Motivated by Greta Thunberg, 16-year-old student Aman Sharma initiated a petition on Change.org in May because he observed a trend of increasing heat, dryness, pollution, and water scarcity each year. He believes that staying silent will negatively impact our future survival. The petition has garnered over 170,000 signatures, and Sharma's goals include pressuring the government to enhance the country's green cover and fulfill commitments made in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Despite multiple attempts, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has not responded to requests for comment. Sharma is now focused on gaining the attention of Hollywood environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, with support from personalities like Nathalie Kelley and Bollywood figures. On Wednesday, DiCaprio shared a photo on Instagram showing women in Chennai struggling to draw water from a nearly empty well, highlighting the daily challenges faced by thousands of residents. The city has been in the spotlight globally due to its main reservoirs drying up as a result of poor monsoons in 2018, leading to water rationing. A report by government think-tank NITI Aayog last year warned that Chennai was one of 21 cities at risk of running out of groundwater by 2020, as India faced its worst long-term water crisis in history. The report also stated that 600 million people, almost half of India's population, were at risk of severe water shortages. In the northern part of the country, a heatwave has claimed the lives of at least 36 people this year, with New Delhi recording its highest-ever temperature of 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit). Jitendra Sharma, a popular Instagram influencer from Mumbai, recently began a petition that garnered nearly 300,000 signatures by Friday. He expressed optimism that the government would declare a climate emergency, emphasizing the importance of following in the footsteps of other countries. In May, the UK parliament acknowledged a symbolic climate change "emergency" in response to a growing activist movement, especially among young people in Europe. Environmentalist Chandra Bhushan explained that a climate emergency involves prioritizing climate change in policy and planning decisions. Bhushan from the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi explained that the Indian government will need to acknowledge the crisis at hand, develop a plan of action, and address the issue of climate emergency. He emphasized that despite the government's current stance, eventually they will have to recognize the urgency of the situation.