When you think of the climate movement, you might picture the millions of young people, led by Greta Thunberg, who have taken to the streets in recent years to call for urgent action, or the Just Stop Oil protestors who have blockaded roads and even thrown soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at London’s National Gallery.
For student Ayshka Najib, though, climate activism in the United Arab Emirates—where this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, Cop28, is being held—looks very different. “We do not do any forms of protest or mobilization, but that doesn’t mean that the youth here don’t advocate [for climate action],” the 21-year-old tells Vogue over Zoom from Dubai. “I always felt so left out and like an imposter because in [this] country, I cannot replicate the same forms of mobilization that they do in the West.”
Like many activists, Najib first became concerned about the climate crisis while she was at school. “When I [found out] all this information, I became really anxious,” she recalls. “I think it was that anxiety that drove me to do something.” As a teenager, she decided to join a local student journalism network to raise awareness about environmental issues, as well as launching a podcast and successfully campaigning, along with other pupils, for her school to go plastic-free.
But it was during a trip to visit her grandmother in Kerala, India—where Najib was born—in 2018 that the full extent of the climate crisis really hit her. “[The area] was hit by one of the worst floods ever; I saw houses around us and people’s livelihoods being destroyed,” the activist remembers, explaining how she and her family were forced to evacuate from her grandmother’s home. “I remember this one specific night I was so terrified because my whole area was under Red Alert. My grandmother told me I should sleep, but I was so scared that if I closed my eyes, the next minute I would be underwater.”
Shortly after that first-hand experience, Najib became involved with the international climate movement, setting up Fridays For Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas)—an offshoot of Thunberg’s movement—with fellow activists including Disha Ravi and Mitzi Jonelle Tan. “We cannot truly achieve climate justice unless and until we center the movement, through the leadership of those who are at the frontlines, on those who are most affected [by the climate crisis],” she says.