IMM Central Java Hosts Climate and Environmental Conference

The Central Java Regency Board (DPD) of the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM) organized its first international-level conference, the International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change (IMMESC) 2024. The conference was held in a hybrid format at the Seminar Room of the Postgraduate Building, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), and via Zoom Meeting, on Wednesday (17/1).

Chairman of DPD IMM Central Java, Untung Prasetyo Iham, S.S., stated that this conference serves as an effort by students and environmental activists to prevent the worsening of the global situation caused by climate change.

“This agenda is one form of our collective intellectual endeavor. It is an intellectual journey for IMM colleagues to take a step forward in discussing how we can participate in or generate ideas on how to mitigate climate change,” he said.

As the keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Endah Saptutyningsih, S.E., M.Si., from the Council for Environmental Preservation  of Muhammadiyah Central Board and Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, spoke about the role of civil society.

“Civil society can stimulate grassroots movements and raise public awareness,” she stated.

She explained that civil society plays a crucial role in educating the public about the urgent issue of climate change. It can also serve as a driving force in shaping policy through advocacy.

The conference also featured Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rizka, S.Ag., M.H., a lecturer in Environmental Law at the Faculty of Law, UMS. She presented on environmental protection and management in Indonesia.

Group photo of DPD IMM Central Java after the IMMESC 2024 conference held at the Postgraduate Building Seminar Room (17/1/2024).

The next speaker was Abdullah Al Mamun, B.Sc., M.Sc., an environmental and health researcher from Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. The third speaker was Dr. (C). Moh. Indra Bangsawan, S.H., M.H., Head of the Environmental Preservation Division of DPD IMM Central Java, who discussed the future of environmental justice.

Indra Bangsawan, as the organizer, shared the reason behind holding the conference.

“We need to build collective awareness to formulate strategic steps in facing the current global climate change threat. We must also contribute to maintaining environmental sustainability for future generations,” said Indra.

Indra added that efforts can start on an individual level by adopting 3R habits (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), or on a collective level by organizing empowerment programs or environmental education, just like what IMM is doing through this conference.

“The hope is that what they’ve done can serve as notes and input in preparing ourselves and improving matters related to climate change and environmental protection,” he stated.

A total of 31 articles were submitted to IMMESC 2024, including contributions from international authors who shared ideas related to sustainable development and climate change. These articles will later be published in an international proceedings book.

In organizing this conference, UMS collaborated with the UMS Law Doctoral Program in, the Scientific Study Group of Man Intellectus Bonum (Macnum) Legal Studies, and IMM Ahmad Dahlan Commissariat of the Faculty of Law UMS.

Writer: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid