How climate influencers are trying to alter Indian attitudes

DW (English)

Online and offline influencers are trying to persuade Indians to shift to a low-carbon lifestyle. How much impact do they really have? Is policy change the real secret?

Transcript

00:00What inspires people to take actions to protect the planet?

00:05Do the number of likes on social media make for a successful climate influencer?

00:11On my quest today, I am keen to find out what's that secret sauce that drives people to climate

00:18action.

00:22In a bustling market close to Delhi, I meet social media influencer Pankaj Kumar.

00:29Having more than 275,000 followers and meagre resources, this earth warrior's videos are

00:37a wake-up call to the state of our rivers, but with a very specific focus.

00:44Across India, there is a capacity for treating 32,000 crore litres of sewage, out of which

00:50not even 10% is working.

00:52And our biggest problem is untreated sewage.

00:56So if we want to treat river pollution, all we have to do is make the STPs functional.

01:05Sewage treatment plants collect, treat and discharge wastewater, ensuring that the city's

01:11sludge and faecal matter doesn't get thrown directly into rivers.

01:16Often, this government-pandated infrastructure lies in a state of neglect due to corruption

01:23and apathy.

01:25Kumar's method is simple – show up, provide the visual evidence of pollution with a clarion

01:31call to the authorities to wake up.

01:33He's already had a couple of wins.

01:37One is that when we uploaded videos, people became aware.

01:40Take Noida, where there are eight STPs.

01:43We just recorded them and they called us and said, come and see, we've cleaned the tub.

01:51On a boat ride across the river Yamuna, I am able to witness the problems firsthand.

01:56Behind me, the infrastructure of the city, but right below, a river that lies neglected.

02:02It's people like Pankaj who are reminding us of what we've done to our water bodies,

02:07simply by bearing witness to the ecological destruction we're causing to it.

02:14Pankaj comes from a humble background.

02:17Not so long ago, he was helping his father as a fruit vendor on the streets.

02:22He even left a job with a bank to become a full-time earth warrior.

02:28Pankaj Kumar at the click of a button, showing us what it takes to clean up India's rivers,

02:35one sewage treatment plant, one social media reel at a time.

02:42My next stop is close to the sandy beaches of Goa.

02:45Swabu Kohli is giving the final touches to their artwork, to be displayed at an upcoming

02:51conference.

02:52Swabu's artwork captures the complexities of nature in flamboyant and celebratory ways.

02:59The details of brushstroke are an ode to the natural life they have observed, from jellyfish

03:06to resplendent birdlife.

03:08I was accessing a really vivid imagination from the time I was really young and I was

03:12really encouraged.

03:13Interestingly, growing up in New Delhi in the 90s, we were so privileged to be so close

03:18to nature.

03:19We had fireflies at night, there were foxes, we'd have different kinds of lizards, we'd

03:23have different kinds of insects, moths, butterflies.

03:26But somewhere along the way, this perfect relationship with nature was changing.

03:31Over time I started realising that there's this sense of loss that one was feeling, an

03:36immediate loss of habitats getting erased, ecosystems getting wiped, the relationships

03:41between people and the natural world also degrading with it.

03:44And suddenly it was almost like being struck by deep grief and it felt like we've lost

03:50something that's never going to come back.

03:53Soon Swabu's art moved from a celebration of nature to a powerful call to action.

03:58They have been at the forefront of the Save Mollem movement that started in 2020.

04:05A citizen-led initiative to stop linear infrastructure projects that would have threatened wildlife

04:12and thousands of old growth trees inside a national park in Goa.

04:17We invite you to come and unfold the case of the missing species with us.

04:21It helped shift environment movements from the courtroom to the streets.

04:25In 2022, the Supreme Court ordered for a realignment of the project in order to save the forests,

04:32an affirmation of the magic of collective action and art.

04:36Through the stories I tell, I try and sort of reignite that intuitive sense of how close

04:42we are to nature and how much there is to learn from it.

04:45Those are the places where we'll be able to build new relationships as we move forward

04:49into this time where we are rapidly changing the environment around us so quickly.

04:54That's really the rooter from where my work stems and the well from where I create.

04:59Meanwhile, back in New Delhi, I meet Harjeet Singh, who's been at the forefront of the

05:05fight for climate justice.

05:07Billions, not millions!

05:10He is a frequent campaigner at many of the UN climate summits.

05:14But somewhere he felt he was losing motivation.

05:18When do we want it?

05:19Now!

05:20We have been fighting for climate justice for a long time.

05:24And when I came back from Paris, I was like, I can't just continue with the same policy

05:29work unless I also put my effort in changing things on ground.

05:35Together with his wife Jyoti, they set up Satat Sampada Farming Initiative, a social

05:41enterprise that provides farm-to-table organic vegetables through regenerative agriculture.

05:49At a farm on the outskirts of Delhi, they share their story.

05:53So how does the work they do link to climate action?

05:57And if you do organic farming, it also helps you not only reduce the carbon footprint,

06:02but also help adapt, because you are promoting natural farming, which is far more resilient.

06:08You also create more jobs.

06:09By promoting natural farming, we also are able to promote people's health.

06:14Not only where farming is happening, but also people in urban areas who are consuming these

06:19products.

06:20An analysis by the Pesticide Action Network in 2022 revealed that nearly 40% of the pesticides

06:27used in India are highly toxic, with massive health and environmental implications.

06:35It is Jyoti who provides the technical knowledge, training farmers on how to make this transition

06:41away from the use of heavy chemicals.

06:44Today, more than 100 farmers supply fresh vegetables and fruits to them.

06:50At their store in the city, the team is sorting out the orders to be delivered to customers.

06:56So on the menu today, there's yellow pepper, there's zucchini, there's cucumber, red pepper,

07:03some French beans and some okra.

07:06This is the centre where all the vegetables that are sourced from farmers are brought

07:11in here.

07:12But the journey for Jyoti and Harjeet has not been easy.

07:18Initially the business didn't generate any big margins.

07:22Loyal customers were slow.

07:24But soon the walk-ins increased at their shop.

07:28It's provided Harjeet the much-needed motivation for his climate campaigns at the global level.

07:34Harjeet and Jyoti providing the much-needed connect from policy to plate.

07:41The individuals I have met have made me realise that influencers are created not just by how

07:47many likes and hits you get in the virtual world, but through real, meaningful action

07:53for the planet.

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