Hello, i am rajini vaidyanathan, the bbc� s south asia correspondent in north india. You are watching countdown to the cop26 Global Climate summit, a series of programmes from around the world looking at the issues and challenges of Climate Change as nations prepare to gather in glasgow in november to discuss this global emergency. India is a nation on the front line of Climate Change, from cyclones to floods, heat waves to droughts, and nowhere is this more keenly felt than here in the state of uttarakhand. We are here on the banks of the river ganges in the foothills of the himalayas. This vast region provides drinking water, irrigation and hydropower to some 2 billion people across asia. But rising temperatures are eroding many of the 50,000 glaziers many of the 50,000 glaciers in this mountain range, threatening water supplies. Increasingly deadly forest fires and rising pollution also remain a huge threat. And as Climate Concerns grow in india, there are an increasing number of young activists who are taking up the cause. I met one of these climate activists, 13 year old ridhima pandey, who is from this area. Many here have dubbed her indias greta thunberg. Ridhima is taking herfight to the un and she has spoken up passionately about her concerns for Climate Change here in india. Singing. I am fighting because im scared that after a few years, i wont be able to live on this planet because of the conditions that i see right now. I mean, all these natural disaster, the pollution and the temperature and sea level rising. I mean, i dont really see my future bright enough, to be able to be ok, ican live. It doesnt seem like that. To be honest, it is like most of us have felt the importance of taking action. I want to save the natural biodiversity near me because ive been brought up next to it and i want the coming generations to explore the same thing as what i have lived in or what my parents lived in. I dont want them to be having Oxygen Cylinders on their faces 24 7, having oxygen masks on their faces 24 7 to just survive. I can say the youth are taking action as they have felt the importance and realise if nothing would be done right now, we wont be having a planet that would be livable. Ijust dont want to die pretty soon. Youve been dubbed indias greta thunberg, and that is because of a lawsuit you were involved in at the united nations. Just tell us about that. So, the lawsuit was against the five countries argentina, france, brazil, turkey and germany because of their emissions, because of the action they have been taking, they have been destroying the biodiversity in their countries, and it is contributing to the Climate Change what has been happening, the rights of the kids all over the world have been violated and that is one of the reasons why we filed the lawsuit. We are seeing more young people like you get involved in Climate Activism. Why do you think that is . So, i personally got into Climate Activism because when i saw the flash floods, kids crying as they have lost their family members, and when i saw all of that destruction, i started having nightmares. I felt like i have to do something to stop flash floods because i cannot live in the fear of losing my family or losing my home someday because of this. What do you think the solutions are . I mean, the very first solution that i think is to change peoples mind set. Because in india, not many people want to believe that Climate Change is an issue. Its happening, it is affecting them, or they dont want to accept it. At the very same time, there is a lack of awareness. People in the rural areas dont know about Climate Change and they are the people on the front line, most impacted. They still do not know that this is what is happening because of Climate Change. All of these industrial emissions are the ones responsible. Someone doing it in a wrong way, it is the ones responsible and their kids are going to be the ones who will suffer in the coming time. They dont know about that, so i guess awareness is one of the things that is much needed here in india. India is the worlds Third Largest emitter of Carbon Dioxide, Accounting Forjust under 7 of the global share. But that figure is dwarfed by chinas statistics. The country emits more Carbon Dioxide than any other nation, some 30 of the global share. Just like india, the burning of coal makes up a huge share of emissions. And as robin brunt reports, the countrys Steel Industry is a key contributor and a key challenge when it comes to curbing carbon emissions. Build and build big has been the mantra in china for decades. It is in their blood. As we crashed a card game in a near empty shopping mall, grandad told me, ten years ago, this part of the city was fields. Its everywhere here. You hear the trucks, you see the clusters of cranes, all evidence of a country still shifting its people to the cities. This is the top of a 20 floor building. We are surrounded by ones like it. But underneath, there is not much going on, it is