Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], February 17: As technology accelerates, its consequences are often left trailing behind. Devices are replaced faster than they can be accounted for, and innovation is celebrated long before its environmental cost is understood. What rarely enters mainstream conversation is what happens after use — the discarded phones, batteries, and circuit boards that quietly accumulate beyond sight. The World Health Organization has flagged this as a growing public health concern. Warning of a mounting “tsunami of e-waste,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has noted that rising volumes of electronic waste are placing lives and ecosystems at risk.
Less visible, but equally pressing, is the scale of resource consumption embedded in everyday digital behaviour. Even something as routine as entering a single AI prompt triggers a chain reaction of data centres drawing power, servers operating at scale, cooling systems consuming water, and computational processes running continuously in the background. The ease of instant answers masks the environmental cost of this invisible infrastructure. Artificial intelligence, often positioned as a solution for efficiency and progress, is therefore also part of the sustainability challenge. The question is no longer whether AI should advance, but how consciously it is designed, deployed, and used.
It was within this context that the Youth Eco Summit 2026, themed Youth × AI: Green Leaders of Tomorrow, brought together students from 66 cities across India to engage with the intersection of technology, sustainability, and responsibility. Convened by the Bajaj Foundation brought together with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, UNICEF YuWaah, and TECNO, the summit positioned young people not as passive recipients of information, but as active participants shaping the dialogue.
Reflecting on the role of technology in this moment, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TECNO Mobile India, said, “Every generation gets a moment to shape the future, and this one has AI in its hands. What excites me most is seeing young people use technology not just to create, but to care. When AI meets purpose, it can help us reduce waste, protect our planet, and rethink how we live. At TECNO, we are proud to stand with these young changemakers at the Bajaj Youth Eco Summit.”
The focus on participation was most visible beyond formal sessions. At the Green Education & Knowledge Lawn, students engaged with hands-on zones including Waste Reimagined, the TECNO Knowledge Walk, the TECNO AI Meme Studio, and the E-Waste Pledge Booth, alongside partner installations designed to simplify complex sustainability challenges and encourage experiential learning.
At the TECNO AI Meme Studio, students explored how technology itself can be part of the solution. Guided activities introduced them to green coding principles, energy-efficient algorithms, and the hidden resource demands of digital consumption. Using memes as a creative medium, participants translated complex ideas around sustainable AI into accessible, youth-driven narratives.
Global perspectives further enriched the discussions. Viraansh Bhanushali, Chief of Staff at the Oxford Union, and Seep Agrawal, Lead – Civic Engagement at UNICEF YuWaah, engaged with students on how technology, policy, and civic participation can intersect when young people are treated as collaborators rather than beneficiaries.
Speaking on the intent behind placing young people at the centre of the dialogue, Pankaj Bajaj, Director, Bajaj Foundation, emphasised that participation at the summit reflected conviction rather than obligation. “You did not come here for marks or because it was mandatory. You came because you care,” he said. “Whether young people choose to act on this vision — starting now — is what will define the future.”
