Dia Mirza, acclaimed actor, producer, and environmental activist, delivered a sobering message on the invisible crisis of plastic pollution threatening human health at the NewsX We Women Want Conclave & Shakti Awards 2025. Drawing on recent scientific findings, she revealed, “one teaspoon of plastic is being found in the human brain. Plastic particles have reached the bloodstream of babies. It’s found in placenta.”
Her urgent appeal to audiences was clear, “It’s something that we can so easily avoid when avoidable. So I hope many more of us can avoid single-use plastics.”
Dia Mirza on Plastic Pollution: The Hidden Threat Inside Our Bodies
Dia outlined how microscopic plastic particles have now infiltrated human biology itself, highlighting a dire, often overlooked dimension of the environmental crisis.
When asked about a superpower she wants to possess, Dia said, “I’d like to clean up all the plastic in our world… just make it all disappear and make sure that none of it enters our lives or our homes or our natural environments anymore.”
Dia Mirza on Environmental Protection
Dia’s commitment to environmental causes stems from years of firsthand engagement with forest conservation and frontline wildlife protection efforts. Recalling a defining moment in a Madhya Pradesh forest, she described witnessing the hardships faced by forest guards, “They walk hundreds of miles sometimes bare feet with something as basic as just a stick, a lathi, with such meager means and invisible support.”
To Dia, forest protectors are modern-day guardians of humanity’s essential resources: “What they are protecting is what ensures that we have water to drink, we have food to eat, we have breathable air.”
Urban Realities and Population Pressures Intensify the Crisis
Dia emphasized the unsustainable pressure on India’s natural resources amid rapid urbanization and demographic growth. “India is the largest population in the world living on a very tiny geographical land mass,” she noted. “Only 2.5% of our geographical land is left as dense forest, and this 2.5% is what is securing our water, our air, our soil, regulating our climate.”
This stark reality, she warned, demands urgent and collective efforts,“there are so many of us who need all of this, and we just don’t have enough people doing more to protect what we need to.”
Dia Mirza Says Mindset is Evolving But Gaps Remain
While acknowledging increased environmental awareness, Dia cautioned that participation in conservation remains insufficient. “We have far more people understanding the connection between environmental health and human health. Do we have as much participation as is required to truly conserve and preserve what is left? No.”
She called attention to government initiatives like Mission LiFE, which aim to drive behavioral change, but observed, “I don’t know if enough people are accessing these opportunities and really making good of them.”
D
ia Mirza on How Motherhood Transformed Her
ia Mirza on How Motherhood Transformed HerDia also reflected on the transformative impact of motherhood, which she described as her “game-changing moment.” She explained, “I think I had a cellular shift. I’m able to empathize more deeply and care much, much more and value what I have so much more than I perhaps ever did.”
Highlighting solidarity in the entertainment industry, Dia spoke of a powerful women’s group she belongs to, “we’re nine really powerful, strong, extraordinary women. Each of us kind of look up to each other and are inspired by one another.”
As a producer, Dia emphasized her openness to storytelling across formats, “we’re medium agnostic. We want to be able to just tell stories that we care deeply about.” She noted that many of her recent projects have organically been women-led, signaling a positive trend in content creation.
Rapid Fire With Dia Mirza
The conversation ended on a lively note with Dia Mirza engaging in a rapid-fire round that offered a glimpse of her personal preferences and aspirations beyond her public advocacy.
Last holiday: “I was in Himachal with my children and my family.”
Mountains or beaches: “I love both equally. As long as it’s a natural environment, I’m happy.”
Favorite cuisine: “Anything cooked at home.”
Favorite co-star: “Ishita from Kaafir.”
WATCH FULL CONVERSATION HERE:
Also Read: We Women Want And Shakti Awards 2025: Dia Mirza Calls For A Plastic-Free Planet
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
