Just a few days ago, at the end of June, the temperature of the Arctic reached 38 degrees Celsius. It is much higher than the normal average temperature for the last 30 years of around 10-12 degrees Celsius. This condition proves that global warming continues to occur, and the millennials will receive the impact in the future. Millennials need to be aware of this, and need to be more active in taking part in actions to face this crisis, said Mahawan Karuniasa, Founder and Director of the Environment Institute at the Ngobrol Aspirasi Lestari (Ngopi) event. Meanwhile, Jonathan from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) in his opening said that this event was also a form of learning for the young in conveying their aspirations for constructive environmental preservation.
The interactive discussion “Ngopi” was held online by the Environment Institute supported by FNF, Climate Institute and Radesa Institute on Tuesday, 7th July 2020. It is targeting millennials to voice their thoughts and share experiences on environmental conservation actions. The young speakers who attended were Maghfiroh from Radesa Institute, Putri from Climate Institute, and Sofia from the Gerakan Indonesia Diet Plastik (Plastic Bag Diet Movement), moderated by Billy Ariez from the Environment Institute.
The impacts of environmental damage, including global warming and climate change, generally do not occur immediately, but it appears several years later. Flood and landslide currently occurring due to the environmental damage that occurred in the past year. For example, the flood in Jakarta, which occurred on January 1st, 2020, was an accumulation of ecological conditions and increased extreme weather.
The millennials need to be aware of the right to obtain a sustainable environment in the future. It is clearly guaranteed by the constitution and becomes a mandate for all components to protect the environment. On the contrary, apart from being aware of their rights, millennials also need to understand their roles and obligations to participate in preserving the environment, Mahawan concluded.
