Meet Aliyu Umar Sadiq
- NAME, COUNTRY, OCCUPATION
Aliyu Umar Sadiq
Nigeria
Environment and Development Professional
2. When were you introduced to the concept of climate change?
2015
3. How has climate change impacted you and your community?
I grew up in a community that was constantly being flooded and unfortunately, people were persistently losing their farm produce while the homes of others were always saturated by water. Personally, in 2016, my room got flooded in the middle of the night when I was in my first year at the University of Abuja. This was alarming and a burner for me to become a climate change advocate.
4. Why is taking action important to you?
I consider climate change as a threat to human existence if nothing is done to curtail its causes and impacts. When I think about the millions of livelihoods that will be lost, communities that will be destroyed, and human lives that are threatened, all because of climate change, I feel sad, yet motivated to take action!
5. Which climate change issue are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about finding solutions to human consumption patterns that are exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions and proffering alternative livelihoods to the impact of climate change on human livelihoods through circular economy and sustainable resource management.
6. When were you trained as a Climate Reality Leader?
2020
7. What made you interested in the training and what have you gained from it?
Since I picked an interest in climate change issues, I have always been a seeker of knowledge in line with my quest to gain the skills, network, and resources needed to develop innovative climate change solutions to address its impacts. This was my motivation to join the 2020 class of the climate reality program. I was more than excited to have participated in the training because I gained a deeper understanding of the scientific cause of climate change. This training groomed me to confidently facilitate climate change training for more than 5,000 people so far.
8. What climate change activities/community work have you been involved in or organized?
I founded an organization “Ecocykle” that has been leading climate action and circular economy solutions in Nigeria. My team has trained over 10,000 people on various sustainable skills needed to augment the impact of climate change on livelihoods. Most recently, my team developed a climate awareness game to educate young people on climate solutions and inspire them to take climate action. We are currently on a fundraising campaign to donate this game to 10,000 out-of-school children living in underserved communities. I am soliciting for public donations to support our work!
9. Tell a positive experience you have had at a climate action event you organized or attended.
This year, we organized a recycling and climate education training for out-of-school children living in rural communities in Nigeria. At the end of the training, a young teenager of about thirteen years old asked a very innovative question that got me highly encouraged, excited, and reassured that young people have the ideas and potential to address the challenges of climate change. All that is required is the knowledge, capacity, and skills needed to harness these ideas into practical solutions for local and global impact.
10. What do you think is the most important thing that can be done to tackle climate change.
Strategic behavioral change towards the adoption of sustainable lifestyles, widespread adoption of renewable energy, and the adoption of circular economy principles.
11. What advice would you give to other Climate Reality Leaders and activists taking climate action in Africa?
Don’t stop! Keep making an impact and keep supporting other young people who are making an impact in their communities to combat climate change.