Twenty young women from Chennai are up against a steep challenge: Stopping a juggernaut, an impersonal force that we have unleashed on ourselves: Climate change.

Recently, in an online session, these home-grown ambassadors of climate action were put through their paces by Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary, environment, climate change and forests, Government of Tamil Nadu. The objective is to help them understand climate change and effect initiatives in their areas of influence and communities.

C40 Cities has launched what it calls "Women for climate" programme, one requiring participation of women from these 40 cities in climate action. "They have been working with the Greater Chennai Corporation and various sectors in the Government of Tamil Nadu for a long time. So, we have partnered with them closely, and this initiative - women for climate - is something they wanted us to take up. We found a novel way of doing it, deciding that we would take women from across the sectors, especially young women who have a mind of their own and will be willing to take up this ten-month mentorship programme where they would basically be mentored on several initiatives by senior officers in the department," explains Supriya.

Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary, environment, climate change and forests, Government of Tamil Nadu, notes the 10-month mentorship programme for the 20 women from Chennai is an organic outcome of a multi-pronged approach to climate action being undertaken by her department.

Supriya continues: "It is again the first climate change mission in India at a state and sub-national level. If you look at the state climate mission, it has a framework. Every district has a climate change mission, which is headed by the district collector, and the district forest officer functions as the climate officer."