Vinisha Umashankar, a 14-year-old girl from India, took the stage at the COP26 in Glasgow to call on world leaders to take action to save the planet. She said that her generation is "angry and frustrated at empty promises."
Vinisha is one of the finalists of the Earthshot Prize and was invited by Prince William to speak on clean technology and innovation at Glasgow's climate conference.
She said that The Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists need world leaders to back our innovations, projects, and solutions, not an economy built on fossil fuels, smoke and pollution. "We need to stop thinking about old debates because we need a new vision for a new future. So you need to invest your time, money and effort in us to shape our future," reported NDTV.
Prince William launched The Earthshot Prize as a global search for innovative solutions for environmental challenges. Vinisha, a girl from Tamil Nadu was chosen as a finalist for a solar-powered street ironing cart that can replace charcoal-based iron boxes.
The teen girl reminded the world leaders that there is no STOP button when it comes to climate change. She added that her generation has every right to be angry but do not have the time to be angry and want to act.
"I'm not just a girl from India. I'm a girl from Earth and I'm proud to be so. I'm also a student, innovator, environmentalist and entrepreneur but most importantly, I'm an optimist," said Ms Umashankar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UK PM Boris Johnson, and US President Joe Biden were present for Vinisha's speech.