Balikpapan, May 22, 2022
- The Third Y20 Indonesia Pre-Summit Forum on the issue of a sustainable and livable planet continues on Sunday (22/5/2022) with discussions on the circular economy.
We use natural resources to produce goods that will eventually be discarded in the concept of a linear economy. This make-use-waste pattern only leads to overconsumption and waste production. It is time to break this cycle by implementing a circular economy based on sustainable production and consumption.
This year's Third Pre-Summit Y20 Indonesia features a circular economy talk show. It is hoped that the insights provided will aid the young delegates in developing policy recommendations for the G20 leaders, particularly those related to the environment.
Alesya Krit (Center of Competence for Climate Change, Environment, and Noise Protection at Aviation Hessen), Joi Danielson (Partner at Systemiq), Ke Wang (Program Lead at Platform for Accelerating Circular Economy), and Mohammad Bijaksana Junerosano were among the guests on the talk show (CEO and Founder). Waste4Change), moderated by environmental economist Andhyta F. Utami.
Alesya emphasized the importance of thinking locally in order to promote sustainable consumption. "We must think locally and adapt (the solution) to the destination area's social and cultural dimensions. Then, develop a normative perspective and invite coworkers, friends, and residents to become acquainted with a new mindset. For example, the TikTok challenge," Alesya said on the Y20 Indonesia Third Pre-Summit talk show.
According to Joi Danielson, before going in depth into the circular economy debate, we must first examine consumption patterns. According to her, because humans are afraid of scarcity,
we consume more than is necessary. She went on to say that in a consumption-based economy, the more consumed, the higher the GDP.
"As a result, our system is based on excessive consumption. We can persuade people to consume only what they require if we can make them feel they have enough. With this, we can begin to break the consumption cycle" Joi elaborated.
Ke Wang said something similar. According to her, raising public awareness of the circular economy can result in behavioral and policy changes.
"Because politicians pay attention to people's desires. However, public awareness of the circular economy remains low. This is where young people can make a difference. The younger generation has demonstrated that they are critical in raising public awareness of climate change." Ke Wang explained.
According to Junerosano, the current world population is 7.9 billion people. If we want to change without resorting to violence, we must persuade 4% of the population. This means that there are ten million people in Indonesia who need to be persuaded of the benefits of the circular economy.
"It's not always easy. Environmental damage occurs at a faster rate than solutions. We must consider how to expedite the solution. Most importantly, we must believe that by working together, we can affect change" Junerosano clarified.
About Y20
Indonesia was selected to host a meeting of G20 member countries as well as a G20 youth meeting known as Youth 20 (Y20). Indonesian Youth Diplomacy (IYD), a youth non-profit organization, became the official host to welcome Y20 delegates from various countries.
Four priority areas will be carried out in this event: youth employment, digital transformation, a sustainable and livable planet, and diversity and inclusion. Before the 2022 Y20 Indonesia Summit, four Pre-Summits will be held in four cities in Indonesia: Palembang in March, Lombok in April, Balikpapan in May, and Manokwari in June. The highlight of the Y20 Indonesia 2022 Summit is scheduled to take place in DKI Jakarta and Bandung.
The Pre-Summit in Balikpapan provides a forum for young domestic and international leaders to discuss and exchange ideas on topics that focus on sustainable and livable planet priority areas, especially regarding safe guarding nature and circular economy.
