by Steve Leonard Harison
Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy and one of its largest carbon emitters. These facts make me think whether the two are actually correlated. Some of us might think of deforestation, trans-boundary haze, illegal logging, peat fire and such when we think about Indonesia’s effects on climate change. But as an activist, I could say that my country is progressing towards better ways of protecting the environment – although it still far from what should be expected. Certainly, it needs to be addressed not only by the government as policy-maker, but also the economic sectors, academic and research institutions, non-governmental organizations, and last but not least – the youth as supporting stakeholders.
As one of Asia’s democracy powerhouses, Indonesia is recognized as an emerging role model for other ASEAN member countries, and Islamic countries in the Middle East. Though our democracy still far from the perfect one, it still moves dynamically with its challenges and threats. Our policy making is now becoming decentralized, and provincial governments are becoming key-players just as much as the national government. This condition actually has a double meaning: more opportunities to give into pressures and gaining influences about betterment on certain issues, and on the other hand, more power abuse and corruption in implementing policies.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDONESIA’S DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM
Regarding the implementation of Pancasila (national philosophy)-based democracy, many issues are competing to be prioritized in core policy-making process at all levels (national, provincial, city, and district). Some of it are going to be peripheral which includes climate change, unfortunately. It might be proven by insignificant portion in several provincial budget on climate-related sectors. But once climate-related disasters come, the provincial government ask help from the national government and international stakeholders to cover recovery and reconstruction and policy support.
The interdependence between democracy and climate change could be found in national policy schemes. Generally, Indonesia’s democracy is at the crossroad between the efficient and the inefficient, and action will depend on the current administration’s strategies and action plans.
Previous administration led by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) were fully concerned in climate change, and made it as one of top national priority issues. The result is quite magnificent based on national and international appraisals. In this regard, leadership is an important factor in the correlation between democracy and climate change. The background of our political leader will determine the direction of our national policy processes including on climate change issues.
Climate change in Indonesia has become a popular issue since 2007 when the country hosted UNFCCC in Bali. Reformation in environmental policy system started and specially prioritized in our national development plans. Thanks to democracy that has been facilitating towards more open, integrative, and participatory climate change policy system. Accordingly, democracy with good leadership also enables Indonesia to set clear goals on emission cuts based on recommendations and inputs from various stakeholders. More specifically, democracy also provides great supports for many stakeholders in organizing climate change-related agendas such as conference, forum, exhibition, training, workshop, etc both domestic and international level. It will reflects that freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of thinking, freedom of expression which included in life of democracy could makes climate change movements more vibrant and influential. Simply, participation is the best element that democracy can gives to climate change which contextually in Indonesia it has been massive and substantial.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS OUTSIDE INDONESIA
On another hand, countries such as Vietnam and Brunei are having their own policy schemes in addressing climate change without heavily depend on their leaders’ background as happened in democratic countries. They centralize it under one national authority without any compromise with lower level governments in policy making process.
China is also doing the same. Non-democratic countries even looks get better result than the democratic one because it is more efficient and less-time consuming in policy making and implementation. But the weakness is their policy system is typically closed and stagnant without substantive supports and aspirations from their peoples and stakeholders as found in democratic countries. Taking into account Asia’s diverse political systems, the core matter is still how climate change could be addressed effectively and holistically for the sake of the people’s needs and the urgency in the region.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE YOUTH
Nowadays, talking about any issue, youth is indispensable from the process and solution. Youth become the most important player in driving the world towards its future. At global level, United Nations (UN) already fully recognizes the importance of youth involvement and participation for development. At regional level, ASEAN, SAARC, and GCC already set their own approaches on youth. The most important one is at national level, how youth are engaged actively and meaningfully in resolving development-related problems including climate change.
In mostly Asian countries youth participation is an ordinary thing to see, but the extraordinary in Indonesia is young peoples are beginning to take their own actions and initiatives independently and influentially. Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. The land is connected by seas and straits, and the culture is also abundant and diverse. The youth awareness of climate change and environmental issues rose up by expansive free flow of information directly or indirectly. It is not easy to encourage young Indonesians to embrace climate change as their concern and priority action because of unjust internet connectivity, and different education and cultural systems throughout the country. But many achievements and solutions already emerged such as production of electric city cars, innovation on bio-methane stove, micro-hydro electric generator, developing handicrafts, cultural products and fashion items which using reusable components, and many more.
Again, those mentioned will not impact much due to uncertainty on policy and budget support nationally from the central government. To be honest, half-mature democracy like Indonesia still heavily depend on political approval by legislatures, so that the lobbying power is strongly needed to address climate change as top national priority. This phenomenon might be founded in other similar countries where democracy purposed to serve economic development as first priority than environmental protection.
Strategic roles that should be played by youth are through 3P: Participation, Projects, and Policy. The scheme is as follows:
Despite the difference of democracy maturity in many Asian countries, youth must at the peak of pyramidal process such above graphed. Strong engagement and active involvement would be much very critical in answering the challenges and threats posed by climate change in our own country. Last but not least, as youth, we have to gain more and more influence both in leadership and in lobby so that we will be able to really understand about the correlation between democracy and climate change.
References:
– Boll Thema, The Magazine of the Heinrich Boll Foundation Number 2, 2009. Climate Change and Justice: On the Road to Copenhagen.
http://www.boell.de/sites/default/files/BoellThema_english_2-09.pdf
– The Future of Democracy in the Face of Climate Change, Paper Five. Halina Ward. January 2012. London: Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development.
– Deliberative Democracy and Global Climate Governance. John Dryzek.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/C2G2/media/Stockholm-Soton/Dryzek%20NW-Harvard.pdf
– An Inconvenient Democracy: Knowledge and Climate Change. Nico Stehr. Social Science and Public Policy. 2012. New York: Springer.
Asian Youth Climate Network 