Tamil Nadu ACS Supriya Sahu wins UNEP’s 2025 Champions of the Earth award for state’s heat-resilience, climate initiatives

Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, has been honoured with the 2025 Champions of the Earth Award by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi. The award, the UN’s highest environmental recognition, celebrates her pioneering leadership in climate adaptation, heat resilience and nature-based solutions that have transformed Tamil Nadu into a global model for environmental governance.

Tamil Nadu is among India’s most heat-vulnerable regions, with Chennai residents often describing their summers as “hot, hotter, and hottest”. The threat of extreme heat has surged in recent years, especially after India faced its longest heatwave since 2010 in 2024. Disadvantaged communities suffer the most, and Sahu has prioritised their protection.

Under her leadership, Tamil Nadu became the first state in India to officially classify extreme heat as a state-specific disaster, enabling the government to design targeted interventions. A key initiative is the Cool Roof Project, implemented in 200 government green schools, where passive cooling measures like white-painted roofs, shading and natural ventilation reduce indoor temperatures by 5 to 8°C. These schools now also use solar energy, efficient fans and rainwater harvesting. The model is expanding to social housing, improving living conditions for families unable to afford air-conditioning and cutting future cooling bills by up to 50%.

Sahu has also strengthened Tamil Nadu’s ecological resilience through large-scale restoration efforts. The state has planted over 100 million trees, established 65 reserve forests, expanded wetlands from 1 to 20, doubled mangrove cover and launched a US$60 million Endangered Species Conservation Fund. Her initiatives have created 2.5 million green jobs while contributing significantly to India’s national climate targets.