Earth Day: Building a safer and greener planet

Earth Day: Build a safer and greener planet

As we celebrate the 52nd Earth Day, let us take stock of key issues concerning our environment; and move beyond just talking and raising awareness. The battle for climate cannot simply be fought in boardrooms, conference halls or Twitter pages. We need to think about how we can mobilize people at scale and engage them to build tangible and real solutions.

We need to act now to build a safer and greener planet. We can’t wait! 1M1B aims to mobilize 100k youth leaders every year on green technology and climate. A lot can be achieved if youth are activated on agendas that matter to the planet. Developing a pipeline of human center leaders who value people and the planet over business and profits is what the world needs today. As youth transition to the industry in the next 5-10 years, this pipeline of environment and climate-conscious workforce can make a huge difference. More importantly, a mindset shift is required to save the planet and create a greener future, the younger generation holds more promise than the present one.

Engaging and investing in youth is key. While information campaigns and education help to build awareness around the issue, the real action for climate change is being enacted at the front-lines: in our rural hinterlands by the adivasi, indigineous and tribal communities who interact with the environment and depend on it for their livelihood. The privileged and urban youth who have spent their whole lives in the concrete jungle cannot do much in the status quo beyond awareness campaigns in their echo chambers.

Therefore, what we need is to build a pathway between the youth and our rural context, Bharat.   I believe that a lot can be achieved if our youth are activated on agendas that matter to the planet. This doesn’t mean that every student needs to become a climate activist. We need more than just climate activism. We need climate-conscious businessmen, politicians and lawyers who care about the environment and entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of leveraging innovative technology to make our environment cleaner. We need to push entrepreneurial thinking towards enabling the youth to work for our rural India and become climate warriors. If not for our planet, we must do it for our future generations.

Also read- Earth Day 2022- Net-zero carbon economies