Narratives of Change | Breathing Change: How Leena Joshi Is Leading a Global Youth Movement for Climate Action
by Leena Joshi
At just nine years old, I was facing the horrible impacts of air pollution in my city Delhi. Once I was on a visit to Europe and I was shocked when I saw the clear sky in Switzerland. I could see the clouds and the stars clearly and more importantly I could breathe because of the good Air Quality Index there. I felt like I was in a dream, living in another world. Right when I got back, I felt the first breeze of heatwaves along with the polluted air and it hit me. Why can't the dream world exist in my own continent? What's the reason behind the extreme weather conditions in India? As a kid who was always drawn to nature and loved being surrounded by nature, it made me curious and I found that most people were not even aware about climate change in Asia.
Fast-forward to when I was fourteen years old, I was strolling alongside a shoreline at a beach. The heartbreaking sight of plastic waste marred the beauty of nature. That moment was a turning point when I found the purpose of my life, to protect our planet. So I started spreading awareness about climate change and the need for sustainability in our lives through social media and having conversations with people around me.
I faced a lot of situations in my climate journey like one day I met a startup founder who was rigid about the amount of carbon emissions his business was producing. They were serving hot food in plastic packaging which was not only extremely harmful for the environment but also for human health. I had a realization that not a lot of people know about the effects of microplastics.
I started to notice that although there are a lot of sustainable businesses with healthy products but their packaging is not sustainable at all or as I like to call it, it's not people or planet friendly. For example, when I went to buy wooden cotton buds, but what were they packaged in? Plastic. What packaging does a shampoo even with natural ingredients come in? Plastic! Even strawberries come in a plastic packaging! So, no matter what the industry of a product is, almost everything is packaged in plastic.
I felt that living a sustainable lifestyle and spreading awareness about climate change is important but it's equally important to bring systematic change. I started guiding businesses on how they can reduce their carbon emissions specifically by transitioning to sustainable packaging. I founded Climate Conservancy, an international youth-led nonprofit, working to increase access to climate education. We work with 9000 young people in more than 60 countries and have impacted 4,95,000 lives. If youth can make this effort then imagine how much impact can be made at a governmental and industrial level.
According to the United Nations, marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change. So, those who contribute the least to climate change are the ones who are most affected by it. Those vulnerable populations have the right to be aware about the impacts of climate change and what action needs to be taken for the same. In the story of the Earth, the impact of climate change is written into every chapter, creating a dense tale. We must contribute to writing a happy ending by engaging in climate action.
Some of you may think that how would it be even helpful if one person takes an action. But when you're taking an action for the environment, you're taking an action for yourself because everything in this world is interconnected. You are nature and nature is you. I am nature and nature is me.
About
Leena Joshi is a social entrepreneur, climate advocate and author. She is the founder and executive director of Climate Conservancy, a youth-led climate nonprofit, with 9000 volunteers in 60+ countries. She has sat on boards and advisory councils for various organizations including World Ocean Day, National Science Foundation (NSF), The Climate Reality Project, The Resilience Project, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, Rising Poets Community and more. She's the CEO and Chair of the Board at EcoVita. She has been a member at Harvard Business Review Ascend Select and has provided insights to editorial, marketing and product teams of HBR and has contributed to research projects by HBR.
Leena's work has been featured by World Bank Group, United Nations Climate Change, United Nations Foundation, Climate Reality Project, Her Campus Media, Feminist, U.S. Department of State and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. She was previously a Member at Global Leadership Challenge at Oxford University. She has been an Ambassador for organizations including Connect4Climate, World Bank Group, 4ocean and Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Leena is a prolific public speaker who has spoken at universities across the world including Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge. A TEDx Speaker who has also spoken at high-level global conferences. She has authored books including 'The Climate Awakening' and 'Ethereal' and writes poetry about social impact.