World Environment Day: Meet 5 Women Environmentalists Who Fought For Better Future
We all know that our Earth is in danger. Pollution, climate change, deforestation and depletion of natural resources are the big challenges for us to save the planet. Many scientists, experts, and activists have made significant contributions to save the environment from further degradation and to keep this world livable for generations to come.
Among them these five women environmentalists and activists are the ones, whose work in various environmental related fields has been invaluable.
Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva is the director of Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy. Based in Dehradun, this organisation works to increase the participation of women in the protection of forests, biodiversity conservation and environmental related matters.
Shiva is an 'eco-feminist' i.e. environmental feminist, who believes that the protection of the environment can be done by giving priority to women in agricultural systems. She believes that both women and nature are exploited by men, due to which the issues of environmental protection and women empowerment are intertwined.
In the year 1987, Vandana founded her NGO 'Navdhanya', which works on organic farming, biological diversity conservation, and farmers' rights. Navdhanya has so far managed to preserve about 2000 varieties of rice and has established 122 'Seed Banks' in 22 states of India, where different types of seeds are conserved and studied. Vandana for her work. Shiva was awarded the 'Right Livelihood' award in 1993.
Sunita Narayan
Sunita is also the director of 'Center for Science and Environment' (CSE) as well as editor of 'Down to Earth' monthly magazine. Her studies and work are particularly focused on the relationship between the environment and human development, and in 1989 she co-authored a paper titled 'Towards Green Villages' with CSE founder Anil Agarwal, which highlights rural development and environmental protection.
In 2012, she wrote India's seventh environmental report, Excreta Matters, which gives a detailed analysis of water supply and pollution in our cities.
According to Sunita, urbanisation does not just mean building big buildings. Development is incomplete without environmental awareness. Therefore, there is a need for plans to protect the environment in cities. In the year 2005, Sunita Narayan was awarded the Padma Shri and in 2016 Time magazine included her in the list of 100 most influential people of the year.
Anumita Roy Chowdhury
The work of Directive Permission of Research and Advocacy Department of CSE is focused on Sustainable Development and Urbansation. She has been instrumental in leading the Right to Clean Air campaign in 1996, which aims to make Delhi's air cleaner. Due to this campaign, today most of the public vehicles in Delhi run on compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of diesel. The campaign has been successful in improving vehicular emission standards and has also helped in formulating policies on eco-friendly transport.
Anumita has been involved in many government schemes to make air pollution-free and has written in several newspapers on environmental issues. Her contribution as a member and advisor to national and international assemblies on atmospheric security has been valuable. In the year 2017, she was awarded the Hagen Schmidt Clean Air Award by the Government of California, USA.
Sumaira Abdul Ali
Sumaira is the founder of 'Awaaz Foundation', which works on the issue of noise pollution. Due to her tireless efforts in this field, she has got the name 'Sound Minister of India'. In 2003, she filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court for the construction of a 'silence zone' in Mumbai. Seven years later, in 2009 itself, the court ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare 2237 areas within a hundred meters of hospitals, religious places, and educational institutions as 'silence zones'.
In the year 2007, she presented another petition with her organisation for control of traffic, horns of vehicles, construction work, and noise from firecrackers. In this petition, she also demanded to implement the rules of noise pollution and make a 'sound map' of Mumbai city. In the year 2016, the court ordered the fulfillment of all these demands. Also ordered to include sound study and mapping in all cities of Maharashtra except Mumbai in the government development plan for the next 25 years.
Sumaira has also been active against illegal sand mining, due to which she and many activists like her have also received threats from the sand mafia. In protest against the threats, 'Movement Against Intimidation, Threat and Revenge Against Activists' was formed, of which she is the coordinator. Sumaira has received the Mother Teresa Award for her work.
Dr Kriti Karanth
Dr. Kriti holds a PhD in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University, USA. She has been researching wildlife conservation in India for 20 years, and is the director of the Center for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore. She has also taught at Duke University and the National Center for Biology.
Kriti has done many research works on extinction, human-forest relationship, and impact of forest tourism. She has written about 90 essays and a children's book on wildlife.
