A FEMINIST
CLIMATE ACTION COALITION

Our vision

Our vision at HAC is to create a future where communities across India are resilient to heat waves through comprehensive and equitable climate action. We envision robust heat action plans that protect all, particularly marginalized groups and ecosystems.

Our mission

Our mission at HAC revolves around advocating for effective heat action and accountability from the government. We are dedicated to building the capacity of youth leaders to take action against heatwaves and maintaining strong grassroots movements.

About HAC

The Heatwave Action Coalition (HAC) is a youth-led movement founded in 2022 by two climate activists — Ruhie Kumar and Sarita Fernandes — after witnessing the devastating impacts of Delhi’s heatwaves on women and informal workers.

Today, HAC is a global south coalition and has grown into a network of 1,000+ volunteers and 25+ youth-led organizations across India, working together to make heat justice a public priority. As a youth coalition we want to work with groups, especially keeping in mind how heatwaves affect minority and historically marginalised groups.

About Our Team

Ruhie Kumar

she/her

Co-founder, Heatwave Action Coalition India

Ruhie Kumar is an independent climate campaigner, and the co-convenor of Heatwave Action Coalition (HAC) shaping impactful narratives rooted in empathy, care, and action. Her work connects the dots between justice, equity, and the climate crisis by crafting stories that amplify critical movements and reimagine systems towards regeneration and collective well-being. Sitting at the intersection of emotional health and planetary health, her approach is grounded in relevance, context, and an ever-evolving vision of transformative change.

Sarita Fernandes

she/her

Co-founder, Heatwave Action Coalition India

Sarita Fernandes is a climate policy expert working at the intersections of climate change, land use, gender, and food systems. As co-convenor of the Heatwave Action Coalition, she leads efforts to tackle the growing impacts of extreme heat through inclusive policy advocacy, community resilience planning, and cross-sector collaboration. She represented India at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, championing global cooperation for sustainable development and blue justice. Sarita also serves as a Trustee at O.C.E.A.N, shaping strategies for coastal and climate stakeholder engagement and marine conservation, and as part of the Secretariat at the National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF).

Deeksha Vanguru

she/her

Research Volunteer

We are people of the warmth. I believe heat and its effects need to be studied from a lens to understand how folks across the spectrum are affected and the heatwave coalition does exactly that.

I am passionate about solving climate issues which directly affect our land, people and health.

Nandini

she/her

Research Volunteer

I'm a post grad student, studying public policy in Bengaluru. I'm passionate about citizens, climate and cities. I was determined to be a part of HAC because women and queer people have been far too long ignored from the discourse on global warming.

Dinesh

they/them

Communications Volunteer

Dinesh is a Climate Communications Consultant with over five years of experience working with grassroots movements and climate action organizations. They joined HAC as a communications volunteer, where they work on anything that involves content writing and/or graphic design (including this site😉).