Who is Supriya Sahu, the Tamil Nadu IAS officer now a UN Champion of the Earth?

Supriya Sahu

In a prestigious ceremony in Nairobi, a senior Indian administrative officer was awarded the United Nations’ highest environmental honour. The recipient, Tamil Nadu’s Supriya Sahu, was named a 2025 Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action by the UN Environment Programme.

But who is the bureaucrat behind this global recognition and what propelled her work onto the world stage?

According to a profile shared by the UN and detailed by Live Mint, Sahu’s connection to the environment was forged in childhood through extensive travels across India. This early bond evolved over a 30-year civil service career into a profound commitment to biodiversity.

A self-professed admirer of elephants, she often remarks that they teach lessons in “resilience, family bonding and leadership.” Yet, her mission crystallised from witnessing environmental harm firsthand.

“I saw animals eating plastic garbage and I realised that our planet is choking. That experience became transformational for me,” she was cited by Live Mint as recalling of her time as District Collector in the Nilgiris.

Long before plastic waste dominated global headlines, Sahu launched a pioneering local campaign. In 2000, she initiated “Operation Blue Mountain” in the ecologically sensitive Nilgiris district, aiming to eliminate single-use plastic.

This early move signalled the proactive, on-the-ground approach that would become her hallmark, addressing challenges well before they reached widespread public consciousness.

For the past four and a half years, as Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Sahu has overseen a transformative green agenda. The UN credits her leadership with driving subnational climate action that combines nature-based solutions with innovative governance.

Under her watch, the state has planted over 100 million trees, established 65 new reserve forests and doubled its mangrove cover. The network of protected wetlands expanded from one to 20 and a US$60 million Endangered Species Conservation Fund was launched.

Her initiatives also directly address urban climate threats. She introduced the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company for coastal resilience and spearheaded the Cool Roof Project, a passive cooling intervention now active in 200 public “green schools.” The UN states that these integrated efforts have improved resilience for approximately 12 million people and created millions of green jobs.

The UN award recognises Sahu’s “groundbreaking leadership” in restoring ecosystems and scaling sustainable innovations. Her work, as reported by Live Mint, showcases how science-based, community-driven strategies can protect vulnerable populations while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, positioning Tamil Nadu as a model for regional climate resilience.

Upon accepting the honour, Sahu redirected the praise to the communities central to her work. “My inspiration comes from people who stood by me from the local village, working with me to clean up the mangroves as their own,” she said. “My inspiration also comes from those children who look up to you with the blink in their eyes.”

The award answers the question of her identity not just with a job title, but with a record of tangible impact — portraying a leader whose environmental advocacy is rooted in early passion, sharpened by direct experience and executed through collaborative, large-scale action.