16 June,2026 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Upala KBR
Dia Mirza Rekhi. Pics/Instagram
The Internet was probably chanting Babaji Ki Booti when they heard Dia Mirza Rekhi saying, "Patriarchy caused climate change" on Soha Ali Khan's podcast All About Her. But the actor and environmental activist stands firmly by her statement.
The June 5 episode saw Mirza join environmental photographer and writer Arati Kumar Rao to discuss ecofeminism, climate change, and patriarchy. Mirza believes no discussion about women is complete without examining how climate change disproportionately affects women and children. "Besides being an environmental crisis, climate change is also a crisis of inequality. For centuries, patriarchal systems have concentrated power, prioritised extraction over care, and treated both nature and vulnerable communities as resources to be exploited. Much like how women and girls are treated in patriarchal societies."
Mirza argues that forests, rivers, oceans, and ecosystems, much like women, have long been viewed as commodities. "Arati and I explained in the episode that dominating systems are entirely controlled by men, which has led to economic structures that contribute to climate change. Women and girls, particularly in vulnerable communities, are often the first to experience the impacts of climate change - through water scarcity, food insecurity, displacement, and loss of livelihoods. Yet they remain underrepresented," she adds. The actor believes the only way forward is to move away from systems of domination. "[We need to have] systems rooted in equity and compassion."
