Young generation urged to become agents of change in facing climate crisis

The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection is encouraging children and the younger generation to strengthen their knowledge and take an active role in facing the climate crisis through concrete actions to protect the environment.

“Indonesian children are not just the nation’s successors. You are solution creators, agents of change, and guardians of the earth’s future. Children need to be equipped with knowledge and encouraged to take an active role in protecting the environment from an early age,” said Devy Nia Pradhika, Assistant Deputy for Coordination of Child Rights Policy Implementation for Region I at the ministry, during a webinar in Jakarta on Monday.

According to her, children are not only a group affected by climate change but also have a strategic role in creating solutions.

Devy Nia Pradhika stated that the climate crisis has had tangible impacts on children’s lives, ranging from floods that disrupt learning activities, extreme weather, and drought, to environmental pollution that affects their health and play spaces.

Therefore, protecting the environment also means safeguarding children’s rights to live healthily, learn comfortably, play safely, and grow optimally.

“Indonesia has nearly 79 million children, almost one-third of the entire population. This means your voice is very important. At the global level, UNICEF estimates that around one billion children live in areas highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This figure shows that the climate crisis is not just an adult issue, but also a concern for children and young people worldwide,” Devy Nia Pradhika said.

She advised children and young people not to fear climate change. Instead, they should become the generation that leads change through simple actions such as reducing single-use plastics, sorting waste, saving water and electricity, planting trees, and encouraging friends and family to do the same.

Devy expressed hope that this webinar would foster children’s courage to care and take part in protecting the earth.

“Never consider small actions as meaningless. Because big changes always start from small steps taken together. Let us prove that Indonesian children and young people are not just inheritors of this earth, but also its guardians. Because when you protect nature, you are actually protecting your own future,” Devy Nia Pradhika said.