By Tendai Guvamombe
It has become a norm for the 10 year old, young environmentalist Madhvi Chittoor to grab the attention of high profile figures particularly US legislators in her desire to drive change towards sustainable development by addressing climate change and the associated impacts.
Spotlight Online News Africa previously published an article in which the young environmental activist Aka “No Styrofoam Ninja” featured with yet another US Legislator, Ms Lisa Cutter- Colorado State Representative District 26.
This time around, the African based online media made efforts to trace the young Madhvi’s collaborations with US.
Congressman Mr Ed Perlmutter, a high ranking official delivered a remarkable speech on Eco-Ethics Summit 2021.
EcoEthics is an environmental movement that was founded by the young climate change activist.
This follows the signing of the House Bill 21-1162, also known as the Plastic Pollution Reduction Bill in July 2021.
Madhvi first met with US Congressman Mr. Ed Perlmutter in 2017 December when she was just (6) six years of age. She worked with him and the then Governor of Colorado Mr. John Hickenlooper to declare April as Plastic and Styrofoam Pollution Awareness Month in Colorado.
This was the stepping stone that paved the way for the 2020-2021 Plastic Bill in Colorado.
He was also one of the officials who were very appreciative of Madhvi’s first book – “Is Plastic My Food?”
Madhvi has also met and discussed with him and his Washington DC office staff on hot topics like a policy formulation that makes economic development feasible parallels even with reduction in carbon emissions to under 350 ppm to keep the global warming less than 1.5 deg Celcius “If this is not done then we will fail to restore the planet’s energy balance, will fail to stabilize our climate system, and will fail to protect the planet’s ice sheets and oceans for posterity”.
The Congressman has been very supportive of most of Madhvi’s initiative.
The legislator represents Colorado, a state that has made remarkable progress in the quest to achieve green growth and enactment of low carbon pathways.
This became a testimony of how Colorado is walking the talk in aligning Climate action programs with legislative frameworks.
In some other countries, governments are always found at loggerheads with activists with regards to the processes in the implementation of new legislative frameworks.
However, this was not the case for Colorado’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Bill House Bill 21-1162, as the work of climate change activists were complemented by legislators at the local level.
In an exclusive interview with Spotlight Online News Africa, Congressman Mr. Ed Perlmutter said Climate Change is a phenomenon which calls for collaborative efforts in raising awareness to save planet earth. He mentioned the name of a young climate change activist, 10 year old Madhvi Chittoor, aka “No Styrofoam Ninja” who was vocal during the Plastic Pollution Reduction Bill campaigns.
“The climate crisis involves all of us and I welcome everyone’s work – including Madhvi Chittoor and other activists – as we raise awareness about what can be done at the individual level or collectively as we work to save our planet and protect human health,” he said.
The cordial relations between the legislator and young climate change activists particularly the young Madhvi is in line with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which calls for enhanced partnerships and collaborations as part of global action in the fight against climate change.
In line with this background, Mr Purlmutter pledged to continue working with the young climate change activist and others saying the interactions will go a long way in furthering positive change in the community of Colorado.
“I encourage any constituent, particularly young activists like Madhvi Chitoor, to contact my office at any time. I appreciate hearing from my constituents about a variety of issues and I believe that helps me to be a better representative for my community and Colorado.”
Congressman’s aspirations in the fight against Climate Change
The State Representative revealed to Spotlight Online News Africa on how he reintroduced the Green Neighbourhoods Act which anchors on achieving energy efficiency and sustainability.
This comes amid, the entire globe is moving towards the adoption of clean energies and enhancement mechanisms for energy efficiency.
Reduction in Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy efficiency are the key drivers in the just transition to a green economy.
This requires more awareness campaigns to spearhead green growth at local level.
“On June 24, 2021, I re-introduced the Green Neighbourhoods Act which encourages greater energy efficiency and sustainability in the nation’s housing supply while creating new jobs in the green economy. Specifically, it would require the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement energy efficiency standards and incentives for new and existing housing structures. Encouraging development of greener, more sustainable communities, we can create new jobs, unleash technological innovation and strengthen our energy independence.”
Green growth policies in Colorado will either directly or indirectly inspire other communities and states.
The battle against climate change has informed a number of sectorial changes and this has seen the State forging ahead with specific regulations and reforms.
The Congressman takes pride in having Colorado having achieved a lot in terms of reduction of carbon emissions. This has cascaded in the promotion of E- mobility frameworks, measurement reporting and verification (MRV) systems.
The reporting guidelines are in line with the Enhanced Transparent Framework to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which compels countries to constantly communicate their emissions reduction progress.
“We must take action at every level to reduce our carbon footprint and act on climate change. Colorado has been a leader on several fronts in the fight against climate change, including enacting regulations around zero emission vehicles, promoting the use of electric vehicles, and establishing a better reporting system for greenhouse gas emissions as part of a larger effort to reduce greenhouse gas in the state. It’s my hope that these types of initiatives at the local and state level can be adopted across the country and future action at the federal level, including my Green Neighborhoods Act, can be adopted on a global scale.”
