Shreya Vivek is a 16-year-old high school student from Tamil Nadu, India who enjoys stargazing, bird-watching and making origami craft! She is very close to her roots and Science is her favourite subject! She loves astronomy, environmental physics and has her own blog where she pours in her emotions in the form of poetry and articles! She thinks that SDGs 13, 14 and 15 are the most important of all and she primarily writes about nature, mother earth and conservation! You can check out her blog at https://poetrycanary.wordpress.com/.
Q1. Which Sustainable Development Goals interest you the most and why? Ans. I am very keen on SDGs 13,14 and 15. SDG 13 is about climate change and achieving lower levels of global warming by 2030 which I think is paramount right now. SDG 14 and 15 are of my interest because they are about the life on land and water, so it’s about conserving biodiversity and making sure that we do not do actions that make more species extinct.
Q2. As you know, there are targets to every SDG so which one target do you think is the most important from SDG 13? Ans. I think target 13.2 is the most important, it says: “Integrate climate change measures into policy and planning. ” So that’s because last year I had a lesson in Science which was about the advantages and disadvantages of Dams; the problem is that the government mainly focuses on the positive points and the loss of biodiversity is neglected, they forget how many indigenous people will be affected and they don’t even get appropriate compensation. Integrating this target is very important especially for a country like ours(India).
Q3. Which SDG do you think has been most successful in our country(India)? Ans. I think SDG 4. India has been very clear on what path it wants to take. K. Kamaraj, a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, introduced the mid-day meal scheme to increase the number of kids coming to school which I think was a very great step. However, I feel sad that SDG 13,14 and 15 have not been best prioritised by our country especially at the local/primary level.
Q4. Which movement of the past do you think has been the most influential in bringing a change with regards to SDG 13, 14 or 15? Ans. The Chipko Movement. I think all Indians know about the Chipko Movement and hence the impact was big then and is big now! Also, a village in Jharkhand had endeavours of tree cutting in their cultural past and by 2010 it was almost like a waste barren land. The people of the village had a little meeting where they decided to take the charge of the forest in their own hands and allowed it to regrow and by 2017 a worthless forest was valued at around 40-50 lakh annually!
Q5. An article on your blog said that today’s youth (us) are motivated to bring a change in this world, to what extent do you think our efforts have been successful? Ans. Yes, absolutely. So I think that that a major part of these people forget the aim and their focus moves to themselves and their needs or satisfactions. A lesser part, however actually wants to bring a change! I feel that the later are all Malalas and Gretas and are doing a great job!
Q6. What do you think young adults like us who are mostly dependent on their parents financially can do for the society? Ans. We are all focused on the rapid pulse of the internet and the glow of our screens and I think that it is a huge advantage, if used wisely. We have a great opportunity to spread awareness and if we make more people aware of what is happening and what are the conditions, most definitely, more people will contribute to a better sustainable world! And once we are financially independent we can contribute and donate in other forms as well.
Q7. Who is your role model, someone who inspires you to be more responsible towards the globe and its people? Ans. My role model is Dr Jagdish Chandra Bose. He is an Indian scientist who was the first scientist able to prove that plants have feelings! He invented a highly sensitive instrument for the detection of minute responses by plants and I gave a speech about him back in 2018 in my school and I have been moved by him ever since. I also idolise Dr JC Bose because of his humility and will to spread the knowledge of Science, despite his many achievements.
SDG: THIS OR THAT
● Climate Action or Economic Growth
– Climate Change
● Global Peace or No poverty
– Peace
● Quality Education or Good Health
– Good Health
● No poverty or Zero Hunger
– Zero Hunger
SHREYA’S FAVOURITES
CUISINE
South Indian Food, anytime! and also Mexican cuisines too!
BOOK
The Hunger Games
AUTHOR
Suzanne Collins
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