30 Facts About Ridhima Pandey

Ridhima Pandey was born on 2007 and is an Indian environmental activist who advocates for action against climate change.

Ridhima Pandey was one of the complainants to the United Nations, along with several other young climate activists, against several nations' failure to take action against the climate crisis.

Ridhima Pandey is daughter of Dinesh Chandra Pandey who works in Wildlife Trust India who is an environmentalist and has worked in Uttarakhand in this capacity for 16 years and her mother is Vinita Pandey who works for Forest Department for Uttarakhand.

Ridhima Pandey's activism was influenced by the traumatic experience of witnessing the 2013 Uttarakhand floods.

Ridhima Pandey has stated in interviews that seeing the devastation and hearing the cries of children on TV led to recurring nightmares, which ultimately motivated her to take action.

At age nine, Ridhima Pandey filed a lawsuit against the Indian Government on the basis that they had not taken the significant steps against climate change that they had agreed to in the Paris Agreement.

Ridhima Pandey has this incredible strength and clarity, pushing forward with a fearlessness I didn't expect from someone so young, and it's humbling to see her lead with such purpose.

Ridhima Pandey asked the Government to prepare a plan to reduce carbon emissions and a nationwide plan to curb the impact of climate change, including reducing India's use of fossil fuels.

Ridhima Pandey was selected to go to New York for the 2019 United Nations Climate Action summit.

Ridhima Pandey mobilized hundreds of students and youth in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, to demand urgent climate action from the Indian government, focusing on issues like rising temperatures, deforestation, and extreme weather events such as the 2013 Uttarakhand floods that had personally impacted her.

Ridhima Pandey's role underscored her growing influence as a youth activist, amplifying local concerns within a global context, though specific policy responses from the government remained limited at the time.

Ridhima Pandey shared her experiences from Uttarakhand, highlighting floods and forest fires as evidence of climate urgency, while Isaksen addressed indigenous perspectives and Widvey offered policy insights, creating a dynamic intergenerational dialogue.

Ridhima Pandey's appeal, delivered via a widely circulated video statement on September 3,2019, urged Modi to "stop the cutting of Aarey forests and release those protesting," aligning with a broader citizens' movement that included environmentalists, students, and local Adivasi communities who depend on the forest for their livelihood.

Ridhima Pandey's action came amid escalating protests following the Bombay High Court's October 4 dismissal of petitions to declare Aarey a forest or stop the tree-cutting, prompting MMRCL to begin felling trees that night, with over 2,141 cut by October 5,2019, before the Supreme Court intervened on October 7, ordering a status quo after a law student's letter-turned-PIL, halting further cuts and releasing 29 detained activists.

On September 7,2020, the first International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, Ridhima Pandey wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for urgent action against air pollution in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, where air quality often reaches hazardous levels.

Ridhima Pandey highlighted the health risks to children and the elderly, stating in the letter:.

Ridhima Pandey's appeal coincided with growing public concern over Delhi's toxic air, which the Lancet Planetary Health reported in 2020 caused 1.67 million deaths annually in India due to PM2.5 exposure, a statistic she referenced to underscore the urgency.

Ridhima Pandey came back dealing with Indian government when she make an appeal to Narendra Modi to stop a plan to chop Aarey forest to build a metro car shed project.

Ridhima Pandey has called for a complete ban on plastic, arguing that its continued production is the result of consumer demand.

Ridhima Pandey has called for the Indian government and local authorities to do more to clean the Ganga River.

Ridhima Pandey said that while the government claims that it is cleaning the river, there hasn't been much change in the condition of the river.

Ridhima Pandey is quoted on her biography on Children vs Climate Change as stating her aim:.

Ridhima Pandey, invited as a youth climate advocate, addressed the assembly on October 18 during a session focused on ecological justice, sharing her experiences of climate-induced disasters in Uttarakhand, such as the 2013 floods and recurring forest fires, and criticizing older generations for inaction, stating:.

In 2022, Ridhima Pandey participated in "Cartoon Network's Redraw Your World," an environmental awareness campaign launched by Cartoon Network India in April 2022 to inspire children to address climate issues through art and storytelling.

Ridhima Pandey was featured in Generation Greta, a 2020 documentary directed by Johan Boulanger, released on March 8,2020, by Java Films, exploring the lives of nine young female climate activists.

Ridhima Pandey, representing the voice of youth, shared her experiences of climate impacts in Uttarakhand, including floods and forest fires, emphasizing the urgency of intergenerational action in a meeting filmed at the Vatican.

In 2023, Ridhima Pandey was featured in One for Change season 3, a short-film series by National Geographic India and Disney Star, as part of an Earth Day initiative highlighting young environmental changemakers.

The campaign aimed to inspire viewers to adopt sustainable practices, with Ridhima Pandey emphasizing the urgency of holding leaders accountable:.

Ridhima Pandey was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.

Ridhima Pandey get an Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice on 16 December 2021 in New Delhi.