Actor Dia Mirza speaks about building a bridge between civil society organisations and the media as a climate activist, impacting change as UN ambassador, investing in eco-friendly brands, and why the theatre experience should be easier on the wallet for audiences
As UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and UN Secretary General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, Dia Mirza is excited to work with solution seekers—people who are innovating and doing extraordinary work on ground.
Dia Mirza shot into the limelight by winning the Miss Asia-Pacific International title in 2000. Her fame and popularity only grew after she debuted in the Hindi film industry with Rehnaa Hai Teree Dil Mein a year later. Today, she’s known as a climate activist, who uses her voice and position to highlight issues concerning both the environment and wildlife. As UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and UN Secretary General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, the 41-year-old is excited to work with solution seekers—people who are innovating and doing extraordinary work on ground. “From being absolute climate-deniers, there are more and more people who acknowledge that climate change is real… it’s not happening in the future, it’s happening right now,” she tells Forbes India. Edited excerpts from an interview.
Q. Films are about looks and glamour, and box office numbers. When did the climate crusader in you come alive?
It’s a combination of a few things—my upbringing, the kind of environment I grew up in. I grew up in a home, and in a school, where a close relationship with nature was fostered. We were helped to understand that we are a part of nature, and a lot of conversation was around how our behaviour and consumption patterns were affecting the climate, and contributing to pollution, and biodiversity loss. Many of those conversations stuck in my head and reflected in the choices that I was making as a consumer. When I started to work in films, I got the opportunity to work with a lot of civil society organisations that were doing remarkable work on the ground. And my constant question to them would be, ‘What is the source of this issue?’ It was deeply affecting me and impacting every life around us, and I decided I would use my platform and voice to build a bridge between the extraordinary work that scientists and civil society organisations were doing in silos with mainstream media and, therefore, a larger spectrum of people.