Growing up in an extremely biodiverse country, my earliest memories are of marveling at orangutans and splashing in pristine blue waters with my grandparents, allowing me to foster an immense appreciation
for nature from a very young age. At the same time, the only world I have known has been plagued by environmental crises dating back to long before I was born. As I witnessed coral bleaching, wildlife species go extinct and felt my lungs fill with polluted air while temperatures crept up, I quickly realized that we are at war with nature, which has never made sense to me. I was born in 2001 when our planet’s atmospheric carbon concentration was around 370ppm, and we are now nearing 415 ppm,1 painting a bleak picture for what will come next if we do not act now. I am 18 years old from Malaysia who has dedicated the past few years to advocating for healthy oceans and climate justice. I spent the better part of my school career helping to lead environmental campaigns, speaking to schools and conferences, lobbying politicians, and making environmental educational resources to inspire others to act. Along with millions of youth around the world, I have also joined the climate strike movement over the past year, and our demands for those in power are clear – listen to the science and act urgently to secure a just, liveable, and safe future for all.
