AMJI calls on young people to take action to protect the environment and reduce the impact of the climate crisis

TIME.CO, Jakarta – Youth action to protect the climate (AMJI) 2023 beckons again youth take action to protect the environment and reduce impacts climate crisis with the theme “Collaborative action of youth volunteering to anticipate the climate crisis”.

On the initiative of the Sea Guard community, the EcoDefender community, the National Scout Movement Quarter, the Indorelawan Foundation, Tracein.id, Trilogi Ocean Restoration and the EcoNusa Foundation, 40 thousand young people are called to carry out various actions at the AMJI.

“This third AMJI will be carried out simultaneously in more than 350 points across Indonesia. “Together with more than 50 collaborators, it is hoped that the actions taken can help reduce the impact of the climate crisis that is occurring, especially in the midst of the current El Nino phenomenon,” said Yolanda Parede, national coordinator of the marine guardians, in her statement, Tuesday 24 October 2023.

In conjunction with the commemoration of the 95th youth commitment, the actions that will be carried out at AMJI on 28 October 2023 are very varied. Starting from discussions on environmental issues, actions to clean beaches, clean the environment, donate tree seedlings, plant mangroves, adopt corals, to actions using emission-free transport, educational actions on the impact of climate change on health in different health centers, actions to distribute plant-based food and much more.

Pina Ekalipta, head of the Citarum Ciliwung River Basin Management Center (BPDAS), said the current low rainfall has also had an impact on reducing the intensity of water discharge in the Citarum Ciliwung River Basin (DAS), including the Citarum Ciliwung catchment area.

Pina added that efforts to maintain watersheds so that their hydrological functions continue to function well must be done together. “We are ready to support our volunteer friends. If they have a planting action, we are ready to help as long as the goal is clear. And not only plant, but also take care of it. “This is very important,” Pina told the 2023 Youth Action for Climate Protection (AMJI) media debate held in Jakarta, Tuesday 24 October 2023.

Meanwhile, Gresy Kristriana, head of the Indorelawan project, said that community participation, especially young people, is important to implement collaborative actions. “Environmental issues are the issues that volunteers are most interested in. “This gives us hope that we can address climate change together, because this is our common issue,” she said.

The importance of youth participation in environmental preservation was also highlighted by Asep Senjaya, Asper/KBKPH Serang. According to him, even if young people live in cities far from forests, they can still protect forests by always trying to reforest their surroundings.

Announcement

“We welcome Youth Safeguarding Climate Action as a movement of young people helping to promote the goal of zero emissions, one of which is planting trees, and clearly this will really help us achieve the goal of zero emissions,” said Asep .

Nina Nuraisyah, director of communication and youth mobilization of the EcoNusa Foundation, said that efforts to protect forest and marine ecosystems by young people are important in all regions of Indonesia, especially in the eastern region of Indonesia which is l the last bastion of nature protection in Indonesia. “Our last natural fortress lies in eastern Indonesia. If our forests and seas are damaged, those of us in Jakarta will also feel the impact, both economically and environmentally,” Nina said.

Not only through collaborative action at the AMJI, according to Nina, efforts to protect forest and marine ecosystems, including mangroves, need to be better presented, including to the world. “Starting this year, the collaboration between EcoNusa and Pramuka has brought this mangrove badge to life to introduce Indonesian mangroves to the world. “The great hope is that with this mangrove badge, mangrove enrichment can be carried out on a large scale and encourage the sustainability of mangroves, so that the net zero emissions target can be achieved, our air quality will improve and we can answer the question of the climate crisis we are facing together,” he explained .

In line with this, Fakhri N. Syafrullah, Impact Manager at Tracein.id, highlighted the importance of mangrove ecosystems in storing carbon footprints from the atmosphere and highlighted the need to calculate their carbon sink capacity. “Efforts to overcome the climate crisis represent our mutual cooperation. From actions in this year’s Youth Actions to Protect the Climate series, we can calculate the carbon emissions absorbed and how they contribute to the environmental problems we face. “For example, planting trees, what impact does that have on air quality,” Fakhri explained.

According to Yolanda, the enthusiasm of the community and individual volunteers is much higher this year than in previous years, as can be seen from the increase in the number of action points. “The enthusiasm and support of community colleagues, volunteers, initiators, collaborators and the support of media partners is what has made AMJI possible well into its third year,” she said.

Since the implementation of the AMJI in 2021-2022, 29,632 youth from 87 collaborators have participated in actions at 421 points. As a result, 46,427 tree and mangrove seedlings were planted, 37,239 kilograms of waste collected, 1,426 corals adopted and transplanted, and 200 hatchlings released.

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