World Environment Day: North Kalimantan Deputy Governor Calls for Real Action to Protect the Earth
The Provincial Government of North Kalimantan commemorated World Environment Day 2026 at Cemara Beach, Mangkupadi Village, Tanjung Palas Timur, Bulungan Regency, on Thursday, 25 June 2026. Amidst the sea breeze and the stretch of casuarina trees along the coast, the event served as a momentum to reinforce the importance of protecting the earth.
North Kalimantan Deputy Governor Ingkong Ala urged the public to stop viewing climate change as a distant threat, emphasising that it is a reality already felt in daily life. Carrying the theme ‘Act Now For Climate’, the event brought together the government, the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), businesses, and the community in a shared spirit of safeguarding the environment for a better future.
Ingkong Ala stressed that the world is currently facing three interconnected environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity degradation, and environmental pollution. ‘These three crises are interlinked and pose a serious threat to humanity, economic stability, and social resilience across the globe,’ he said.
According to him, the government has launched five concrete measures to tackle these issues: getting into the habit of sorting waste, building a culture of cleanliness and mutual cooperation, strengthening the circular economy through the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle, carrying out massive tree planting, and ensuring safe waste management. He asserted that the impacts of climate change are already being felt directly by the community and require collective attention and action.
‘Protecting the environment is not solely the government’s responsibility, but requires synergy from all stakeholders and active community participation,’ he stated. ‘Let us start with simple things: reduce the use of single-use plastics, get used to sorting waste from home, do not litter, especially into rivers, the sea, and waterways. We must also protect biodiversity and preserve natural habitats.’
The World Environment Day 2026 commemoration was accompanied by a beach clean-up activity involving invited guests and the local community along the Cemara Mangkupadi Beach area as a form of environmental concern.