Ibas Highlights Six Priorities for Indonesia’s Climate Change Bill

Climate policy must do more than sit in the statute book, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono said in Jakarta. It must become a working instrument of the state, protecting citizens, safeguarding the environment and allowing the economy to grow.

The deputy speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly and chairman of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary faction made the appeal at a national forum organized by the faction. The discussion brought together parliamentarians, government representatives, academics, researchers, civil society groups, businesses and young people to consider the direction of Indonesia’s climate policy.

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When food prices are affected by extreme weather, that is a climate issue. When fishermen struggle to predict the weather, that is a climate issue. When floods, droughts, fires or heatwaves increasingly disrupt life, that is also a climate issue.

Yudhoyono argued that climate change is no longer an issue confined to international meetings or academic institutions. Its effects are already reaching daily life, from changing weather patterns to threats facing food supplies, employment, the environment and communities in different regions.

“When food prices are affected by extreme weather, that is a climate issue. When fishermen struggle to predict the weather, that is a climate issue. When floods, droughts, fires or heatwaves increasingly disrupt life, that is also a climate issue,” he said.

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When we talk about climate change, we are actually talking about the state’s constitutional duty to protect and ensure the welfare of the people.

He described climate policy as part of the state’s constitutional duty to protect and improve people’s welfare. “When we talk about climate change, we are actually talking about the state’s constitutional duty to protect and ensure the welfare of the people,” Yudhoyono said.

He rejected the idea that environmental protection must be set against economic growth, referring to Article 33, paragraph 4, of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution. The provision calls for an economy based on democratic principles, fair efficiency, sustainability, environmental awareness, self-reliance and balanced national development. “The environment and welfare are not two choices. Our Constitution has already shown the way: the economy must grow, growth must be fair, development must be sustainable and the environment must be protected,” he said.

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The environment and welfare are not two choices. Our Constitution has already shown the way: the economy must grow, growth must be fair, development must be sustainable and the environment must be protected.