GEN-B: Mangroves Showcase Determination to Reduce Personal Emissions

Jakarta, March 27, 2024– A procession of individuals in moss green attire filled the streets around Gambir, Central Jakarta. Their attire bore the insignia of Generasi Energi Bersih (GEN-B) or Clean Energy Generation, and some carried placards encouraging onlookers to curb their personal emissions. With youthful faces, approximately 350 individuals gathered to address emissions contributing to the global climate crisis.

Supported by the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Generasi Energi Bersih (GEN-B) South Jakarta in collaboration with GEN-B Jakarta, and Pertamina University’s Heuri Cosmos Research and Scientific Work Student Activity Unit, rallied the youth of Jakarta. Engaging in a leisurely march, they endeavored to reduce emissions by planting mangroves, departing from Gambir and converging on the mangrove ecotourism area at Pantai Indah Kapuk (4/3).

Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR participated in the mangrove planting initiative. He stated that GEN-B initiated the activity, utilizing jejakkarbon.id to calculate daily emissions. GEN-B members then pooled funds and donations for carbon offsetting, including mangrove planting.

“Mangrove planting embodies the tangible concern of our youth, acknowledging their daily activities’ contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to awareness, they offset emissions through simple actions like turning off lights and minimizing waste. Planting mangroves aims to absorb emissions from the atmosphere,” explained Fabby.

Fabby expressed hope for similar initiatives nationwide, as GEN-B has expanded to nine cities across the country, including Bandung, Yogyakarta, Bali, and Bogor.

“Embracing emission reduction can be a shared ethos among GEN-B members. They serve as information sources and inspiration, fostering a generation aware of emission reduction to avert a climate crisis,” Fabby emphasized.

Riko Andriawan, Chairman of GEN-B South Jakarta, noted that planting 350 mangrove seedlings could significantly aid emission absorption.

“Emission reduction doesn’t require extravagance; it begins with self-awareness. Simple steps like using public transport, minimizing disposable plastics, and conserving electricity can contribute. Younger generations must grasp global warming and emission reduction concepts,” stated Riko.

Maya Lynn, GEN-B Indonesia Chairperson, underscored that the foremost challenge arises from individual actions.

“Awareness of our carbon footprint must start within. Websites like jejakkarbonku.id allow us to quantify our emissions, fostering consciousness about our environmental impact.”

Nur Azizah, representing Research and Scientific Work  Student Activity Unit Heuri Cosmos Universitas Pertamina, lauded the collaboration with GEN-B South Jakarta as a commendable opportunity. Their advocacy for renewable energy and emission reduction through research found tangible expression in mangrove planting, contributing to a greener planet.

Playing Snakes and Ladders While Counting our Carbon Footprint in Alun-Alun Eropa

Jakarta, 16 May 2023 – Jejakkarbonku together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH or GIZ participated in Alun-Alun Eropa, an event organized by the European Union on 6 May 2023. The festival is part of the celebrations for Europe Day, which is the European Union’s ‘national day’.

At the festival, Jejakkarbonku presented the experience of calculating our carbon footprint by playing Snakes and Ladders. Many visitors are enthusiastic about trying out the game. Whether young or old, they are very excited and entertained when playing games together with the group.

In the Snakes and Ladders game, there are several challenges in the form of questions and education about carbon footprint. When playing the game participants are asked to roll the dice and walk down the block of Snakes and Ladders according to the number they get. Then if the game participants are in a block with a challenge, they are asked to answer it and get additional points. But there are also pitfalls, with blocks stating that the participant is not saving energy, the participant must go down to a lower block number. So that while playing the game, participants can also increase their knowledge regarding carbon footprint activities.

In addition, Jejakkarbonku also provides socialization to find out the carbon footprint of visitors through a carbon footprint calculator barcode scan. There were around 100 visitors who stopped by to interact with the Jejakkarbonku.id team. Of the many visitors, some just found out that their activities contributed a lot of carbon.

They were enthusiastic enough to ask about their daily activities and the use of vehicles or household appliances that contribute to the carbon footprint. Apart from that, the visitors also looked enthusiastic just by playing household games in groups.

Jejakkarbonku.id is a platform-based carbon emission/footprint calculator. Communities can start routinely calculating their daily carbon footprint activities simply and easily through this platform. So hopefully in the future, people can measure their daily level of carbon reduction every day.

Translator: Regina Felicia Larasati

How do Your Activities Contribute to Global Warming?

Save the earth

Jakarta, December 21, 2022 – Based on data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 3,207 natural disasters in Indonesia occurred from the beginning of 2022 to last November 2022. Moreover, at least 95 percent are hydrometeorological disasters or disasters caused by weather activity, such as floods, landslides, and extreme weather. Not only that, BNPB noted that more than 3,000 disasters were occurring throughout 2021, dominated by hydrometeorological events, which were exacerbated by the La Nina phenomenon (decreasing sea water temperature in the Pacific Ocean). The impact of climate change also triggered the disaster.

The United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explains that global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s surface due to increased levels of greenhouse gasses. Launching the official National Geographic page, the increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface is produced by the radiation of sunlight entering the earth’s atmosphere. Some light becomes heat energy from infrared rays absorbed by the air and the earth’s surface. Some of the infrared rays are reflected into the atmosphere and captured by greenhouse gasses, mainly carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides, which cause the earth’s temperature to increase.

Based on the latest report of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), global warming could be terrible in 2100 if climate change due to the earth’s high carbon emissions is ignored. People must carry out efforts to reduce global carbon emissions immediately and massively to overcome them. Moreover, Indonesia ranks fifth as the country with the most cumulative carbon emissions globally, reaching 102,562 GtCO2 in 2021, based on the Carbon Brief report. It shows that Indonesia also plays a role in global environmental change.

Global warming has quite a harmful effect on living things. For example, global warming makes the glaciers melt and causes the land to turn into the sea because the volume of water increases. If global warming continues, only some of the ice at the poles may melt. A study conducted by the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) estimates that at least 115 small islands in Indonesia are on the verge of sinking. It is caused by sea level rise and land subsidence. The research and advocacy organization Climate Central calculates that a one-meter rise in sea level will flood the north coast of the island of Java, one of the world’s most populous islands. This is due to the low slope of the coastal plain (between 0 and 20 degrees). When global warming is not suppressed, humans will find it challenging to find a place to live if the volume of water continues to increase.

Mitigation efforts are a necessity so that the earth remains sustainable. Steps to slow down global warming and climate change include minimizing the activities that cause these problems. To carry out mitigation, as an individual, it is better to know what actions can impact global warming. IESR launched the Jejakkarbonku.id Carbon Calculator in August 2022. The Jejakkarbonku. id carbon calculator provides calculations of emissions from 3 sectors such as households, food, and transportation. In addition, IESR continues to maintain competition features to encourage more robust enthusiasm for reducing emissions. The highest rating means the emissions produced are more negligible.