Hania Imran: Mobilizing Youth in Pakistan 🇵🇰

Hania Imran is a 17-year old climate activist based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and a prominent member of the group Youth Climate Activists Pakistan. The documentary ‘Before the Flood’ by Leonardo Di Caprio sparked her interest in climate action, which soon led her to take various actions, one of which was to plant 14 trees on her 14th birthday. When she shared this idea to her friends and teachers, some of them rejected it, saying “this is not possible” and “why not start smaller?” As her 14th birthday approached, she came to her mom with teary eyes. Fortunately, her mom was supportive and together, they managed to plant a few trees. This was her springboard for other climate action related activities. 

She soon became an active climate activist at her school, The City School Capital Campus in Islamabad. An article titled “Environment Week at City School” showcases how Hania led an initiative with a week’s worth of environmental conservation activities, including tree planting, poster making, household material recycling and a small fashion show featuring recycled clothes. The State Minister for Climate Change, Zartaj Gul, was the chief guest for the closing ceremony. While she exchanged ideas around climate change with students, she declared Hania the “Greta Thunberg of Pakistan.” 

The “Greta Thunberg” of Pakistan

At that time, Hania felt that being named the “Greta Thunberg of Pakistan” was a “big thing”, as environmental activists and youth climate activists were not getting that kind of recognition in Pakistan. This recognition made people more aware about the work of youth climate activists. Nonetheless, she also highlighted that local activists who never get recognised or interviewed, (due to lack of resources, like Internet access) also play a vital role in tackling climate change.

Struggles faced as a climate activist

However, just like everything else in life, things are not as smooth sailing as they seem to be. Hania has faced challenges both online and offline over the course of her climate action journey. For instance, online, she has faced cyber harassment, with people making fun of her for asserting her views on climate change and other issues. Her offline problems include personal struggles as well as dealing with gender norms in Pakistan. She once suggested that her fellow activists sit outside the parliament like Greta Thunberg in protest of the government’s inaction on climate change. However, due to gender norms in Pakistan, the idea was seen as weird and was never realized.

On a personal level, she sometimes feels challenged to stay motivated to keep fighting for the cause. She regularly has to face her fear of public speaking. She also struggles with logistical problems when organizing climate protests, including inadequate finances and support.  

Motivational Factors

Despite her struggles, Hania has still been active in organizing climate strikes, such as the “shoe strike” last year and the demonstration held in March this year in solidarity of Global Climate Action Day. What keeps her going? She strongly believes that young people have the ability to change the world. Her perseverance in attempting things which most people think might be impossible to achieve for someone her age prevails. Last but not least, she is fully aware of the adverse effects that will occur to the people she loves if one does not tackle climate change.

One Creative Protest

During the pandemic, Hania persisted in tackling climate change by organizing a shoe strike. The name “shoe strike” came about as she and other climate activists went around asking residents for their shoes. Given the current pandemic, activists could not be there in person; however, their shoes represented their presence in the climate change protest despite the situation.

The protest was organized after the Karuchi flood, when record-breaking rains resulted in residents losing their homes, drowning and being electrocuted. According to Hania, the government took no action, and were instead blaming one another for what had happened. Hence, Hania and her fellow climate activists were compelled to act through the “shoe strike.”

Future Plans 

As part of the group Youth Climate Activists Pakistan, Hania has a myriad of plans. Currently, they’re posting climate-related infographics on their Instagram page to raise awareness about the crisis; for instance, they share news about record-breaking heat waves, floods, cyclones, etc. They also plan to host a call with Pakistan’s National Assembly (similar to the Congress in the US) members via Zoom by retrieving office numbers on their websites. Furthermore, Hania hopes that they can collaborate with other universities and environmental clubs to continue mobilizing in the near future.

Advice for aspiring climate activists

Before giving advice, Hania expressed, “If you have cared about the environment at some point in your life, then you are a climate activist and you are an environmentalist… it's all of us together”. Her advice is to “find support. Find that community existing right now, whether it's international or local… just start learning from other people, and be kind to each other because it's not a competition... it's a race to save humanity and save the Earth.” Aside from providing advice, she also recommended one of her favourite books, saying, “I did read Greta Thunberg’s speeches in her book, No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference. It is a really good book.” She also recommended environmentalists interested in politics to watch the film, ‘Knock Down the House’ on Netflix. Featuring Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, “it’s about how she and a bunch of other people, all women, ran for Congress. The whole process is inspiring and brilliant! If you want to go into politics and do something for the environment, you should definitely watch that.”

Written by Fang Yang Lin