This is Adee from Indonesia speaking here. I’m a student in North Sumatra, and I have been a climate activist since 2022. Not because I chose to, but because I need to: one day I’ll have a family, and I want my children to have a beautiful future, free from fossil fuels. I hope they will be able to breathe clean air from coal, and that they will enjoy their lives in a safe climate.
Despite having a potential capacity of over 3.6 million MW in solar energy, Indonesia has only tapped a fraction of that. Renewable sources contribute a mere 2% to our energy mix, while coal mines keep emitting a huge amount of methane, endangering biodiversity and putting our health and livelihoods at risk due to air, water and land contamination.
Years ago, I was in a demonstration in the streets of Medan when someone approached me and asked me to join their upcoming protest – it was part of a campaign against a coal power plant. So I did, and never left the anti-coal movement after that!
This community was Yayasan Srikandi Lestari. After the protest, I decided to visit them to see what was happening with my own eyes. The health impacts were glaring, that community was really suffering. And even if the connection to our global climate was evident to me, it was not for them.
This year I was invited by 350.org to join the Asia Solidarity Lab, together with 21 other young climate activists from 11 Asian countries. This experience was instrumental for my activism – it was a unique opportunity to deepen my skills and hear from a beautiful network of junior activists like me about the strategies they used to engage with their communities.
I learned that the challenges I was facing in communicating about the importance of not only leaving coal, but also advocating for wider clean energy policies were shared by others – and that when we talk about climate justice, we need to understand how that connects to people’s everyday lives.
Our communities have a profound understanding of their local context and needs. The Asia Solidarity Lab provided me with theoretical knowledge and practical tools to get back to Yayasan Srikandi Lestari and partner with them in establishing the connections between their daily lives and the climate crisis. It’s not just about adopting renewable energy, it’s about taking a stand against environmental degradation, pushing for economic stability and ensuring energy independence.
The coal power plant was not only impacting their health, but also their livelihoods. So we worked to address that: we installed solar panels in two Islamic schools – which already helped them to save money with electricity and helped us to showcase the potential of energy transition. Now, we are about to install more solar panels in another school by the end of this year!
You can help grow our movement for a safer climate and future! Funding initiatives like the Asia Solidarity Lab is crucial to ensure a strong and resourceful network working in support and with our communities. I count on your support!