KOCHI: The 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) was termed a ‘success’ for successfully articulating the concerns and ideas of developing nations. Babitha PS, co-founder and senior mentor of Green Army International, an organisation of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation that aims to educate children on the zero waste concept, was a delegate at the event. COP26 was organised by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland, between October 31 to November 12 and Babitha was part of the ‘Not Without Us!’ project executed in association with Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS), a German political foundation part of grassroots democratic socialist movements.
“The conference was a life-changing experience. I was part of the ‘Not Without Us’ project of GenderCC – Women for Climate Justice. It is a global network of non-government organisations, individual experts and activists who work with grassroots organisations and share their ideas and contribute to the global decision-making process,” says Babitha.
She represented GAIA Asia Pacific (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) and BFFP (Break Free From Plastic), two initiatives that have been working to make incinerators obsolete. “Handwritten letters that encourage green practices right from schools and colleges in the capital city was handed over to GAIA Asia Pacific to invite effective action,” shares Babitha.
“At GAIA, people from different parts of the world came together to discuss the elimination of plastic. I was excited to meet a delegate from Indonesia who was working to curb plastic littering. She spoke about the influx of plastic waste to Indonesia since China stopped importing plastic waste from western countries. Waterbodies in Indonesia had to bear the brunt of this. The climate conference gave a platform to such young leaders to address such issues,” she adds.
According to Babitha, her primary focus at the conference was on waste management as a measure for combating climate change. Babitha intends to work on areas including human rights in association with people from other states. Apart from working on sustainable waste management with Green Army International, she is also involved with Menstruation Kerala Collective that focuses on resolving taboo surrounding dimensions of menstruation such as gender, sexuality, products, and even mental health. She has also been associating with Bring Back Green Foundation. Currently, she is associated with Gender for Climate Action that carries a gender neutral perspective on climate action.