Ayisha Siddiqa | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 8 February 1999 |
| Nationality | Pakistani, American |
| Occupation | climate activist |
Ayisha Siddiqa (born 8 February 1999) is an Americanclimate justice advocate. She is a co-founder of Fossil Free University and Polluters Out.
Siddiqa was born on 8 February 1999.[1] She was born in Jhang,Pakistan, which is located near theChenab River, and lived on her grandparents' farm around there as a young child.[2]
Siddiqa moved toConey Island,Brooklyn when she was a child.[1] She graduated fromHunter College and received aBachelor of arts inPolitical Sciences and English in 2021.[3] While at Hunter College, she was part of theThomas Hunter Honors program.[4]
Siddiqa worked at theNew York State Assembly as part of the Edward T. Rogowsky Internship program in 2019.[4] From 2021 to 2022, she was a fellow at theCoro New York Leadership Center. She has also been a law fellow atMunger, Tolles & Olson.[5] She continues her work as a climate justice advocate while also serving as a fellow at the Climate Litigation Accelerator (CLX), which is part of Earth Rights Advocacy atNYU Law.
Siddiqa first became involved in climate activism when she launched her university's branch ofextinction rebellion in May 2019.[6] The organization held a strike on 7 October 2019 inLower Manhattan, New York City.[7] The strike included about 300,000 participants.[8] As part of that protest, strikers doused fake blood on theCharging Bull, located onWall Street.[9]
In response to the2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, she founded Polluters Out with Isabella Fallahi andHelena Gualinga.[10] The organization was created in response to the realization that fossil fuel industries play a big role in the COPs.[11] Fossil fuel companies who fund the COPs includeEndesa,Iberdrola,Banco Santander andAcciona.[12] As a result of this campaign, COP26 didn't include big oil companies as sponsors.British Petroleum was one such oil company denied sponsorship.[13] Ayisha Siddiqa also joined the walkout at the TED Countdown Conference, which happened inEdinburgh in response to the speaker role given toShell plcChief Executive Officer,Ben van Beurden, and other fossil fuel executives.[14] She is also the co-founder of Free Fossil University.[15]
Siddiqa also attended the2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2021, where she critiqued the inaccessibility of the COP, especially for people from theGlobal South.[16] In 2022, she was a very active participant in the youth delegation to theCOP27 in Egypt.[17]
In March 2023, she was named as one ofTime magazine's Women of the Year.[18]
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