As it was the 5th anniversary of TigerMOV in Japan, which has always been a great help to us, I had the opportunity to talk about climate change in Indonesia.
The IPCC issues several climate change scenarios, and even the conservative of them, RCP4.5, shows that climate change will impact Indonesia. Over the next 100 years, temperatures in most parts of Indonesia are projected to increase by 1 degree Celsius compared to the last 100 years. In some areas, it is likely to rise by as much as 1.5 degrees.
The same is valid for rainfall. Due to climate change, the south of Indonesia is expected to be drier and the north wetter. So it's called climate change not only because the temperature will rise but also because the climate pattern will change. This is a conservative scenario, but we hope it does not happen.
When were you born?
Were you born before the 70s?
Were you born in the 80s?
The 90s?
Were you born in the 2000s or later?
This is the average life expectancy by age groups. The figure means that half of those born in the late 90s will see the next century. I, unfortunately, will not see the next century. So how does my generation care about the next century when we won't exist? Do they care as much as they say they do?
That's why some people say that climate change is a young people's issue, a battle between generations. For young people, climate change is not a fashion issue; it's an issue they live with and could be affected by. We do climate field schools for farmers, and even now, we hear that traditional farming methods don't work because the weather conditions have already changed from those of the past, and we will hear more stories like this in the future. But my generation will not experience this. So we need to appeal more to young people. In other words, we need to start educating young people to take environmental issues like climate change seriously, and not just hope for it, but do something about it.