‘Still a lot of work’: climate activist Melati Wijsen on what Hong Kong can learn from her fight to ban plastic in Bali

“Starting at 10 and 12 years old, every time we’d enter a room, people would say, ‘Oh how cute’,” said the 22-year-old climate activist of Indonesian and Dutch descent. “We have to try extra, extra hard, and we overcome those challenges through leading by example.”

In 2018, Bali announced a ban on single-use plastic including straws, plastic bags and styrofoam. Despite setbacks due to pandemic-related plastic use, the island has been taking action to get back on track with solving its plastic pollution problem.

According to a 2021 World Bank report, Indonesia generates about 7.8 million tons of plastic waste annually. But it is working towards cutting marine plastic debris by 70 per cent by 2025 and ending plastic pollution by 2040.

Named one of Time magazine’s most influential teens in 2018, Wijsen has spoken at the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, pressuring governments and companies to take action on climate change.

On a recent visit to Hong Kong, the change-maker spoke to Young Post about her journey as an activist and the dreams that she has for the future.

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After graduating from secondary school in 2019, Wijsen embarked on a journey to meet other young change-makers for a documentary called Bigger Than Us, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021.

The other activists featured in the film – who hail from Greece, Malawi, Lebanon, Brazil, Uganda and the US – are dedicated to advocating environmental causes, education for refugees, food security and women’s rights.

For Wijsen, the documentary helped reignite her drive.

“I had been campaigning for so long without seeing enough systemic changes happen on a big enough scale – I was frustrated,” she said.

“I needed to find my community. I wanted to learn from other youth how they were creating change and how they kept on going.”

One powerful scene in the documentary finds Wijsen walking along train tracks with Memory Banda, a 24-year-old activist from Malawi committed to raising the legal age of marriage from 15 to 18 to protect girls in her country from forced marriage.

Wijsen recalled: “She told us that she feels like a big sister for all of these girls that go through a lot of trauma, and she has to be there and show up in support of them.”

“Getting to work with all these change-makers around the world shows me again that we are not alone. There are thousands of young people and companies who are willing to lead by example and create change ... like what we’re doing here in Hong Kong.”

Last month, Wijsen attended the International Sustainable Development Film Festival organised by the French International School of Hong Kong.

During the festival, the activist answered questions from Hong Kong youth after a screening of her documentary and led empowerment workshops for 60 students.

As this was her first visit to Hong Kong, Wijsen recalled being mesmerised by how nature was woven into the city’s modern way of living while she rode the train.

“That is an ideal setting for anybody to fall in love with nature because of how accessible it is ... I was very inspired and excited to get out into nature here in Hong Kong,” she said.

But the environmentalist also noticed the prevalence of single-use plastic in the city.

“I was also very surprised at the same time to see, walking down the street, how much single-use plastic is in the stores, whether it be in a traditional 7-Eleven or in one of the local stalls,” she said.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in ... how we can change our mindset on the use of these single-use items.”

When asked how to improve Hong Kong’s climate policy, Wijsen stressed the need to include youth voices.

“Invite more young people into the decision-making rooms even if young people are not having the final vote,” she said. “Our job is not to make the rules, but inviting people into these rooms, for discussion, for debate, for inspiration, for pushing that urgency.”

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A 2021 survey of 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 from 10 countries around the world found more than half reported feeling very or extremely worried about climate change. More than 45 per cent said their feelings about climate change had adversely affected their daily lives.

Wijsen shared that climate anxiety was a “daily experience” for many young people, including herself – “especially when I interact with traditional institutions or leaders who remain ‘business as usual’.”

Still, Wijsen noted that surrounding herself with like-minded people kept her hopeful and added that climate anxiety helped drive the youth climate movement.

“Many of my close friends and change-makers I work with often share that they would rather spend more money, time and loyalty to brands that are doing right by the planet,” she pointed out.

In 2020, Wijsen launched Youthtopia, a platform offering young people free training on how to make change.

Her advice for other young climate activists is to “recognise that one person cannot do everything, and change takes time”.

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“Be gentle and be kind to yourself; align with others and create that support system around you,” she said.

Wijsen pointed out a phrase in Balinese philosophy, “Tri Hita Karana”, which emphasises harmony between community, nature and mankind. She noted the climate crisis was a result of an imbalance in these elements.

“It’s a throwaway culture that we have created for ourselves where we are not thinking about the consequences of our actions and how it impacts the long-term sustainability and health of our planet,” Wijsen said.

“I dream of a world without single-use plastic.”