Licypriya Kangujam

In this Meitei name, the family name is Kangujam and the given name is Licypriya.

Licypriya Kangujam
Licypriya Kangujam at the United Nations Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand on 5 September 2019.
Born	Licypriya Kangujam (2011-10-02) 2 October 2011 (age 13) Bashikhong Village, Manipur, India
Occupation(s)	Student, environmental activist
Years active	2018–present
Parents	Bidyarani Devi Kangujam Ongbi (mother) KK (Kanarjit Kangujam) Singh (father)
Relatives	Chinglensana Kangujam (uncle)
Awards	Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Children Award (2019) World Children's Peace Prize (2019) Rising Star of Earth Day Network (2019) Global Child Prodigy Award (2020) Noble Citizen Award (2020) TN Khoshoo Memorial Award by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (2020) National Youth Day Award by Bharat Seva Samvad (2021) CNN News18 Water Heroes (2021) Forbes India 30 Under 30 Special Mentions (2021) International Women’s Day Award by Government of Delhi (2021)

Licypriya Kangujam (IPA: [lisipɾija kaŋŋud͡ʒɐm]; born 2 October 2011) is a child environmental activist from India.^[2] One of the youngest climate activists globally, she addressed world leaders at the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, asking them to take immediate climate action. Licypriya has been campaigning for climate action in India since 2018, to pass new laws to curb India's high pollution levels, and to make climate-change literacy mandatory in schools.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} She has been regarded as India's Greta Thunberg, though she does not like the usage of this term.^[8]

Licypriya started advocating against climate change in July 2018.^[9] On 21 June 2019, inspired by Greta Thunberg, Licypriya started spending a week outside the Indian parliament House to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pass a climate change law in India.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Early life

Licypriya Kangujam was born on 2 October 2011 in Bashikhong, Manipur, India, the eldest daughter of Kanarjit Kangujam and Bidyarani Devi Kangujam Ongbi,^[14] in a family of Meitei ethnicity.^[15] When she was six,^[16] she began raising her voice to combat climate change and disaster risk reduction.

In 2018, Licypriya attended a UN disaster conference in Mongolia along with her father. This inspired her to get involved in activism. In an article in the BBC News she stated, "I got lots of inspiration and new knowledge from the people giving speeches. It was a life-changing event." Licypriya founded the "Child Movement" soon after to raise awareness, urging protection of the planet by tackling climate change and natural disasters.^[17]

Activism

Kerala Flood 2018

Licypriya donated her savings of Rupees 100,000 to the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan on 24 August 2018 to help the child victims of the massive 2018 Kerala floods. Two years later she received an acknowledgement letter from the Kerala government.^[18]

Licypriya's donation to the Chief Minister supported work to protect children hit by the flood. She felt her small contribution would help make a difference during a tough time.

Visits to Africa

Licypriya Kangujam addressing the UNESCO Partners' Forum 2019 (Biennial Luanda) in Angola on 20 September 2019.

Licypriaya attended the UNESCO Partners' Forum 2019 (Biennial Luanda) in Luanda, Angola, invited by UNESCO, the African Union and the government of Angola. She spoke on climate change along with Angolan President João Lourenço, Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Malawi President Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, First Lady of Angola Ana Dias Lourenço, First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Denis Mukwege, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, Deputy Prime Minister of Guinea François Lonseny Fall and culture ministers of Africa.^{[19][20][21][22]}

Survival Kit for the Future

On 4 October 2019, Licypriya brought out a symbolic device called SUKIFU (Survival Kit for the Future) to curb air pollution. SUKIFU is an almost zero budget kit designed from trash to provide fresh air to breathe when pollution is bad. This wearable plant is a recognition of the Green Movement for air pollution. Anybody can build up this concept at home from by recycling trash to instill fresh air directly into the lungs. Licypriya launched it in front of the Punjab and Haryana Legislative Assembly House. She drew the attention of the leaders to find urgent solutions to address the crisis of air pollution in the Delhi and National Capital Region.^[23][24] "^[25]

She added that although the project is inspired by the air pollution in Delhi, she doesn't want its message to only be about the environment. Instead, she said, it's about the same adaptability that caused her to come forward with a mission, with the qualities of resilience that it takes to survive now and in the future. She developed the model with the support of Chandan Ghosh, professor at Indian Institute of Technology Jammu (IIT).^[26]

Great October March 2019

On 21 October 2019, Licypriya started the "Great October March 2019" at India Gate, New Delhi with thousands of her supporters. The march took place from 21 to 27 October in various locations to request immediate action on climate change and to enact a climate law in India.^[17][27][28]

COP25

Licypriya Kangujam with UN Secretary General António Guterres at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2019 (COP25) in Madrid, Spain on 12 December 2019.

