Why are Youth Voices So Important in Tackling Climate Change?
19 January 2024
In 2045, Indonesia is predicted to experience a demographic bonus. A situation where there is an increase in the population of a country at a productive age, which ranges from 16 to 64 years. This momentum is important for Indonesian youth to voice national issues and even global issues, one of which is the issue of climate change.
A UNICEF report in 2021 stated that young people in Indonesia are one of the groups in the world who face high risks of climate change impacts, with threats to their health, education and protection. Moreover, the Indonesian region is included in the high vulnerability of the world’s climate crisis. 6 in 10 young people (aged up to 39 years old) are very worried about climate change. As many as 77.3 percent of respondents in the young age group believe that the climate crisis is already happening.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, in the period 2011-2020, there was an increase in global average temperature of 1.09 degrees Celsius. The temperature increase occurred with an increase in land temperatures reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius and in the oceans reaching 0.89 degrees Celsius. If there is no serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the period 2020-2050, the estimated future temperature increase will reach between 2.1 to 3.5 degrees Celsius in the intermediate scenario. This significant increase will have a serious impact, especially on young people who will be the future inhabitants of the earth.
Why it’s important to engage young people in tackling climate change
Engaging youth in efforts to tackle climate change is key to creating a more sustainable and equitable world. Young people not only have a direct stake in this issue, but also play a key role in shaping the future direction of our world.
Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia) has been encouraging the involvement of young people in tackling the impacts of climate change. For example, through Young Leaders for Climate 2. This activity, which is part of Plan Indonesia’s Urban Nexus program, has supported 16 Young Leaders from 15 communities in 10 provinces to carry out 75 actions to encourage the resilience of children and young people to face the climate crisis through youth leadership.
Youth Resilience Action in the Face of Climate Change
A total of 3,638 participants consisting of children, youth and adults were involved in various resilience activities. The Young Leaders who initiated these activities came from various regions.
These actions included planning and providing basic services, fostering a healthy environment, and advocating for policies.
Therefore, in the face of increasingly urgent climate change, active participation and contribution from young people is an important factor. Combining youth voices with concrete policies and actions will help realize a safer, more sustainable and just world.
