By Udaye Kumar for Save the Children
Ratna Singh,17, is an author, young changemaker, and student who has extensively worked in the areas of climate justice, climate change and preserving our planet. She is the founder of an organization named the Earth Safety Valve; she strives to create awareness and educate people about the conservation of the environment and sustainable development through blogs, podcasts, interviews, and webinars.
Ratna also volunteers for Fridays for Future which is a youth-led international climate strike movement that strives to attain climate justice; besides being a dedicated climate warrior, Ratna holds the National record for being the youngest person to author a research paper on the topic of harassment of women in the digital space. She also was the recipient of the IIA Award in 2021. Ratna has been a persistent advocate for the environment and has used her platform as a public speaker to educate the community about the dangers of global warming and how we, as humans, can protect the earth from any further destruction.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A productive day. As a student & activist, I have to work 10-12 hours daily. So, completing 90% of my to-do list makes me happy before going to bed every day, I calculate with whom, where & how I invested my 24 hours.
What is your greatest fear?
I am scared to die because somewhere, I feel there is a lot that I need to do for the planet. I like to live each day like it is my last. That’s why I keep reminding myself that maybe this is the last day, and I should live it for good. So, I just try to do everything that matters.
Which living person do you admire the most?
My parents. They are the backbone of my success and always stand by me through failures. They always encourage me to move forward. I’ll be very thankful for the lessons I got from them.
Who is your favourite writer? Who is your favourite fictional hero?
I love reading and listening to Gulzar Sahab and Neelesh Mishra.
What do you value most in your friends?
Their support. Yes, by god’s grace, I have friends who meet the definition of good friendship. They always stand by me no matter what. Even when no one supports me in life, I have their support.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would want to be more patient and a better listener to others.
What inspired you to start your change-making journey?
My Mother inspires me the most. She completed her education after she got married despite resistance from people around her. Her determination inspires me. Since childhood, she has been motivating me to be a change-maker. Another person who inspires me is our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
Tell us more about the work you have done to transform change within your community
I was patriotic from a very young age. When I was in 10th grade, I served the nation by making youth motivation my aim. In 2021 during the pandemic, I wrote a research paper on Women’s Harassment. I had conversations with girls who have faced digital sexual harassment.
I then founded the Earth Safety Valve with youth networks in more than 10+ countries and facilitated conversations and discussions focusing on environmental education and sustainable development by writing blogs, podcasting, interviews, and webinar
Currently, I am working on a project with the Kids Right Foundation to educate children in school about the impact of climate change. I have reached 175 students till now.
What is your most memorable change-making experience?
Once on a cloth bag distribution campaign with the Fridays for Future community, where I met a street vendor who told me that he prefers plastic bags to cloth bags because of the steep price difference and how government needs to step in to encourage people to stop using plastic. This made me understand that our responsibility is to create awareness and bring together multiple stakeholders and decision-makers to make a collective difference.
Why do you think climate change is an important crisis that everyone should care about?
Simply because there is no Earth “B”! The world is facing social, natural, economic, and mental problems, and most of them link back to climate change.
If you were appointed the Environment Minister of India, what changes would you bring to India’s policies to curb global warming?
Firstly, we are behind the time when it comes to climate action. Climate Change is now and real! The Government has made several commitments to solving climate change. Apart from that, I would want to work on the following areas: Artificial intelligence for sustainability. Implementation of AI to tackle environmental matters. National clean air program. Building pollution control zones throughout the country. Ban the building of new coal-fired plants near the most polluted cities and limit driving non-electric cars in bigger cities. Proper construction of roads & right traffic rules will cure noise & air pollution. Safeguard policy for sustainable sea Mining. Policy for reusing wasteland for construction and saving enough space to build alternative energy sources like – Solar plants, hydropower plants, wind energy, etc. Interlinking the water conservation policy and sustainable agriculture policy. To save water while farming.
Could you mention any specific points and ways by which could drastically stop the melting of glaciers, especially in the Arctic? What steps can we as citizens take to slow the impact of climate change?
There are some extremely simple steps that we all can take. Conserve electricity and water, shift to public transport, use electric vehicles and stop higher deforestation.
The impact of climate change and global warming is immense and will affect the youth who are most vulnerable to this catastrophe. It also puts flora and fauna around us in a precarious state. But, with young leaders and climate activists fighting the good fight, we can be reassured that they will be the guardians of this planet. One such leader and activist is Ratna Singh, who is working towards a sustainable planet while also spreading awareness in the community in India. Her journey and her belief that we belong to the earth and that it is our responsibility to keep it safe motivates and generates hope in anyone she meets!