Licypriya spoke at the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP25, urging world leaders to act now on climate change. 26,000 people from 196 countries attended this event. It was held from 2 December to 13 December in Madrid, Spain, hosted by the government of Chile with logistical support of the government of Spain under the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).^[29]

Licypriya met UN Secretary-General António Guterres during COP25 and submitted a memorandum "on behalf of the children of the world." The memorandum stated that she wants to create a better place for all children of the world. She was praised by Guterres. Greta Thunberg and several other global leaders participated during the event. ^[30]

World Economic Forum 2020

In 2020, Licypriya published a letter to the participants at the World Economic Forum with activists Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Isabelle Axelsson, and Loukina Tille, calling on companies, banks and governments to immediately stop subsidizing fossil fuels. In an opinion piece given to The Guardian they said, "We don't want these things done by 2050, 2030 or even 2021, we want this done now – as in right now. We call upon the world’s leaders to stop investing in the fossil fuel economy that is at the very heart of this planetary crisis. Instead, they should invest their money in existing sustainable technologies, research and in restoring nature. Short-term profit should not trump long-term stability of life."^[31][32]

Earth Day 2020

Licypriya addressed global gatherings on Earth Day 2020 at Washington, D.C., United States. The event was virtual, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was featured with 50 other global leaders, influencers, celebrities, athletes and musicians, including Pope Francis, Sylvia Earle, Denis Hayes, Bill McKibben, Global Advisory Committee Member Albert II (Prince of Monaco), Alexandria Villaseñor, Al Gore, Patricia Espinosa, Christiana Figueres, Michelle Dilhara, Jerome Foster II, John Kerry, Thomas Lovejoy, Ed Begley Jr., Zac Efron, Anil Kapoor, Van Jones, Ricky Keij, Paul Nicklen and Alex Honnold, giving a message of hope to fight the ongoing climate crisis.^[33][34]

TED talks

On 18 February 2020, she addressed the TEDxSBSC held in Delhi University, New Delhi, India. On 23 February 2020 she addressed the TEDxGateway held in Mumbai and received a standing ovation for her speech. She addressed TEDx talks six times by the time she was nine years old.^[35][36][37]

Campaign for teaching climate change in schools

Licypriya has been campaigning to make lessons in climate change mandatory in schools, and in response the government of the Indian state of Gujarat has included climate change in school education.^[38]

COP28

On 11 December 2023, at 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Licypriya walked on to the main stage of the conference, holding up a sign, "End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.", and giving a brief speech. She was given a round of applause before being removed from the session by security personnel. According to Licypriya, she was banned from further participation in COP28.^[39]

Recognition

Licypriya was honored with the title "Rising Star" by the Earth Day Network headquarters based in Washington, D.C.^[17][40][41]

On 19 November 2019, she received the "SDGs Ambassador Award 2019" at Chandigarh University, presented by Dainik Bhaskar in collaboration with NITI Aayog, Government of India. Licypriya also received the "Global Child Prodigy Award 2020" on 3 January 2020 in New Delhi, presented by Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry Kiran Bedi.^[42]

Personal life

In a report by The Times of India in June 2021, it was revealed that some of Licypriya's awards^[which?] were given to her by her father's organisations.^[43] Her father Kanarjit Kangujam Singh was arrested on 31 May 2021 for allegedly duping several self-help groups, hotels and individuals of money for a Global Youth Meet that he had organised in Imphal in 2014.^[44] Nearly a hundred children from 12 countries claim Kanarjit Kangujam scammed them.^[45]

See also

• Greta Thunberg
• Severn Cullis-Suzuki – as a minor was also a notable environmental activist in 1992

