The People’s Alliance for Climate Justice (ARUKI) has urged the House of Representatives (DPR) to accelerate the deliberation and ratification of the Climate Justice Bill. ARUKI has also launched the Academic Manuscript for the Bill, as announced during a people’s march following the Indonesia Climate Justice Summit (ICJS) held on Aug. 26 to 28, 2025.
Responding to this, Dr. Linda Yanti Sulistiawati, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FH UGM), emphasized that the Climate Justice Bill represents a crucial effort to address the impacts of climate change on communities.
She pointed out, however, that significant gaps remain in climate change governance at both the national and regional levels. This, she argued, makes collaboration with local governments and other stakeholders essential.
According to Dr. Sulistiawati, a specific legal framework on climate change, or what is often referred to as climate justice, is urgently needed, as Indonesia currently lacks a dedicated law regulating this issue.
At the subnational level, Dr. Sulistiawati noted that regulations addressing climate change remain very limited. In most cases, climate impacts are only considered a priority when linked to disaster risk management.
As a result, without priority status, funding is rarely allocated, and implementation cannot proceed effectively.
“Although there are still local initiatives, the absence of a legal framework makes governance difficult,” she explained on Thursday (Sep. 11).
She further highlighted knowledge gaps between national and local levels, noting that climate change governance in Indonesia is often tied to short-term projects.
Meanwhile, the issues addressed in the proposed Climate Justice Bill primarily concern communities that should receive protection and prioritization in terms of funding and services.
For this reason, Dr. Sulistiawati stressed the importance of ensuring broad public participation in the drafting of the Bill.
“Subnational regulations also need to be strengthened in line with those at the national level,” she concluded.
Author: Alena
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Illustration: Freepik