Srinagar, Nov 01, KDC: A globally acclaimed climate innovator and educator Sonam Wangchuk has been featured in TIME Magazine’s prestigious 2025 TIME100 Climate list, even as he remains detained under the National Security Act (NSA) for leading peaceful protests in Ladakh.
The annual list, unveiled on October 30, as per Kashmir Dot Com, recognizes 100 global leaders driving meaningful action against climate change. Wangchuk has been included in the “Defenders” category, honouring those who protect the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems and communities. The recognition places the 57-year-old engineer from Ladakh alongside world leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and activists shaping the future of climate resilience.
Wangchuk’s inclusion comes amid his ongoing incarceration under NSA provisions after a 35-day fast earlier this year, during which he demanded statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and indigenous rights, a movement that later turned violent during protests in Leh on September 24, leading to casualties and a sweeping security crackdown.
TIME’s recognition celebrates Wangchuk’s groundbreaking work in sustainable water management through his invention of “ice stupas”, artificial glaciers designed to combat water scarcity in the cold desert region. Inspired by ancient Ladakhi wisdom, these cone-shaped ice towers store winter meltwater and release it during spring, ensuring irrigation for farmers in one of the world’s driest, highest-altitude regions.
Born and raised in Ladakh’s harsh terrain at 11,500 feet, Wangchuk combined traditional ecological knowledge with modern engineering to create scalable climate solutions. His innovation has since been replicated in Nepal, Pakistan, Chile, and the Swiss Alps, earning him international acclaim.
The TIME100 Climate list, now in its third edition, spotlights global figures who have delivered measurable climate impact, emphasizing tangible results over rhetoric. Wangchuk’s profile in the magazine highlights how his ideas “turned frozen deserts into fertile land,” describing him as “a defender of both the Himalayas and the people who call it home.”
The global accolade has reignited debate over his detention, with critics calling it a grim reflection of India’s treatment of activists. Wangchuk was arrested in September under the NSA, a preventive detention law allowing incarceration without trial, for leading a peaceful campaign demanding constitutional protection for Ladakh’s land, culture, and environment.
His wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, who heads the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL) that Wangchuk founded, shared the TIME announcement on social media, calling it a moment of “poignant irony.”
“While his own Government is busy proclaiming @Wangchuk66 an anti-national and a threat to national security, TIME Magazine celebrates him as one of the world’s most influential leaders driving real climate action,” Angmo wrote on X (formerly Twitter), tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Rashtrapati Bhawan. (KDC)