References

1. "India climate activist Licypriya Kangujam on why she took a stand". BBC News. 2020-02-06. BBC OS. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
2. Sudevan, Praveen (2020-11-30). "India should make climate education compulsory: Nine-year-old activist Licypriya Kangujam". The Hindu.
3. "Meet Licypriya Kangujam, the 8-yr-old Indian 'Greta' who is urging leaders at COP25 to save the planet". The Economic Times. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
4. "Eight-Year-Old Licypriya Kangujam Is Flying India's Flag at COP25". The Wire (India). 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
5. "Indian 8-year-old challenges world leaders to act on climate change at COP25 in Madrid". The Hindu. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
6. "Meet Licypriya Kangujam, the 8-yr-old Indian 'Greta' who is urging leaders at COP25 to save the planet". The Economic Times. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
7. "Home". licypriyakangujam.com.
8. Banerji, Annie (2020-02-08). "'Don't call me India's Greta Thunberg and erase my story': Eight-year-old Licypriya Kangujam". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
9. Licypriya Kangujam [@LicypriyaK] (2020-01-27). "Dear Media, Stop calling me "Greta of India". ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-05-13 – via Twitter.
10. "A 7-Year-Old Takes Stand Near The Parliament Urging PM Modi To Pass The Climate Change Law". ScoopWhoop. 2019-06-22. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
11. "Angola backs Licypriya's green world campaign". Poknapham. 2019-09-24. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
12. "Seven-year-old becomes the youngest green activist". Daily News and Analysis. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
13. "Aged 7, Licypriya Kangujam stands outside Parliament to urge Prime Minister, MPs to pass climate change law". Mirror Now. 2019-06-22. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
14. "About – Licypriya Kangujam". Retrieved 2022-08-26.
15. Richards, Lauren (2022-12-06). "'Another World Is Possible': Interview With 11-Year-Old Climate Activist Licypriya Kangujam". Impakter. Retrieved 2023-02-26. Licypriya Kangujam: I belong to a small indigenous community in India called the Meitei...
16. "India climate activist Licypriya Kangujam". BBC News. 2022-10-11.
17. "India climate activist Licypriya Kangujam on why she took a stand". BBC News. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
18. "Licypriya Kangujam Donated ₹1,00,000 to Kerala Government to Support Victim Children of Kerala Massive Flood in 2018 but Acknowledged after almost 2 Years". Saarcyouth.org. 2019-10-22. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
19. "Biennale of Luanda - Pan-African Forum for the culture of peace". UNESCO. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
20. "Biennale of Luanda: Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace". African Union. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
21. "Licypriya Kangujam met with The President of Namibia". India Education Diary. 2019-09-20. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
22. "Licypriya draws attention of world leaders on her maiden climate change movement in Angola". Rediff Realtime. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
23. "Licypriya Kangujam launches solution to curb air pollution". Pragativadi. 2019-11-04. Archived from the original on 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
24. "8 yr olds solution to tackle air pollution". Pragativadi. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
25. "8-years-old Licypriya Kangujam launched solution to curb air pollution". The Northeast Today. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
26. "Time to act against pollution, says 8-yr-old climate activist". The Tribune. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
27. "Meet Licypriya Kangujam, The Indian Climate Activist". SheThePeople.TV. 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
28. "Licypriya Kangujam kicks off worldwide protest, demands on climate action". Pragativadi. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
29. "UN Chief lavishes praise on India's 8-yr-old activist". Deccan Herald. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
30. "India's 8-yr-old activist at COP25 reminder of world's obligations to future generations:UN Chief". Outlook. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
31. Greta Thunberg; et al. (2020-01-10). "At Davos we will tell world leaders to abandon the fossil fuel economy". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
32. "At Davos we will tell world leaders to abandon the fossil fuel economy". World Economic Forum. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
33. "Join Celebrities, Musicians, Activists and the Pope for an All-Digital Earth Day and 24 Hours of Action". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
34. "Join Celebrities, Musicians, Activists and the Pope for an All-Digital Earth Day and 24 Hours of Action". Condé Nast Traveller. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
35. "Licypriya Kangujam". Retrieved 2020-02-23.
36. "Young ones to take centre stage at TEDxGateway tomorrow". The Hindu. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
37. "Licypriya Kangujam". Archived from the original on 2020-03-22. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
38. "BBC World Service - BBC OS, BBC OS, How I became an 8-year-old climate activist". BBC. 2020-02-04. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
39. Raunaq Lekhi (2023-12-12). "'End Fossil Fuels': Indian Protester, 12, Dashes On To The Stage At COP28". NDTV. Wikidata Q123760920. Archived from the original on 2023-12-12.
40. "One year on, child climate activist, 8, continues strike outside Indian parliament". The Straits Times. 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
41. "This 7-Yr-Old Girl Stood Near Parliament Urging PM Narendra Modi To Pass The Climate Change Law Now". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
42. "Licypriya Kangujam from India - the world's youngest climate activist - stands with Greta Thunberg and demands three new policies". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
43. "Is India's Greta Thunberg a pawn in the hands of an unscrupulous father?". The Times of India.
44. Mohua Das (2021-05-31). "On the run since 2016, child activist Licypriya Kangujam's father arrested from Delhi". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
45. "Is the Father of 'India's Greta Thunberg' Scamming Other Child Activists?". www.vice.com. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-05.

External links

• Licypriya Kangujam on South Asian Youth Summit Archived 2021-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
• Licipriya Kangujam on Controversy
• Licypriya Kangujam on fake award controversy
• Licypriya Kangujam on award controversy
• Licypriya's website