British-Asian entrepreneur Chris Desai from Leicester, founder of the ocean conservation charity UOCEAN 2050, has been honoured with a place on the Global 40 Under 40 Awards in Climate & Sustainability in Dubai. Through UOCEAN 2050, a non-profit under the Vayyu Foundation, he has grown a personal passion into a global effort, setting up clean-up hubs in over 30 locations around the world, including the UK, Kenya, and Indonesia.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Chris said the global recognition “means the world not just to me, but to the volunteers and the community who brought this movement together. This award isn’t just mine; it’s for everyone who’s been a part of it.”
He added, “Behind me are thousands of people. We’re grateful for the recognition because it strengthens our message and highlights what UOCEAN stands for. When we started this movement as an ethnically diverse, ocean conservation group based in Leicester, the furthest city from the sea; people questioned us. But 80% of ocean plastic starts on land, so why not tackle it in our rivers, canals, and inner cities?”
Chris explained that engaging underrepresented communities was central to their mission. “Conservation has often excluded us — not because we don’t care, but because we’ve never been invited in. We've faced pushback both from mainstream organisations and from within our own communities. Some see it as a lower-class issue. But we remind people of our deep-rooted traditions of sustainable living in places like Africa and India. Conservation ‘is’ for us — we just need to make it accessible and culturally inclusive.”
Inspiring young people to take ownership of environmental action, Chris said, “I’ve always said this, right conservation should be the most selfish thing you do. People always say, ‘I’m doing it for the planet.’ Listen, do it for yourself first. If you’re not doing it for yourself, then what’s the point? Humans are great at doing things for themselves, so let’s start there. If you’re polluting the oceans or deforesting the planet, there will be consequences. You won’t be able to live or thrive. So, look after the planet not just for the younger generation. They need to protect it for themselves but because we all need to protect it for ourselves too.”
He added, “That’s why we’re working with young people going into schools, community centres, temples, Gurdwaras, mosques, synagogues, and churches. We’re there to inspire and say, ‘Let’s all take collective responsibility.’ My ultimate dream is that organisations like UOCEAN won’t need to exist because everyone will be taking care of the environment on their own. But the reason we do exist is because there’s a massive disconnect between humans and nature. Young people haven’t had their minds shaped too much yet they’re not totally consumed by ideas of money, status, and self-interest. They’re full of energy, innovation, ideas, and hope. They’re still malleable, and they see sense. Young people see logic, where adults seem to be blindfolded by capitalism.”
Speaking about the link between climate change, environmental degradation, and the increasing frequency of natural disasters, Chris said, “When we look at ecosystems, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle or a game of Jenga. Once you remove one piece, everything else becomes unstable. That’s why, as an organisation, we don’t just talk about ocean plastics, we talk about biodiversity, ocean health, and how it all connects. Most people don’t realise that plastic pollution affects the ocean’s ability to produce oxygen. In fact, one out of every two breaths we take comes from the ocean, not from trees. So just breathing let alone sustaining marine life or regulating global temperatures depends on healthy oceans.
He added, “Around 70–80% of the excess heat generated by human activity is absorbed by the ocean. It plays a crucial role in cooling the planet and is the world’s largest carbon sink. But instead of recognising this, we’ve developed what I call ‘carbon tunnel vision’ focusing only on net zero targets. That won’t work if ocean biodiversity collapses. This is where life began, and it’s still where life is sustained. So we urge people to look at the bigger picture. Net zero goals are important, but so are coral reefs, mangroves, biodiversity, and clean oceans. As ecosystems continue to break down, we’ll keep seeing more extreme climate events and natural disasters; it's all connected.”
