Various efforts that lead to the interests of the people must be assisted as a real form of social solidarity in people's livesJakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy chairperson of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat has urged the younger generation in the country to utilize local wisdoms to overcome the impact of the global climate crisis.
"The young generation must be able to prioritize local wisdoms to respond to the threat of a crisis triggered by global climate change," deputy chairperson of the People's Consultative Assembly, Lestari Moerdijat, said in a statement here on Friday.
Efforts to explore local wisdom for responding to the challenges created by the crisis triggered by global climate change must be consistently carried out in order to reduce the potential of a bigger crisis post-pandemic, she added.
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At a National Coordination Meeting held by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Monday (August 8, 2022), President Joko Widodo said that climate change, which has reached a critical level, will be a real challenge for all parties following the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, climate change and its impacts worsened in 2021. In fact, 2021 recorded the hottest temperatures compared to the preceding seven years.
The World Food Agency has even estimated that more than 500 million small-scale farmers, who produce more than 80 percent of the world's food, will be the group most vulnerable to climate change.
According to Moerdijat, the local wisdoms used by the Indonesian people in the past for preserving the environment must continue to be applied. The goal is to prevent environmental damage that can exacerbate the impact of global climate change.
A number of local wisdoms, Moerdijat said, can actually be adopted and relied on to prevent environmental damage. These include mutual cooperation, preventing littering, recycling waste, use of nature as needed, and reforestation.
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"Various efforts that lead to the interests of the people must be assisted as a real form of social solidarity in people's lives," she said.
Traditional knowledge and practices applied by local communities are key to preventing the destruction of biodiversity and realizing sustainable development.
The younger generation is the right community group that can revive local wisdoms to prevent the threat of environmental damage due to global climate change.
Stakeholders must also implement policies so that the local wisdoms possessed by the nation can be used actively to prevent environmental damage.
Moreover, the threat of environmental damage can increase through human activities. For example, 70 percent of air pollution is caused by motorized vehicles.
The World Bank has estimated the waste disposed by humans at around two billion tons per year.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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