India’s young environmentalist Roohi Mohazzab, six years old was recently honoured with the prestigious SDG Impact Award at the United Nations Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Bangkok. Mohazzab was awarded by the Education Minister of Bhutan, Her Excellency Yeezang De Thapa.
Roohi Mohazzab
Mohazzab is a young environmentalist, from Kerala. She is studying at the Common Ground International Academy, Calicut. According to Business Standard, in November 2025, the Governor of Kerala, Vishwanath Arlekar felicitated and inaugurated her ‘ Roohi’s Tree Bank Nursery’ project, an initiative aimed at planting 1 Crore trees across 10,000 Schools in 3 years all over India.
Mohazzab is known for her environmental efforts including sending letters to world leaders, including the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, advocating for recycling passport papers to conserve trees. She has also planted trees in Wayanad to prevent landslides.
At The Event
Her speech at the event reflected the profound honor she felt standing before the United Nations, Bangkok. Mohazzab said she not only represents her own generation but also the voice of the Mother Earth.
Her parents, Abdul Gani and Dr. Anisa Muhammed, have been supporting her initiatives. They have been using recycled paper books for her education since kindergarten. Mohazzab said, they have taught her that Earth is our first home.
“My parents taught me that Earth is our first home. Before countries were created, before cities were built, before money and power, Mother Earth gave us everything air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and a beautiful world to live in,” she said
Highlighting the importance of Earth, she emphasised how as a child she wants to give back to earth in the best way possible.
“I see so much beauty in our world, but I also see a chance for us to grow even kinder. In school, we are taught to be helpful and respectful to our elders. What if we used those same lessons for our planet?,” she added.
Recycling is the Solution
She urged the audience to reflect on the environmental cost of everyday habits, noting that by the time a student finishes school, they may have used enough paper to account for about 30 trees, and that the number continues to grow over a lifetime.
However, she emphasized that this story can be changed through conscious choices, such as using recycled paper like the handmade notebook her mother created, which she described as a way of saving trees so they can continue cleaning the air.
She said that every act of reusing paper is like telling a tree, “Thank you for staying with us,” adding that her handmade book is not just a place to write but a shield protecting forests from being cut down. She further highlighted the direct link between environmental damage and human suffering, stating that when rivers are polluted people fall sick, when crops fail families become poor, and when the climate changes the poorest are affected first.
Stressing the urgency of the situation, she concluded that when nature suffers, humanity cannot survive, and that true education is not only found in books but in learning to care, respect, and protect.
“I love the story of the tiny hummingbird. When the forest was on fire, she carried tiny drops of water in her small beak. The big animals laughed at her and asked, “What are you doing? You are so small — you cannot make a difference.” But shesaid, “I am doing the best I can. Today, I am that hummingbird. I may be small, but I am determined.”
Voice of the Trees
She promised to remain a voice for the trees and a shield for the soil, calling for a shift from merely saving the planet to genuinely caring for our shared existence.
Emphasizing that the world is not a gift to be owned but a treasure held for the future, she encouraged everyone to become responsible children of Mother Earth for this generation and those to come, adding that peace should begin with the planet.
Concluding her address on the United Nations platform, she formally announced the launch of her foundation, The Children’s Movement for Climate Compassion, stating that when children rise with compassion, the world rises with hope, before ending with a note of gratitude.
