generations work together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve”.

Author tweets @siddhijainn

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