A FEMINIST
CLIMATE ACTION COALITION
ABOUT HAC
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 campaigners— Ruhie 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 500+ volunteers and 25+ youth-led organizations and collectives 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 different groups across social and systemic inequities
About Our Team
Ruhie
she/her
Co-founder, Heatwave Action Coalition India
Ruhie Kumar is an independent climate campaigner, and the co-founder 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-founder 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.
Radhika
she/her
Campaign Advisor Volunteer
Global warming is one of the most urgent aspects of planetary crisis. The impacts of rising heat range from crop failure to concurrent rise in ocean temperatures (resulting in impacts on marine biodiversity and marine ecological systems), to insect population collapse to impacts on human life and livelihood. Unfortunately the consequences of rising temperatures are not felt equally by everyone. The fact that it does not yet threaten those who are privileged has resulted in invisibilization of the issue. Volunteering with HAC is a way for me to help bring spotlight on the ramifications of rising temperatures on people and planet.
Kritka
they/them
Network Co-ordination Volunteer
Kritka works across the intersection of storytelling, convenings, and community engagement in climate and social impact spaces. At HAC, they do a little bit of everything under the sun (:P)!
Raju
he/him
Volunteer
Urban nodes are experiencing the direct threat from the heat waves, needs PAN India action for the mitigation and reduce the heat impact for people and other species. HAC is the platform to address this.
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😉).
Heatwave Action
Coalition India
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