[Jakarta, 31 January 2025] — The People’s Alliance for Climate Justice (ARUKI) strongly criticizes the recent remarks made by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, who questioned Indonesia’s continued commitment to the Paris Agreement in a public statement titled “Even the US Withdrew—Why Should We Continue?” (30 January 2025).
ARUKI views this statement as yet another indication of the government’s apathy toward the suffering of communities affected by the climate crisis, as well as its disregard for Indonesia’s legal and moral obligations to uphold the right to a clean and healthy environment. Rather than addressing the escalating climate emergency, the government continues to prioritize economic policies rooted in extractivism and resource exploitation, the very causes of the crisis.
The Paris Agreement is a landmark global accord, built upon decades of struggle to demand accountability from industrialized nations and to safeguard the rights of people in developing countries like Indonesia. Minister Bahlil’s claim that the United States is the “driving force” behind the Paris Agreement is factually incorrect. Any consideration of withdrawing from the agreement would be a regressive, unwise move that would damage Indonesia’s credibility in the international community.
“This statement reflects both a fundamental misunderstanding of the climate crisis and an unwillingness by the government to prioritize climate justice,” said Giorgio B. Indrarto, Deputy Director of Madani Berkelanjutan.
Failing to fulfill Indonesia’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement would constitute a clear violation of legal obligations. Indonesia ratified the Paris Agreement through Law No. 16/2016 and operationalized it through Presidential Regulation No. 98/2021. In addition, Law No. 32/2009 mandates the government to address environmental and climate issues. Citing other countries’ withdrawal as justification for backtracking not only undermines those legal responsibilities but also violates the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, especially in holding industrial nations accountable.
Minister Bahlil’s remarks ignore the widespread suffering and irreversible losses faced by frontline communities. Turning away from the Paris Agreement means abandoning millions of vulnerable Indonesians, especially women, children, Indigenous peoples, and the poor who are already bearing the brunt of climate-induced disasters. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed that global temperatures have exceeded 1.5°C for the first time in recorded history. In Indonesia, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported over 6,827 climate- and weather-related disasters from 2023–2024, affecting more than 13 million people.
“Indonesia’s potential withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would have catastrophic consequences: losing access to international climate finance, eroding global trust in our sustainability commitments, and undermining civil society’s environmental advocacy efforts.
Weakening our climate commitments is a betrayal of the millions of Indonesians whose lives depend on a healthy environment,” said Indira Hapsari of YAPPIKA (Foundation for People’s Participation, Initiatives, and Partnerships).
ARUKI’s grassroots consultations across 13 provinces reveal that vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected by climate impacts. Youth, farmers, fishers, women, persons with disabilities, informal workers, urban poor, and Indigenous peoples have experienced displacement, loss of land and income, and in some cases, forced migration due to climate-related disasters.
A withdrawal would also imply that the Indonesian government refuses to acknowledge the differentiated impacts of the climate crisis on women, children, and marginalized communities despite such recognition being enshrined in the Paris Agreement. “Minister Bahlil’s statement illustrates the government’s failure to recognize that climate impacts are not experienced equally. Yet vulnerable groups face what the UN calls a triple planetary crisis,” said Torry Kuswardono, Executive Director of Yayasan PIKUL. “Upholding climate justice through the Paris Agreement is essential to protecting our people from this escalating crisis.”
This statement reflects the government’s enduring preference for economic development centered on resource extraction, particularly coal over environmental protection and people’s well-being. Coal is undeniably a key driver of the climate crisis. Rather than committing to a just coal phase-out, the government continues to prioritize coal as a primary energy source.
“The continued justification for coal usage ignores its deep contradictions with climate justice and undermines the responsibility of industrialized nations to repay their ecological debt,” said Risma Umar, Executive Director of Aksi! for Gender, Social, and Ecological Justice.
“Framing energy sovereignty around coal is deeply flawed. This extractivist approach has worsened community vulnerabilities, especially for women and children. Pursuing energy sovereignty while externalizing the negative impacts of coal on the people amounts to an active violation of their right to a healthy environment,” added Syaharani from the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL).
Renewable energy, especially community-based initiatives, offers a more sustainable and just pathway to energy sovereignty, Syaharani continued. “Weakening climate commitments while promoting a misguided notion of energy ‘sovereignty’ risks triggering further deforestation through so-called green energy projects like large-scale bioenergy plantations. This is already evident in the newly launched Food and Energy Reserve Forest program. The government must reframe energy sovereignty within a just and sustainable energy transition,” said Amalya Reza Oktaviani from Trend Asia.
Therefore, ARUKI urges the Government of Indonesia to:
- Fully implement the Paris Agreement through concrete measures, including setting a clear timeline for the early retirement of coal-fired power plants;
- Facilitate and accelerate an inclusive and just transition to renewable energy, ensuring access to clean energy for all;
- Place climate justice at the heart of all climate and development policies, ensuring that vulnerable groups are not left behind;
- Expedite the deliberation of the Climate Justice Bill (RUU Keadilan Iklim), which has entered the National Legislative Program, and ensure meaningful public participation—particularly from vulnerable groups—to demonstrate Indonesia’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis and safeguarding its people and the planet.
Attachment:
Contact Person: Omen Bagaskara (+62 853-1445-1953)
About ARUKI (People’s Alliance for Climate Justice):
ARUKI is an alliance of civil society organizations established on 20 November 2023. The alliance includes the following civil society organizations:
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup (Walhi) Eksekutif Nasional, Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), Kemitraan, Yayasan Penguatan Lingkar Belajar Komunitas Lokal (PIKUL), Madani Berkelanjutan, Yayasan Penguatan Partisipasi, Inisiatif, dan kemitraan Masyarakat Indonesia (YAPPIKA), Yayasan Pusaka, Aksi! For Gender Social Ecological Justice, Koalisi Rakyat untuk Kedaulatan Pangan (KRKP), Solidaritas Perempuan, TUK Indonesia, Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI), Koaksi Indonesia, 350.org Indonesia, ELS FH Univ. Indonesia, Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN), Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria (KPA), Kesatuan
Nelayan Tradisional Indonesia (KNTI), Koalisi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Perikanan (KIARA), Perhimpunan Jiwa Sehat (PJS), Himpunan Wanita Disabilitas Indonesia, Climate Ranger (CR) Jakarta, XR Indonesia, Koprol Iklim, DPP Kasbi, PSHK, Trend Asia, Walhi Jakarta, Celios, Perkumpulan Huma.
ARUKI was established to advocate for the enactment of a Climate Justice Law, envisioned as the highest legal instrument to foster collaboration and harmonization in addressing the climate crisis.
ARUKI’s vision is to drive systemic transformation in the Indonesian state to realize climate justice grounded in the principles of equity, democracy, and sustainability. Its mission includes:
- Building people’s power to advance climate justice;
- Pushing for systemic democratic reforms to uphold climate justice;
- Expanding the climate justice movement at local, national, regional, and global levels.
ARUKI operates through three working groups:
- Substance and Academic Drafting Working Group – develops climate justice narratives and translates position papers into an academic manuscript for the Climate Justice Bill (RUU Keadilan Iklim);
- People’s Organizing Working Group – raises awareness among affected communities and mobilizes grassroots participation in the pursuit of climate justice;
- Advocacy and Strategic Communication Working Group – bridges grassroots advocacy with decision-making processes at the local and national levels.
ARUKI embodies the collective commitment of civil society organizations to fight for climate justice in Indonesia and aspires to be a driving force in achieving systemic and sustainable change.
