​On 22 September 2016, Indonesia participated in the International Conference on Sustainable Development (IC-SD) at Columbia University in the City of New York.

The aim of the conference is to identify and share practical, evidence-based solutions that can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year’s conference theme is Moving Forward: The SDGs in Practice. The ICSD provides a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders from government, academia, the United Nations, international agencies, NGOs, and grassroots organizers to share practical solutions towards the achievement of more sustainable and inclusive societies.
 
The Office of the President's Special Envoy for Climate Change organized an Indonesia Panel titled “Climate Actions and Sustainable Development Goals at the Local Level in Indonesia.”

The objective of the panel was to convey Indonesia’s vision of sustainable development and climate change actions to the international communities.
 
Rachmat Witoelar, President's Special Envoy for Climate Change Control, said that Indonesia is now in the process of moving towards low-carbon development. The impact of climate change is already affecting many sectors in Indonesia, among others, food security, disaster, and health. Hence, Indonesia must integrate climate change actions into its mid-term and long-term development plan.
 
Representatives from the private sector stated that investing in environmentally friendly business and low-carbon future is quite interesting and has profit potential. There are companies in Indonesia who have taken real action in the implementation of landscape management, for example with palm sugar and biodiesel from palm oil.
 
In addition, representatives of academia also expressed the importance of local research center run by universities or NGOs to encourage innovation and advance technology in climate change action.
 
As we know, in 2015 the world has two agreements that have become a strong basis for sustainable development. The first is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the second is the Paris Agreement Treaty of Paris that sets climate change actions by the countries in the world. Indonesia as a country that is active in international climate change negotiations, has expressed its national commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29% based on Business as Usual in 2030, and 41% with international cooperation.
 
Dr. Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir, Senior Advisor for Climate Change to the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, chaired  the Indonesia Panel, held at the Faculty House of Columbia University.

The following are speakers featured in the Indonesia Panel, along with their abstracts and slides presented:

Prof.  Rachmat Witoelar, President's Special Envoy for Climate Change
Change Needed to Achieve Indonesia’s Vision – Abstract and Talking Points

Mr. Hashim Djojohadikusumo, CEO Arsari Group
Rebuild Program – Abstract and Slides

Mr. Paulus Tjakrawan, Chair, Indonesia Biofuels Producer Association 
Indonesia Biodiesel Program, More Sustainable – Abstract and Slides
 
Dr. Jatna Supriatna, Head of Research Center for Climate Change, University of Indonesia 
Local Academic & Non-Government Institutions as Sustainable Development Center of Excellence – Abstract and Slides
 
More than 1000 people attended the International Conference on Sustainable Development 2016, coming from many countries all over the world and representing professionals from the private sector, academia, government, and civil society, along with students from the world’s top universities.

The Office of the President's Special Envoy for Climate Change Control, The Climate Reality Project Indonesia and Citra Kartini Indonesia organized a talk show on “Women and Climate Change.” This event was held on Thursday, 15 September 2016 at the Jakarta Convention Center and is part of the Indonesia Women Expo 2016.
 
Miranti Serad, one of the founders of Citra Kartini Indonesia, a women empowerment organization, explained that "The Indonesia Women Expo 2016 seeks to increase the awareness among women about the importance of their involvement in mitigation and adaptation to climate change for survival with efforts carried out jointly at the individual, community or workplace levels.”
 
In his opening remarks, Rachmat Witoelar, the President's Special Envoy for Climate Change stated that Indonesia should immediately change its development paradigm towards low-carbon development. "The impacts of climate change in Indonesia are becoming apparent. Current climate change-related disasters occur more frequently, such as floods, drought, crop failure, and decreased marine products. Climate change is caused by human activities, but the good news is, there is a solution. If people change their behaviors and lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly, then carbon emissions can be reduced. Women as the primary agent of change have a major role, especially in educating families and communities to undertake concrete actions."
 
Amanda Katili Niode, Manager of The Climate Reality Project Indonesia, believed that this event is very important to involve women in Indonesia on the issue of climate change. They are a very strategic target audience to convey the message of climate change, leading to a mental change in the family and society.
 
This statement is supported by Suzy Hutomo, a climate leader and the Executive Chairwoman of The Body Shop Indonesia that has implemented a low-carbon lifestyle both in the family and her company. An example is her discipline in garbage sorting and trying to minimize her waste by zero to landfill because if not treated properly waste will emit high green house gases. She also did a real action by implementing  solar electric system at home.
 
Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusomo, a climate leader and a Member of the Commission 8 of the Indonesian House of Representatives that deals with Religion, Social Affairs, and the Empowerment of Women, states that women in Indonesia should be fully engaged in supporting the development of creative economy that spawned innovations so that even with limited funding people can mobilize low carbon and sustainable activities.
 
According to Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir, an anthropologist and the Senior Advisor of the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs, women have been exploited and their rights violated. Human and environment depend on each other. Women give birth to life, through their wombs, therefore the best thing that can be done in the framework of climate change adaptation and mitigation is to empower women as much as possible. "Because empowering women means  preserving life."
 
Murni Titi Resdiana, a climate leader who is also the Assistant to the President’s Special Envoy for Climate Change expertly moderated the event with 150 enthusiastic attendees, including 20 Indonesia climate leaders,  

As one of the organizations that support the annual activities of the Indonesia Climate Change Education Forum and Expo (ICCEFE), The Climate Reality Project Indonesia focused on “Individual Solutions to Climate Change.” We did not just provide climate change information and explain about our activities, but also invited visitors to think about changing their habits to address climate change.
 
Ideally, each individual must be able to respond to climate change by doing a few simple things like consume local food, save energy, use a tumbler, and bring a bag when shopping to avoid plastic bags.
 
We invited several organizations to exhibit in our booth based on their unique and creative actions on the ground.
 
Eco Learning Camp Foundation
The Eco Learning Camp Foundation was established to develop educational activities, conservation, research, community development, and a variety of other creativity-based activities.
 
The Foundation has non-formal education programs delivered through nature and environmental discourses integrated with knowledge about the relevant science and culture to raise awareness that leads to active participation to protect nature and its environment.
 
In addition to explaining the camp’s programs to ICCEFE visitors, youth volunteers from the Eco Learning Camp described Neem trees (Azadirachta indica), their products, and health benefits.  Visitors could bring home Neem seeds and seedlings to grow at home.
 
Indonesia Vegetarian Society
The Indonesia Vegetarian Society disseminates information about the bona fide purpose of vegetarian life in Indonesia as well as develops universal love and save the life of the world through vegetarianism.
 
The Society invited ICCEFE visitors to get to know vegetarian lifestyle and the benefits of being vegetarian through books and food products such as grains and cereals made from tempeh.
 
According to a new study by Oxford University, by eating less meat and more fruit and vegetables, the world could prevent several million deaths per year by 2050, cut planet-warming emissions substantially, and save billions of dollars annually in healthcare costs and climate damage.
 
Clean Water For Napu Village
UNDP Indonesia and KOPPESDA, a local NGO, is working to support 500 people in Napu Village, East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara to gain access to clean water. A crowd funding is expected  to raise funds to build a solar water pump so that water will be available in the remote village. 
 
To support the worthy cause, UNDP gave a short video presentation and invited visitors to leave little notes related to clean water campaign, and donate through KitaBisa.
 
Reza Rahadian, a famous Indonesian actor who is one of Indonesia’s SDG Movers went on stage talking about the campaign and drew a lot of attention and press coverage.
 
ASEAN Reusable Bag Campaign
The ASEAN Reusable Bag Campaign is an ongoing project in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, encouraging people to reduce the use of disposable plastic bag and change it with reusable bag to preserve the environment. 
The campaign team encouraged visitors to reduce the use of plastic bags by showing a short video presentation and unique folded bags with different shapes and colors that can be used as a substitute for plastic bags.
 
This is a worthy campaign as the world’s oceans and marine life are suffering from a devastating plastic crisis, with 8 million metric tons of plastic waste dumped into the oceans every year.
 
D’Anggraini Handmade Soap
D'Anggraini exhibited handmade soap bars produced by using environmentally friendly materials both in the production of soap bars and the packaging materials.
 
“I Mix You Like Crazy” is a unique soap bar crafted especially for the ICCEFE and made from honey, oatmeal, coffee, activated charcoal and green tea (matcha). An unscented Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo Bar is made from apple cider vinegar canola oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, castor oil, and olive oil.
Dewi Anggraini, the micro business owner, explained to ICCEFE visitors the ingredients of the soaps, how to make the bars, as well as the benefits of using environmentally and skin friendly products.

