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Parallel Panel - Abstract Book

The world faces converging crises; climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion that threaten people, nature, and economies, with young people among the most vulnerable yet underrepresented in shaping solutions. Across Asia and the Pacific, early-career scientists are producing innovative research on food systems, energy, oceans, and climate resilience but often lack platforms to amplify their work and engage policymakers. 

To bridge this gap, WRI Indonesia will host the 1st International Young Environmental Scientists (YES) Conference on 2–3 December 2025, inviting early-career researchers, young professionals, and students to submit abstracts and join this unique opportunity to share ideas, present findings, and connect with policymakers, private sector, local communities, and civil society organizations. 

Conference Themes

The overarching theme of the 1st YES conference is entitled:  

"Building a Just and Climate-Resilient Future: Youth Innovation for People, Nature, and Climate”

This year’s theme emphasizes the importance of collaborative and inclusive approaches to solving the world’s environmental challenges. This brought a collective understanding that a just and resilient future can only be realized when solutions are co-created across sectors, disciplines, and communities while also centering the needs of people, protecting nature, and addressing the climate crisis holistically. Research as innovation is key to achieving systemic transformation that benefits both current and future generations.

This theme calls for young scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders to come together in shaping actionable ideas that uphold justice, strengthen resilience, and ensure the well-being of people and the planet.

The overarching themes will be discussed through six sub-themes:  

1. Sustainable Food Systems
  • 1.1: Improving food systems in Indonesia through sustainably-produced and locally-available terrestrial and/or aquatic protein sources
  • 1.2: Advancing behavior change strategies towards healthier diets and/or reduced food loss and waste
 
2. Sustainable Land and Water 
  • 2.1: Sustainable land and water management, technology and data governance
  • 2.2: Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate mitigation and adaptation
 
3. Enhancing Efforts in Climate Action and Adaptation
  • 3.1: Advancing Indonesia's economy through sustainable mineral mining and processing
  • 3.2: Integrating climate adaptation and resilience in development planning and budgeting
 
4. Sustainable Ocean Economy
  • 4.1: Ocean inclusive climate-economy actions (incl. marine spatial planning)
  • 4.2: Marine plastic pollution
 
5. Sustainable Management of Coastal Cities
  • 5.1: Policy reform for sustainable urban mobility in Indonesia cities
  • 5.2: Improving land use and housing planning and financing strategy in Indonesia
 
6. Transformation in Energy System
  • 6.1: Low carbon technology for industry
  • 6.2: New era of energy system planning

Call for Paper/Presenters

Are you 18-35 young environmental researchers from NGOs, research institutions, universities, or independent researchers? We are welcome you to submit an extended abstract no longer than 500 words, clearly outlining:

  • research purpose,  
  • approach,  
  • key findings, and  
  • relevance of their work to the conference theme or sub-themes.  

Both conceptual and empirical research are welcome, including policy analysis, case studies, and practice-based reflections.

Selected abstracts will be invited for oral or poster presentation during the conference. Presenters will also have the opportunity to contribute to a collective policy recommendation memo, synthesizing insights and key messages from the conference to inform future research and policy development. Selected papers will also be published in WRI Conference Proceedings.

Conference Agenda

Plenary Sessions

The Plenary Sessions will serve as the opening and anchoring forum of the conference. It will feature high-level speakers from WRI, global thought leaders, policymakers, and representatives from civil society and the private sector. The plenary aims to inspire, provoke thought, and establish a common ground for all participants before diving into more focused discussions. 

Parallel Panel Presentations

The Parallel Panel Presentations are the core of the scientific exchange in this conference. Selected participants from the Call for Abstracts will present their research and ideas. Sessions are designed to foster critical discussions, highlight innovative practices, and surface actionable insights that could inform future programs or policy directions. 

Poster Presentations

The Poster Presentation provides an additional space for young researcher particularly to showcase their work in a more visual and interactive format. Posters will be displayed throughout the venue, allowing participants to engage with the authors during dedicated poster sessions.  

Policy Recommendation Formulation Session 

One of the distinctive elements of this conference is policy recommendation co-creation session; a participatory, synthesis-driven event aimed at formulating a policy recommendation memo. This session will bring together selected participants, facilitators, and thematic experts to collaboratively extract key messages, emerging issues, and proposed solutions from the panels and discussions. 

Detailed Agenda will be published soon. 

Scientific Committee

Prof. Ir. Puji Lestari, Ph.D.
Dr.phil. Hendricus Andy Simarmata, IAP
Dr. Nirarta Samadhi
Dr. Arief Wijaya
Dr. Ahmad Dhiaulhaq