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?
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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.