Repeated warnings of the climate change impacts have obtruded scientists, civil society and indigenous peoples to look for the initiative and solutions.  A thousand pace should be taken before the negative impacts booming in the world, notably global warming due to climate change.

Apparently, before solution s has been met, we have suffered the impacts. For instance, over flood, droughts, epidemic diseases, uncertain climate conditions are the occurring negative impacts because of climate change. So, it is very imperative to understood four focus of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which is Adaptation, Mitigation, Finance and Technology.

An effective strategy focusing on four strategies of UNFCCC is by environmental actions. Most of these actions will be very effective and efficient as including children and youth as agent of change. In Indonesia, there is a prominent event held by Yayasan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (YPB) in partnership with BNI and DAAI TV, namely CLIMATE SMART LEADERS (CSL).

Climate Smart Leaders  is annual program which encourage adolescent and young people studying in senior high school to university level to embody sustainable cities. Why should they achieve sustainable cities? The selected participants come from different city and regions ranging from Sabang to Merauke of Indonesia, with abundant complex environmental problems.  The participants as leaders for tackling climate change should be moved forward with creative and innovative projects to help solve these environmental problems in their cities. The environmental problems of every city in Indonesia are so comprehensive of each sectors, including forestry, agriculture, fishery, science, pasture, health, and so on. These cases are the challenges of us to next generations, especially for participants of CSL.

For instance, Jamaludin, undergraduate student of Tanjungpura University - Kalimantan, attempts to help his city by biofiltration system for household wastes Raditya Ahmad, undergraduate student of Diponegoro, has help Jepara?s local people lived in coastal area to establish seaweed park business and I Made, student of SMA N 1 Sumbawa, help his school and communities to increase awareness on planting tree by using simple media from used papers.

The program was held for a week in Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), where all of participants got insights and valuable information regarding climate change issues. Not only set theories, but also behavioral competency of the smart leaders should be embedded and applied in daily activities, especially while they will implement their projects. In addition, an acquired preach which was so meaningful was by opening mind to opening willing, climate leaders could settle up the problems of climate change.                   

An unforgettable story of each participant was when they met a notable former of Ministry of the Environment, Republic Indonesia which was Mr. H. Emil Salim. Most of them idealized the Environmental Minister of Republic of Indonesia due to his leadership and charismatic?s. We were challenged by Mr. Emil to change and alter the world and Indonesia of being better because we were the leaders of change. 

Reflecting the theories to projects, whether it was appropriate with Sustainable Law or not, is the most interesting way because we could make sure that the sustainability of our projects was real and not rigmarole thing. Actually, principles of sustainable law for renewable resources, non-renewable resources, and waste will define and determine the quality of humankind live. In the long term, sustainability of project will be in the line of sustainable development as ecological, social and economical aspects are benefited to the world mutually. 

The participants were able to analyze the long term effects of their projects, the analysis could be done by CLD (Casual Loop Diagram) and BOT (Behavioral Over Time). The analysis helped the participants to think systematically and then to decide and TAKE ACTIONS.

From the above, we believe that environment is not able to be separated in our realms. But they are correlated and we need the environment. We also believe that we can do by loving, we can love by doing.

By Achmad Solikhin