If the innovative and collaborative efforts of children worldwide start seeing an impact on tackling the global issues that the world is grappling with, it will be proven that the children are leading the world in the 21st century. The truth is that such promising children are building a world where the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is closer to reality.
A similar example has been set by two teenage brothers from Delhi who have not only created history by winning the prestigious 17th Annual International Children’s Peace Prize but also forced the administrators of the country’s capital Delhi to take strong steps in the fight against air pollution.
The Delhi administration has swung into action soon after Delhi’s teenage brothers Vihaan (17) and Nav Agarwal (14) were honoured with the world’s most important youth award for their commitment to fighting pollution in their home city.
On 17 November 2021, just 3 days after Vihaan and Nav received the International Children’s Peace Prize, the Delhi government announced several important measures to tackle air pollution in Delhi.
These steps include orders for Delhi government employees to work from home until 21 November, instructions to the transport department to ban trucks coming from outside of Delhi, except for essential services and ban on petrol vehicles more than 10 years old and diesel vehicles that are more than 15 years old.
Recently, Nobel Peace Prize-winning child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, who presented the Children’s Peace Prize to Nav and Vihaan in The Hague, Netherlands, has also appreciated the efforts of both the brothers to eradicate air pollution. He believes that children’s efforts around the world will make a difference and lead to change.
Satyarthi continues his point by saying, “Children have always shown the way to the world. In fact, the courage and bravery of children around the world has a huge impact on tackling the most pressing global issues. I am glad that teenagers like Vihaan and Nav have raised the issue of pollution, which is being taken into cognizance by the government and agencies.”
Kailash Satyarthi is one of the few people who have been vocal on the issue of air pollution in the past. In view of the dire situation of air pollution in Delhi NCR in 2019 and its ill-effects on children, Satyarthi, in his open letter to the children on the occasion of Children’s Day, requested and appealed to Prime Minister Modi to amend the Air Act 1981 and prepare a National Five-Year Action Plan.
On the one hand, Delhi has seen a terrible scene in the second wave of Corona. Millions of people lost their lives in this devastating wave. In such a situation, now air pollution has become a bone in the neck for the country’s capital.
Delhi’s toxic suffocating climate is an invitation to many serious diseases. People are afraid that they may fall in the grip of some serious disease. It is not that this crisis is new for Delhi. This metropolis has been facing the brunt of pollution for years. This is also evident by the fact that in the year 2020, Delhi was the most polluted capital of the world for the third consecutive year.
In such a situation, the question also arises whether the steps taken by the Delhi government in this regard are insufficient? It is imperative to raise this question because when the Supreme Court of the country is not satisfied with the steps taken by the government as despite these steps, there has not been a satisfactory change in the present circumstances.
It is worth noting that Vihaan, who grew up with asthma, often fell ill due to the poor air quality of the city, due to which both the brothers were afraid to go out to play. This obstacle did not discourage them. Rather it paved the way for them to try something new and come up with a solution.
After understanding the link between Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill collapse, garbage and air pollution, the pair of brothers started an initiative where they segregate waste and organise garbage pickup drives. They named this innovative initiative “One Step Greener”. From just 15 homes, One Step Greener has become a citywide campaign to collect waste from over 1,000 homes, schools and offices.
173,630 kg of waste has been recycled under this campaign to date. The learning materials created by them are used in over 100 schools in Delhi and they have given presentations and information on the topic of waste to over 45,000 people in the city. One Step Greener now has five partners and 11 dedicated youth volunteers working towards the goal of “Zero Waste India”.
International Child rights organization, Kids Rights, is the founder of the Children’s Peace Prize. This organisation is striving to build a world where all children have access to their rights.
There are thousands of children like Nav and Vihaan all over the world who are making a difference in the world with their efforts at their own level. It is expected that these children will become responsible citizens of the future and play a vital role in building a better world.