Actress Dia Mirza has been appointed one of the six new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate by the United Nations. A position of huge power responsibility and prestige, she intends to surrender all her passion for an eco-friendly environment to this new appointment.
“I do realise I share this responsibility as a SDG advocate with some of the most influential names in the world. It makes me even more conscious of the struggle that lies ahead,” says Dia, who feels that the dialogue around sustainable eco-friendly environment has not even started in India.
“We need a socio-political narrative on climate action. The average Indian doesn’t even know what damage is being done to the environment. Most of us don’t know what we are doing to our environment. Each day, the quantum of waste material that we burn because we don’t know what else to do with it, is causing huge damage to the environment. Put simply, we are producing more waste than we can dispose of,” asserts Dia whose concern for the eco-system will extend into many projects which she will implement during the next one year.
Talking about the goals she will set for herself and targets to achieve, she says, “My commitment to creating environmental awareness has been a part of my life for many years. Earlier too, I was associated with several global eco-friendly platforms. When you are given a position such as the one I gave been given now by the UN, you are empowered to carry out your idea and plans, your vision gets re-enforced with entitlement. I feel my efforts to delimit and slow down the expedited extinction of species gets more organised and empowered with my appointment as an SDG advocate. I intend to work closely with the other extremely evolved minds who are with me on this to work toward the preservation of our rapidly shrinking natural resources. We must make the world aware of how fast we are losing the three essentials for human sustenance: air water and soil. Human behaviour is directly related to the environment. I’d like to work towards creating that awareness.”
Dia has come a long way since she made her onscreen debut 19 years ago in Rehna Hai Terre Dil Main. “My mother always says I am a late bloomer. I took time to discover my purpose in life. The role I play now (as an eco-ambassador) is far more important than any role I played in my life,” says Dia passionately.
