CIRCLE Climate Discussion #1: Mapping and Enriching Our Climate Dictionary for Productive Climate Discourse
Resouce Persons:
- Ari W Adipramoto (Climate Reality Indonesia)
- Solahudin (Arkom Jogja)
- Rio Ananda (Fridays for Future Ina)
Pedestrian Jogja and CIRCLE Indonesia launched their collaboration on October 18th, 2023 by organizing the first Youth and Climate Justice discussion titled Diskusi LIngkaran Iklim 1#: Mapping and Enriching Our Climate Dictionary for Productive Climate Discourse”. The objective of the discussion was to equip the youth with relevant vocabulary that is necessary to develop the discourse within the emerging movement. The theme of “climate dictionary” was chosen to facilitate productive climate discussions among the participants. This event was organized in the form of a roundtable discussion, where the invited speakers shared their experiences, and the participants were given equal opportunities to speak and practice their newly learned terminology.
The discussion started with an introduction by CIRCLE Indonesia, to greet the speakers and express their aim of promoting youth participation in the climate movement. Three main speakers from different climate organisations, representing various groups of young people, were invited to the event. Representing young professionals, Ari W Adipramoto (Advocacy Manager at Climate Reality Indonesia) and Solahudin (Climate Action Coordinator at Arkom Indonesia) provided their insights on the national and local climate movement. During the event, Rio Ananda A, who is a Fridays for Future Local Coordinator, talked about the organization’s experience in teaching children about climate change. He also introduced their latest project, which is a book authored by Fridays for Future. The book aims to introduce young children to climate change. The participants of the event were students from junior high school to university level, including some members of KOPHI (Koalisi Pemuda Hijau Indonesia) Jogja – another youth-led environmental community.
During the main session moderated by Abiyyi Yahya H from Pedestrian Jogja, participants were engaged in a discussion using Mentimeter. Initially, the participants were asked to mention the climate change terminology that they were already familiar with. Many terms were brought up; however, the discussion focused on terms that were not commonly known among the audience. The terms, including non-traditional security and loss of entities, were discussed in detail with Ari, Solahudin, and Rio giving their commentary. During the discussion, the impact of climate change on biodiversity and its effects on national security were highlighted. It was pointed out that climate change not only affects food security and sovereignty but also has wide-ranging impacts on various sectors. Furthermore, the participants were asked about any cases of climate injustices that they were aware of. One issue that stood out was how land clearing impacted vulnerable groups and exacerbated climate change through deforestation.
At the end of the discussion, the moderator asked all the participants to share their final thoughts. Abiyyi addressed the diverse age range present at the event, including the younger and older participants. Two junior high school students expressed their excitement about learning new terms and lessons during the event and showed their interest in delving deeper into the climate movement. Meanwhile, the representative from CIRCLE Indonesia emphasized the significance of living in harmony with the environment. Overall, both the speakers and participants were enthusiastic about the opportunity to collaborate that this event provided.
