#14 Heeta Lakhani 🇮🇳 - Empowering youth for the climate

Listen to Heeta Lakhani just below or on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

🎤 "I am trying to bridge the climate knowledge gap, motivate youth and get them to take action. If I have been privileged enough to go to the COP negotiations, I think it is my duty and my responsibility to ensure that I pass on this knowledge to the other young people in India".

🇮🇳 Heeta Lakhani is a climate educator from India who gives all her energy to enhance the participation and power of youth in grassroots as well as international processes and policies.

🇺🇳 She is currently serving as the Global Focal Point for YOUNGO, the official youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

💪 Heeta found her calling after attending the COP21 in Paris, which is about bridging the knowledge gap on climate science as well as international processes among the children in India, who are at the forefront of facing the impacts of climate change in the coming years. She then took more and more responsibilities with YOUNGO to empower and engage youth for the climate, all around the world.

❤️ TIMELINE:

8’ - Growing up loving nature & studying environmental sciences

18’ - Becoming a German translator, just because German language is cool!

22’ - Ending up in the global climate negotiations in Paris, during COP21

34’ - Bridging the knowledge gap on climate science and climate negotiations among Indian youth

40’ - Fostering youth participation in global climate negotiations with YOUNGO, especially with youth from vulnerable communities

48’ - Being a climate activist is a rollercoaster

56’ - “I’m here for the long run”

🗒️ References:

UNFCCC: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change.
COP & COY: the Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC. The Conference of Youth (COY) aims to strengthen the international youth climate movement. Both the COP and COY happen every year to advance the global climate negotiations.
YOUNGO is the Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC. It consists of many youth-led organizations, groups, delegations, and individuals working in climate change-related fields.
You can join YOUNGO here: https://tinyurl.com/YOUNGO-Membership.
Connect with Heeta on LinkedIn!