Meet Ridhima Pandey, The 11-YO From Uttarakhand, India Who Petitioned UN Against Climate Crisis Alongside Greta Thunberg
Ridhima Pandey, 11, from Haridwar in Uttarakhand, is a co-petitioner along with Greta Thunberg in a petition filed at the United Nations.
Sangeeta Jain
Sep 27, 2019
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"I need a healthier future. I desire to save my future. I need to save our future. I want to save the future of all the children and all people of future generations," says Ridhima Pandey
The battle began in 2013 for Ridhima, when her dad, named Dinesh Pandey, who is also an environmental activist, was one of the casualties of the Uttarakhand floods, which guaranteed several lives and left thousands destitute.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Swedish ecological extremist Greta Thunberg has attempted to stir the whole world to the direness of environmental change with her protests. In her discourse at the UN Climate Action Summit held in New York on Monday, Greta was seen arguing and cautioning the world leaders about the environmental change.
Greta Thunberg was later joined by 15 other youth activists including Ridhima Pandey to file a complaint against five countries - Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey, who the activists accept are causing the most pollution. The futures of the generations to come are being put in danger due to the world heads in real life, the young climate activists said in the petition.
The 11-year-old Ridhima, who hails from Uttarakhand, began her speech with a quiet Namaste, presenting herself first in Hindi and afterward in English.
At the UN Summit, Ridhima Panday said,
“I am here because I want all the global leaders to do something to stop climate change. If it’s not going to be stopped, it is going to spoil our futures.”
Around 14 other kids between the age group of 8-17 years, belonging to France, Germany, Palau, Marshall Islands, Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Sweden, Tunisia, and the United States attended the event. Ridhima Panday from India was one of the numerous youngsters present during the summit.
Beginning at home
This is not the first time the ecological activist has expressed her concern for environmental change, by standing against the government and other different associations.
She previously also filed a legal case against the Government of India in 2017, for failing to execute the environmental laws effectively. The petition was made to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), through her legal guardian.
Ridhima Panday, who was just nine years old at that time, highlighted the extreme pollution levels and constant degradation of the environment in the country. She also requested the government to review industrial projects and, prepare a “carbon budget” to restrict carbon dioxide discharges and generate a national climate recovery plan.
Ridhima’s father, Dinesh Pandey, who is also an environmental activist, knew the dreadful penalties of climate change, as he was one of the sufferers of the 2013 Uttarakhand floods that claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands homeless.
“For someone so young, she is very aware of the issue of environmental change, and she is very worried about how it will affect her in future,” Rahul Choudhary, Ridhima’s lawyer told the news agency.
So, to save our beautiful planet named EARTH and to give the future generation - a safe and pollution-free environment, we all should come together and take some effective action to save our world and keep it pollution-free, which will make it a better place for our future generation.
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