Actor Bhumi Pednekar On Why It's Important To Care About Climate Change In the current scenario, one of the biggest threats we face is that of climate change, and climate technology has evolved to become an important part of this process.
By Kabir Singh Bhandari •
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May 11 is celebrated as National Technology Day every year, and this year India completes 25 years of this special day. Declared for the first time on May 11 in 1998 by then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, it was announced after the success of the nuclear tests at Pokhran, Rajasthan, to celebrate the achievements of scientists, engineers and the country's technological advancement.
In the current scenario, one of the biggest threats we face is that of climate change, and climate technology has evolved to become an important part of this process. Climate technologies include renewable energy technologies like solar, wind, and hydropower. One of the most active Indian celebrities who spreads awareness about the environment and the climate is actor Bhumi Pednekar, who started the pan-India campaign called Climate Warrior, to raise awareness about how we can protect the environment. This follows seamlessly with the kind of cause based films she has been associated with, whether it be Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and several others. And she is also United Nations Development Programme's first National Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
But what made her invest herself in this cause?
"When I was a young adult I had a lot of climate anxiety because I always wondered about questions such as what would happen when all our natural resources are finished? How will I survive? I love my family so much, but will I be able to protect them? As an adult, I realized that I have these questions, but I'm not doing enough about it. Till a couple of years ago whenever I spoke about it, people would like shut me away or shush me and say, 'Oh, this is not a real problem.' But with everything that we are going through, I think it's very clear that climate change is real and that's why we started Climate Warrior, an advocacy platform about climate change. And I feel like this is not my battle alone. This is a battle that all of us need to join hands in because I truly believe that climate change is the largest growing threat that humanity will face," she said while talking to film critic Rajeev Masand during FICCI Frames.
However, there has been a change in the way people perceive climate now. Especially post the pandemic, as Pednekar said that before people would think that it is something which would only happen after three generations, not right now. "The truth is it is affecting us right now. We all can feel it. So I feel like I've seen a certain amount of shift in attitudes and people are taking responsibilities like going for more sustainable options. For example, fashion is going sustainable in different ways. Are we doing enough? Absolutely not. But has the change started? I would like to believe yes," she said.
From our end, what each of us personally need to do is become more aware about environment friendly choices and how certain tech related choices and go a long way in the battle against climate change, especially on a day when India completes 25 years of National Technology Day.
