Environment Minister: Older Generation Owes Environmental Debt to Gen Z

Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat has stated that the older generation owes a significant debt to young people because of the environmental damage and climate crisis occurring today. He therefore urged all parties to work hard to restore the environment for the sake of the future of Generation Z and Generation Alpha. The statement was made by Jumhur whilst opening the Indonesia International Environmental Technology and Innovation Expo and Conference (INVIROTECH) 2026, part of the commemoration of World Environment Day 2026 in Jakarta on Thursday (11/6). In his speech, Jumhur specifically addressed the young people attending the event. He considers Generation Z to be a group with a high level of concern for environmental issues and climate change. ‘One day a journalist asked me, what is your message to Generation Z regarding environmental sustainability? I said the question was wrong. The truth is that Generation Z cares more about the environment than us in the older generation,’ said Jumhur. According to him, various survey results show that the majority of Generation Z in Indonesia pay great attention to environmental issues. Because of this, the younger generation has the right to demand a better environment from previous generations. Jumhur even admitted that his generation contributed to the various environmental problems the world is currently facing, from the increase in greenhouse gas emissions to global warming. ‘In truth, it is our generations that have made the world hot. The greenhouse effect appears everywhere. We are still alive now and must work hard to offset all the emissions produced as a legacy for the younger generation,’ he said. He therefore stressed that the older generation has a moral responsibility to repair environmental conditions that have degraded over decades. ‘So once again, we have a debt. We must work hard so that our young generation, our Gen Z, are safe,’ he asserted. Jumhur said the environmental crisis is already a reality. Water, air and soil pollution are still ongoing, the Earth’s temperature continues to rise, whilst forest and land damage and the loss of biodiversity are increasingly worrying. As a form of responsibility to future generations, he invited all elements of the nation to carry out an ecological repentance through environmental restoration and more environmentally friendly behavioural change. ‘I invite all of us, including the government, businesses, state-owned enterprises, intellectuals, everyone to repent. Ecological repentance by restoring damaged and polluted environments and committing not to repeat the same mistakes,’ he said. According to Jumhur, the future of Indonesia’s environment is determined not only by government policy, but also by a new culture that respects nature and makes environmental protection part of the nation’s civilisation. ‘You are the generation that will live the longest with the consequences of our decisions today. Therefore, your voice is important, your ideas are important, and your leadership is important,’ he said.