In today’s generation, people are more mindful and are turning conscious about primarily two things - women’s empowerment and environment conservation.  

Here’s an example. I was on my way to see the infamous statue of unity inspired by Sardar Vallabh Bhai, a former Indian prime minister and freedom fighter. This statue is regarded as the tallest statue in the world and is located in Gujarat, India. 

Here, I was shocked to see that the area did not have ordinary rickshaws. They had pink rickshaws that were meant only for women drivers, and the best part was that they were electric. Seeing this, I felt so proud of how far our economy has come regarding women’s employment and curbing air and noise pollution by introducing the electric vehicle tourism initiative. 

Like this, there are many more examples of actions taken by individuals and communities to help the environment and women. Here are some achievements of women and the environment this past year. 

• 101,000 women in rural areas now have access to resources such as technology, assets, and tools.
• 51,500 women gained access to legal aid.
• The women’s literacy rate has risen dramatically over the past few decades, now it is at 70.3%.
• 98700 gender-based violence survivors gained justice.
• The world’s fastest electric ship will set sail in Stockholm next year, slashing environmental impacts and commuter time.
• An ambitious conservation project aims to relocate a group of cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia to India. In India, cheetahs have been extinct for over half a century. In August 2022, however, the big cats will finally return to the country.
• Canada is set to impose a new ‘luxury tax’ on the sale and importation of high-value cars, planes, and boats to help reduce the country’s carbon footprint emission.
• A massive bill was passed which revives action on climate change and could help President Joe Biden come close to meeting his pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. It proposes nearly $370 billion (€362 billion) of spending over 10 years to boost electric vehicles, jump-start renewable energy such as solar and wind power, and develop alternative energy sources like hydrogen.

I have high hopes for the future in terms of both the environment and humanity.