Increased heat, melting glaciers, rising sea levels – we are now in a race against climate change. The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) gathered world leaders from over 120 countries to recognise this climate emergency and push their citizens on a permanent mission towards sustainable development and a circular economy.
Steering the COP26 summit as the President, British Indian Minister in the Cabinet Office, Alok Sharma, was all geared to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees with international support. He said that the UK was “pushing for action in vital areas like power generation, clean transport and halting deforestation”.
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“This is our last hope of keeping 1.5 degrees alive. Our best chance of building a brighter future. A future of green jobs and cleaner air.”
Whilst we pledge to Build Back Better, let’s take a glance at what these young environmentalists have in place for our planet.
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Eco Oscar finalists
Fulfilling 13 of the 15 UN Sustainable Development Goals, 14-year-old Vinisha Umashankar’s concept of a solar-powered clean alternative to the charcoal-powered street irons that press clothes was among the 15 finalists of Prince William’s inaugural Earthshot Prize.
Delhi-based entrepreneur, Vidyut Mohan’s economical tech innovation – Takachar emerged as the winner of the contest with a prize money of £1 million. Takachar is a small-scale portable device that once attached to tractors, converts crop residues into sellable bio-products like fuel and fertiliser. It further reduces smoke emissions by 98 per cent, thus improving the air quality.
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Washing Machine Project
London-born engineer Nav Sawhney’s Washing Machine Project is a low-cost energy efficient manual washing machine for low-income regions. The organisation had also launched a crowdfunding appeal on Just Giving to raise £10,000 to aid the delivery process.
The “Divya 1.5” model, inspired by a simple salad spinner is now used at Mamrashan Refugee Camp in Iraq with the help of the charity Care International. It is expected to positively impact 300 people and save up to 750 hours annually per household, equivalent to two months of daylight hours.
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Housing refugees
This year's Commonwealth Innovation for Sustainable Development Award went to Kafi Ali, architecture student from India. His invention of a low-cost portable housing for Covid-19 quarantine and shelter from extreme weather such as earthquakes and floods- SpaceEra not only aims at reducing the transmission of the virus but also solves the housing issues of refugees worldwide.
“Winning the Commonwealth Innovation Award lifts my confidence to a greater level and motivates to me work even harder than yesterday and innovate unprecedented solutions to achieve a sustainable future,” said Kafi.
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Ocean cleansing
Engineer and environmentalist Dhruv Boruah shares his passion for the ocean with his green hydrogen-powered under-water transportation submarine system that decarbonise shipping and cleans up our ocean. was named the winner of the
In addition to winning the UK government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, the British Indian’s company Oceanways received a government backing of £23-million for its research and development (R&D) drive conceptualised on a fully-automated net positive submarine fleet, powered entirely on green hydrogen.
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This invention could help cleanse the oceans of toxic pollution by collecting microplastics on its pilot route between Glasgow in Scotland and Belfast in Northern Ireland and reduce overall CO2 emission by 300 million tonnes.
“Time is running out and it is imperative we don’t settle for 1 per cent more efficiency in an existing system, but instead, radically rethink to create innovative solutions.”
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Saving rainforests
Aleesha Gadhia, a British Indian girl campaigns to raise awareness of deforestation and climate change issues was announced the winner of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s daily Points of Light award. The six-year-old climate activist is an ambassador for UK-based non-profit Cool Earth which works alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation and lobbies business to create more sustainable practices.
Raising £3,400 for Cool Earth with her 80-km scooter challenge fundraiser, Aleesha expresses, “I would like to do my part and try and save the rainforests. All the money raised will go towards making this a greener planet.”