pretty much empty. Chinas solution for years now has been build, build, build. Towers like this. More people come to the cities, more jobs for them and more steel to keep the whole thing upright. But if this countrys going to get anywhere near starting to reduce its emissions, at least one part of that equation has got to change. China produced a billion tonnes of steel last year, the most ever. Alongside burning coal, it is the most polluting industry here. Some of that steel came from these plants. They wouldnt let us in, nor talk to us. But we watched from afar as they are expanding. This is home, on the 13th Floorfor this First Time Buyer and her boyfriend. And this new addition. She told me building makes things better. Atjust 19 years old, she has two jobs and a mortgage. She is living what chinas Leader Xijinping has called the china dream. The ruling communist partys ambition of a moderately prosperous nation that it still controls. But it is facing competing pressures as it tries to make that dream a much cleaner one. Timing is the key issue in all of this, not if china will cut emissions, but when. Real estate agentjohn told me his country is an infrastructure monster. It will slow down when its ready. Build big might not have made china more beautiful, although on some roads, you find surprises around the corner. But the people who talk to us were clear, it has made this country better. The communist Party Leaders here and now have to work out how to keep this Powerhouse Economy growing and stick to their promise of a richer country, but make it grow greener more quickly than it currently is. Robin brant reporting there. According to the who, nine of the worlds ten most polluted cities are india, many of them also extreme heat of 50 degrees. Low income families are particularly impacted. 0ur correspondent divya arya reports on attempts to climate proof homes in some of indias warmest cities. No shade, no shelter. Temperatures can hit 48 degrees. Home is a slum in this indian city. Shakeela is struggling. She asks for water. The heat is wiping everyone out. Translation it is very hot. This is how we spend the day. It is hotter in the evening. We cannot sleep at night, even on the roof. It is very difficult. But help is at hand. Krishna works for a Housing Trust that helps families cool their homes. The charity has found that homes like this can hit 46 degrees inside. Translation let me tell you, i was in a situation ten times worse than you are. Then they suggested i go for white paint. Concrete holds the heat so the roof is like a sun trap, but if you paint the roof with white paint, it will reflect it. This simple solution will cool the house by three to four degrees. The Housing Trust offers her a loan of about 135 Us Dollars to pay for the paint. The effect is immediate. Translation before, we would burn if we walked barefoot. You couldnt stand here without slippers. The charity has helped paint the roofs of 5,000 homes. Shakeelas neighbours say they are interested too. Her grandson mohammed is one happy customer. Translation it was so hot | that we could not stay indoors for a stretch of five minutes. But now it is not the case, it is much cooler inside. Today, this little boy has drifted off. Cooling your house doesnt have to cost the earth. Well, that is it for this weeks countdown to cop26 here in india. Next week, well be in lebanon looking at ways to create a more sustainable economy. In the meantime, for more in depth coverage, you can go to the bbc� s new climate page on our website. But from me, rajini vaidyanathan, thanks for watching. Good evening, a very pleasant into the weekend for most of you, still some cloud across the Channel Islands clearing through the night and with clear skies for many, if few mist and fog patches tonight and cooler than of late. The big exception across the Western Isles of scotland, a front approaching bringing patchy rain and drizzle and we head towards dawn. Damages in Western Isles ten or ii but most in single figures get them in the morning commute under way. A much chillier start than somewhere used to at the end of last week. There will be a lot of dry weather around and some sunshine for many, too, a few mist and fog patches clearing, increased cloud across scotland and later Northern England from that weather front but only a few splashes of rain the further south you get, the bulk of it across the Highlands And Islands and particularly the Western Isles. Not as windy as it was on sunday. Leiter went further south with some sunny spells for the vast majority, staying dry and a pleasant the day with temperatures closer to the seasonal average for the time of year, around 13 16 or 17. Next week will be cooler but it will stay dry. This is bbc news. The headlines at 7pm. The government as if he is a feeling to ask in high energy costs impacting on manufacturers, as businesses call for help. The government businesses call for help. 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