***
At the end of the Indonesia Climate Change Education Fourm and Expo, thousands of people, including school children, had visited The Climate Reality Project Indonesia booth.  The event reminded us of what David Suzuki, a Canadian environmentalist, said:  “The choices we make in our day-to-day life — how we get around, what we eat, how we live — play a major role in slowing climate change.”
 

 
Text: Dian Anggraini
Images: The Climate Reality Project Indonesia

The Paris Agreement, adopted at COP 21 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last year, aimed at keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The recognition of actions by non-state actors is one of the key outcomes of COP 21. State actors and non-state actors (national Governments, cities, regions and other sub national entities, international organizations, civil society, indigenous peoples, women, youth, academic institutions, as well as businesses) should work as individual entities or in partnerships to accelerate actions – both pre 2020 and afterwards.
 
Youth as non-state actors
 
Youth has a very important role in addressing climate change. The future of young people is threatened if there is no immediate significant mitigation and adaptation action being undertaken. However, youth also has high ability to absorb information and to quickly adapt to new technology.  As such, they can be leader in the mass movement to take action on climate change.

Since Indonesia is a country vulnerable to climate change, its youth has to put climate change as a high priority issue. Especially as some has experienced the effects including disasters such as floods and drought, crop failure due to extreme weather, clean water supply disruption due to changes in weather patterns, and changes in lifestyle.
 
To increase climate change awareness followed by actions in addressing climate change, continuous program for youth is a necessity. Accordingly, the Youth for Climate Camp returned to Bali with a focus on developing strategies to minimize carbon footprint and actions on the ground to reduce carbon emissions.
 
Youth for Climate Camp is collaboration between The Climate Reality Project Indonesia and Youth for Climate Change Indonesia, a forum of communication of more than 1000 alumni of Youth for Climate Camp program that has been held since 2011.
 
Bali Youth for Climate Camp 

Almost 100 university students from all over Bali, Malang, Solo and Yogyakarta attended the second Youth for Climate Camp in Bali, held on 2-3 April 2016.
 
The participants and camp organizers were fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to inspiring opening remarks by an eminent person, H.E. Ambassador Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir.

Ambassador Kartini who holds a PhD in Anthropology from Boston University, United States, was the Indonesian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Argentine Republic, Republic of Paraguay and Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Currently, she is the Advisor for Climate Change to the Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Resources.

Dr. Kartini described the global environmental threats faced by human beings including the El Nino and La Nina phenomenon. She challenged students to pay more attention on waste management behavior on the Island of Bali and emphasized how students have to work smart to be able to play a role in unprecedented global scene.

Following Ambassador Kartini’s remarks, The Climate Reality Project Indonesia presented its newest slides based on the Manila training two weeks ago.

Topics discussed during the Bali Youth for Climate Camp include Tourism and Climate Change, Calculating Carbon Foot Prints, and Community Actions in the context of Private Goods and Public Goods.

Mangrove Forests

Divided into 10 small groups students enthusiastically discussed and presented their post camp activities.
The highlight of Bali Youth for Climate Camp was leaning the role of mangroves for climate change adaptation, mitigation, and livelihood support.  Site visit to mangrove forests in Kuta area fascinated the students as they trek through a board walk observing the green and rich Indonesian biodiversity.

​Planting mangroves while a professional drone hovered above the students was the exciting finale of the Youth for Climate Camp, a real action on the ground.

The mangrove activities were initiated and assisted by Forum Peduli Mangrove Bali (Mangrove Care Forum Bali) that has a vision to revitalize mangrove areas in Bali for a balanced environment in support of government programs in facing the challenges of global warming and climate change.

​The UNFCCC recognizes that the world needs leadership on climate change and young people are stepping up to the challenge.  It is our hope that Youth for Climate Camp will soon expand into International Youth for Climate Camp involving youth from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It would certainly enhance the knowledge and the experience of young people to work together to create a more sustainable world.

Text and Image:
Amanda Niode
Manager, The Climate Reality Project Indonesia

Amanda Katili Niode - Manager The Climate Reality Project Indonesia and Adam Majcher - Manager The Climate Reality Australia, as a speaker at the meeting in Ubud Bali to discuss the Local Food Consumption, Sustainable Tourism and Carbon Emissions.

"Food produced closer to where it’s consumed not only emits less carbon dioxide because the needs for processing, cooling and transportation are reduced; it’s fresher, tastier, more nutritious, less pumped full of preservatives, and boosts local economies. In other words, where’s the down side?" READ MORE

Photos and text by Catriona Mitchell