Anjali Appadurai (born May 27, 1990) is a Canadian politician and climate activist.

Early life and education

Appadurai's family immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and settled in

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with an estimated population of 174,248 in 2024, and one of th ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

when she was six, to access better education. Appadurai attended

Gleneagle Secondary School Gleneagle Secondary School, or simply Gleneagle, is a public coeducational high school located in Coquitlam, British Columbia, established in 1997. It is run by School District 43 Coquitlam. Gleneagle serves grades 9-12 and has an enrolment of 1 ...

in Coquitlam. She formed a global issues club in high school and became interested in trade issues and their relationship to climate justice. Appadurai attended the United World College, a two-year international baccalaureate program in Montezuma,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Global Politics, International Trade Law and Climate Policy from the

College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic (COA) is a private liberal arts college in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Founded in 1969, it awards bachelors and masters ( M.Phil.) degrees solely in the field of human ecology, an interdisciplinary approa ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Climate activism

In 2011, at 21 years old, Appadurai spoke at the UN Climate Change Conference in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. In 2014, she worked for

West Coast Environmental Law West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) is an environmental law and public advocacy organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As th ...

where she worked on the Sue Big Oil campaign. She also worked for the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

and the

David Suzuki Foundation The David Suzuki Foundation is a science-based non-profit environmental organization headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Montreal and Toronto. It was established as a federally registered Canadian charity on Jan ...

’s Climate Emergency Unit. Appadurai was mentored by

Martin Khor Martin Khor Kok Peng (November 9, 1951 – 1 April 2020) was the executive director of the South Centre (organization), South Centre, an intergovernmental organisation of developing countries based in Geneva, from 1 March 2009 to 2018. He replace ...

and Yeb Saño, the later of which she met at a UN Climate Conference in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

in 2013.

Politics

At age 31, Appadurai ran as the federal New Democratic Party candidate for

Vancouver Granville Vancouver Granville is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. The district includes all or significant portions of the Kerrisdale, Marpole, Oakridge, ...

in the 2021 election. She lost to Liberal candidate Taleeb Noormohamed by 431 votes. Appadurai was the only challenger to

David Eby David Robert Patrick Eby (; born July 21, 1976) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as the 37th and current premier of British Columbia since November 18, 2022. Eby is a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) a ...

, until she was disqualified, in the 2022 BC New Democratic Party leadership race. The BC NDP executive voted to disqualify her on the grounds of collusion with Dogwood BC, following a report by chief electoral officer

Elizabeth Cull Elizabeth Cull (born 21 February 1952) is a Canadian politician in the province of British Columbia and small-business owner. She was an NDP MLA for the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head from 1989 to 1996. Political career Cull was first elec ...

. Appadurai's involvement in the leadership race is thought to have prompted an estimated 14,000 individuals to become BC NDP members in 25 days, more than doubling the previous membership of 11,000. Appadurai criticized BC NDP executive's decision and Cull's report, calling it: "an investigation to support a predetermined conclusion." She said it was "clearly a new interpretation" of the rules of a leadership contest and also called the decision to disqualify her “undemocratic” and a "nuclear option."

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appadurai, Anjali Canadian activists Canadian climate activists 1990 births Living people British Columbia candidates for Member of Parliament New Democratic Party candidates in the 2021 Canadian federal election Indian emigrants to Canada People from Coquitlam People educated at a United World College College of the Atlantic alumni