What This IAS Officer Changed in Schools, Forests, & Coasts That Caught the UN’s Attention

As Supriya Sahu stepped onto the stage in Nairobi this week, the moment carried more than an international honour. It carried years of work shaped in places where climate change had already begun to touch daily life.

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It carried memories of government school classrooms during peak summer, where children struggled to concentrate as temperatures rose. It carried images from the Nilgiris, where wildlife fed on plastic waste left behind by people. It carried the urgency of coastlines, forests, and wetlands that communities depend on.

Witnessing our mangrove revolution take formidable shape building resilience for Tamil Nadu’s beautiful coastline gives us great satisfaction. On World Mangrove Day 202 let us celebrate these climate super heroes that store 3,754 tons of carbon per ha, cut wave heights by 99%… pic.twitter.com/EGGCVO0JLo

— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) July 26, 2025

Post credits: X/supriyasahuias

On 10 December 2025, the Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer was awarded the UN Environment Programme’s ‘Champions of the Earth’ award, the highest environmental honour given by the United Nations. She was recognised for her leadership in sustainable cooling and ecosystem restoration, work that has placed climate action inside everyday public spaces.

According to UNEP, Sahu’s initiatives have created around 2.5 million green jobs and helped nearly 12 million people cope better with rising heat and climate pressures across Tamil Nadu.

A life shaped by movement, nature, and public service

Sahu joined the IAS in 1991 in the Tamil Nadu cadre. Over more than three decades, she served in several senior roles, including Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Director-General of Doordarshan.

Her relationship with the environment began much earlier. She spent much of her childhood travelling across India due to her father’s transferable job. Forests, wildlife, and natural landscapes formed part of her early world, shaping a lasting connection with nature.

That connection deepened during her tenure as district collector in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district. There, she witnessed wildlife consuming plastic waste discarded by people. The sight stayed with her, pushing environmental protection from concern into responsibility.

Turning concern into action

One of her earliest responses came in 2000, with ‘Operation Blue Mountain’, a campaign to eliminate single-use plastics in the Nilgiris. At the time, plastic pollution had not yet entered everyday policy conversations, but its impact on ecosystems was already visible.

For the past four and a half years, Sahu has served as additional chief secretary in Tamil Nadu’s Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department. From this role, she began linking climate action with public infrastructure, education, and livelihoods, looking closely at how rising heat was affecting everyday spaces.

One place where this impact became impossible to ignore was government schools. During peak summer, classrooms often grew unbearable, making it hard for students to sit, focus, or learn.

The ‘Cool Roof Project’ grew from this reality. Under the programme, the rooftops of 200 public schools were painted white, helping reduce indoor temperatures and ease heat stress for students.

This thinking extended to sustainable school infrastructure, with solar power, rainwater harvesting, shading, and vegetable gardens becoming part of everyday learning spaces. Similar models are now being adapted for housing projects across the state.

Rebuilding ecosystems alongside communities

Sahu’s work also moved beyond schools and cities.

Along Tamil Nadu’s coastline and cities, nature began to return in visible ways. Under Sahu’s leadership, mangrove cover was doubled, strengthening natural buffers for communities living by the sea, while wetlands expanded from one to 20, bringing back spaces that hold water, shelter wildlife, and ease the impact of floods.

The effort extended into towns and urban neighbourhoods as well. Over 100 million trees were planted across the state, and 65 new reserve forests were established, reshaping how cities and ecosystems coexist in Tamil Nadu.

Sahu consistently credits local communities for the success of these efforts. Conservation, in her view, grows strongest when it fits into how people live and work. “We cannot separate nature from people. In Chennai, we have industrial areas, where mangroves are also thriving. How many cities in India or in the world can boast of a living mangrove ecosystem?” she said.

Sources

'The Indian public servant helping disadvantaged communities adapt to rising heat': by UN Environment Programme, Published on 10 December 2025

'Who is Supriya Sahu? Tamil Nadu IAS officer gets UN's highest environmental honour — Know all about her work': by Akriti Anand for Live Mint, Published on 11 December 2025

'UNEP’s 2025 Champions of the Earth award recognizes five climate trailblazers': by UN Environment Programme, Published on 10 December 2025

'IAS officer Supriya Sahu wins UN’s top environmental honour': by The Print, Published on 10 December 2025

'Tamil Nadu’s Supriya Sahu wins UN’s highest environmental honor for sustainable initiatives': by NE NOW NEWS, Published on 11 December 2025