Bollywood actor, producer, entrepreneur and climate warrior Dia Mirza, who was a keynote speaker at the Earthshot Prize 2026 during the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week, calls it the greatest privilege of her life because it allows her to engage with extraordinary young minds, for their solutions offer hope. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day, Dia, who is a UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador, gets candid about the persisting poor Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city, waste management, and the need for a green cover. 

Dia Mirza admits that the climate space can be debilitating and frustrating since activists are confronted by insurmountable issues. However, by encouraging changemakers, one can redesign the future. “We can change the way we understand and respond to the Earth,” she states. However, there are days when Dia is terrified of the environment that we’re raising our children in. “They're breathing polluted air every day.” She asserts that the only way we can repair our broken relationship with nature is by making sure our children have one.