The climate campaigner plogging for the planet

An environmentalist embarking on a clean-up tour of the UK has said climate action is about individual responsibility rather than "just screaming" for government action.

Vivek Gurav, 29, from Wembley, north-west London, has started a "plogging" tour of 50 UK cities, where he litter picks while jogging.

He started plogging in India, and has also completed a previous mission in the UK.

Mr Gurav said he supported disruptive movements like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, but he wanted to tackle the climate crisis with more practical action.

Mr Gurav, who moved to the UK to study an MSc in environmental policy and management, said he wanted "more people to be on ground and do something about this problem".

"Instead of just screaming, if they go and pick up rubbish or do some form of biodiversity conservation, it's going to bring them closer to the green spaces.

"[Disruptive protest] also brings a sense of refusing responsibility towards the environment and just blaming everything on the government, which I don't think is the only approach," he said.

Mr Gurav is encouraging university groups, NGOs and local communities to join him.

"The plogging movement that has been building up, it's to bring such individuals together who are ready to go out there and do something from their own actions.

"Simpler actions also create a bigger ripple effect."

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