This month, audiences can screen Net Zero Speaks with Ridhima Pandey on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated for the Planet Classroom Network by the Protect Our Planet Movement and Planet Classroom.
Ridhima Pandey, an environmental activist from India, has been advocating for climate change action since her father’s experience during the 2013 Uttarakhand floods. At age nine, she filed a complaint against the Indian government for not taking significant steps to address climate change and urged them to prepare a nationwide plan to reduce carbon emissions and curb climate change effects. She was one of 16 child petitioners, including Greta Thunberg, who filed a complaint with the UN in 2019 about the lack of government action on climate change. Ved Sanyal, a high school student and climate activist, recently interviewed Pandey about her work. Sanyal founded the Carbon Footprint Reduction Project, an international student initiative focused on developing and sharing climate science, and led an international youth climate action conference called NatCon in 2021.
The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Ved Sanyal.
Ved, why did you decide to interview Ridhima? What inspired you about her?
I think what interested me the most about Ridhima was how much we had in common. While I recently relocated to the UK last summer, I have lived in India for most of my life. Both of us are motivated to work on the climate crisis due to our concern for our generation and lives. I also resonated with some of her views on the use of plastic in India. I was extremely excited to speak with another climate activist very much like me and understand her work. I felt that the conversation could be extremely enriching, which is why I decided to participate.
So, tell us what surprised you most about your interview?
I think what surprised me the most is how well the interview flowed. I think that we were able to connect really well and have a professional yet fulfilling conversation. We could share a lot of thoughts about her work and the role of governments, which I found very interesting.
Final question. Please share with us your main takeaways for the Net Zero audience from your interview.
Governments need to be held accountable and questioned by individuals across the world. For decades, they have met at conferences and then flouted their own targets. We need to ensure that they are monitored. Governments and their economic policies influence the behaviour of all stakeholders involved, including corporations.
Rather than relying on appealing to the moral conscience of business leaders, it is necessary to focus on holding the government accountable by advocating for appropriate taxation and subsidies that target the right individuals and industries.
Youth activists need to be taken seriously. Time and time again, we are told that we are too young to understand the world. The issue with this is that people who supposedly understand the world are too old to care. Youth activists need to be taken seriously when they come up with solutions. We are the most passionate about this because it is our future and that determination must be used constructively.
As an interviewer, I wished that we could talk about more positive outlooks on the climate change movement. However, the conversation always circled back to the problems. This is a key representation of the way youth activists feel. We feel defeated and cheated by individuals around the world. Shortcomings of our government must be brought to light so that they can be discussed and challenged.
Thank you Ved!
C.M. Rubin and Ved Sanyal
Don’t Miss Net Zero Speaks with Ridhima Pandey, now streaming on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated for the Planet Classroom Network by the Protect our Planet Movement and Planet Classroom.
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The Global Search for Education: Vedaant Thuse Bal Shares Key Takeaways from His Interview with Climate Entrepreneur Hanyuan (Karen) Wang
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