Meet Suhail Rafiq Wani, 13-Year-Old Climate Champion From Kashmir

The climate crisis is real. The world continues to get warmer at an alarming rate, putting almost every child at risk of more frequent and destructive climate hazards - air pollution, cyclones, disease, flooding, heatwaves, and water scarcity.

As the impacts of climate change intensify, young minds are joining the movement for positive change.

Taking action locally, speaking awareness globally- this 13-year-old from Kashmir is walking the talk in saving the environment.

Yes, Suhail Rafiq Wani is a mascot, who spreads awareness among people about the small changes that can be adopted in day-to-day life to reduce the use of plastic and facilitate a better environment for future generations.

A thirteen-year-old, playful, and curious boy who hails from Kashmir, Wani draws his messages around climate by making paper bags to save the environment.

He along with a bunch of his friends distributed the handmade paper bags to many shopkeepers in the area and also created awareness about how polythene bags adversely affect our environment.

I'm an environmentalist, and I organised a plantation drive in our area. I took a few fellow kids and lots of saplings with me, and we planted them in the vicinity. So far, we have planted thousands of trees. In the process, I got an idea - why don't we use paper bags instead of polythene bags?," said Suhail Rafiq Wani.

"Again, 10-12 of us gathered and started making paper bags. We distributed the handmade paper bags to the shopkeepers in the area and also created awareness about how polythene bags adversely affect our environment. My dad has a shop, and he appreciated my idea, so he started packing groceries in paper bags only," he added.

"Our school used to arrange meetings for the 'Save the Children's campaign. They were impressed by my work and selected me as an environmentalist. Then I got the opportunity to attend COP (Conference of Parties), a global conference where I acquired a lot of knowledge and shared my ideas as well," he said.

"I also motivated the participants in the children's group. We cleaned the trash from the school and then extended our efforts to clean the streets in our community. As a result, our neighbourhood has been tidy ever since," the 13-year-old climate champion said.

"The experiences at COP, Save the Children, and the appreciation I received from my neighbourhood have inspired me to work more and more on environmental issues," he added.

About Save the Children

Save the Children encourages students to become ambassadors and champions of peace and peace education. Under the Peace Education Program, 'Save the Children' has nurtured more than 100 Child Champions over a period of three years.

The Child Champions are the children who take community-level initiatives in creating a safer environment.