Last month, actor Dia Mirza Rekhi attended the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi. With an initiative to realise the dream of 500 million trees by 2032, Rekhi, who is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), says, “The UNEA gave me a chance to meet some of the most inspiring people. Most of them were people who really care for the environment. The most exciting thing for me was the World Restoration Flagship, which were the awards given to countries who were taking initiative to improve the health of the environment.”

The Dhak Dhak (2023) actor adds, “Another interesting opportunity was engaging with young changemakers. I have known some of them for almost eight years. It’s all about engaging with passionate people who really care about bringing a change. It is the first global platform where I saw so many women in leadership places.”

The 42-year-old feels “we need to start planting trees, avoid pollution and take steps on the ground level”. She adds, “If we don’t start acting now, it will be too late. My two-and-a-half-year-old son (Avyaan Azaad Rekhi) goes to school and 90% of his classmates have breathing issues. It’s scary.”