Indonesia’s most vulnerable push for nation’s first Climate Justice Bill – Mongabay

Report on Climate-Induced Inequality and Displacement in Indonesia in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary: Climate Change, Inequality, and the Imperative for SDG-Aligned Action

• Climate change is intensifying pre-existing inequalities in Indonesia, disproportionately affecting rural, Indigenous, and disabled populations. This trend directly undermines SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• The degradation of climate-sensitive livelihoods, such as farming and fishing, is driving forced migration and exposing individuals to exploitation. This challenges the achievement of SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Vulnerable groups, including Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities, face acute threats to food security, mobility, and safety, yet are frequently excluded from policy responses, indicating a critical gap in achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
• A national movement is advocating for a Climate Justice Bill to establish a legal framework for protecting vulnerable communities, aligning national policy with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Climate-Driven Migration and its Impact on Decent Work (SDG 8)

Climate change is a significant driver of forced migration in Indonesia, as traditional livelihoods become untenable. The subsequent search for work often leads to precarious and exploitative conditions, failing to meet the standards of SDG 8.

1. Livelihood Collapse: Individuals like Muninggar, a former fish farmer, and Resilianto, a farmer, experienced total livelihood failure due to erratic weather, extreme dry seasons, and unpredictable rainfall. This collapse in the agricultural and aquaculture sectors directly threatens SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
2. Forced Migration as a Last Resort: With local economic options exhausted, migration for overseas domestic or maritime work became the only perceived solution. This form of “forced migration” underscores a lack of resilient economic alternatives for climate-affected communities.
3. Exploitation and Unsafe Conditions: Migrant workers report severe human rights abuses, including wrongful imprisonment, withheld wages, and discriminatory treatment. These experiences highlight a failure to protect migrant workers and ensure decent work, a core target of SDG 8.

• According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), 32.6 million people globally were displaced by climate-related disasters in 2022, a figure projected to rise to 1.2 billion by 2050.
• The agricultural and maritime sectors, which employ nearly 80% of Indonesia’s workforce, are among the most vulnerable to climate change, creating a systemic risk to national economic stability and progress on the SDGs.

Disproportionate Impacts on Indigenous Peoples and Persons with Disabilities (SDG 10)

Climate impacts are not distributed equally. Indigenous communities and persons with disabilities face compounded vulnerabilities that are often overlooked in climate discourse and disaster response, hindering progress on SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Indigenous Communities and Food Security (SDG 2)

• The Dayak people of West Kalimantan report that dramatic shifts in weather patterns have made traditional farming calendars obsolete. Unpredictable seasons have decimated vegetable production, undermining local food security and threatening the achievement of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
• A significant information gap exists, with community members unfamiliar with the term “climate change,” indicating a failure to include Indigenous voices and knowledge in national climate adaptation strategies.

Persons with Disabilities and Systemic Barriers

• Climate change exacerbates existing physical and social barriers for persons with disabilities. Rizal Assor, a wheelchair user from the Bajau ethnic group, reports that unpredictable weather makes inter-island travel dangerous, limiting mobility and economic opportunities.
• During climate-related disasters, persons with disabilities are often left behind. Reports indicate that inaccessible evacuation centers, inadequate information, and social stigma lead to abandonment, as seen in the case of a mentally disabled man left in a flooded home. This represents a severe violation of human rights and a failure to build inclusive communities as envisioned in SDG 11.
• Government aid and social protection systems are frequently not disability-friendly, failing to account for the specific needs and additional costs associated with disability during a crisis.

Policy Response: The Call for a Climate Justice Bill to Advance SDG 13 and SDG 16

In response to these systemic injustices, a coalition of civil society groups and affected communities is advocating for the passage of a Climate Justice Bill. This legislation is seen as essential for creating the institutional framework required to achieve climate-related SDGs.

1. Addressing a Legislative Gap: Indonesia currently lacks a dedicated, overarching law to address climate change. The proposed bill aims to fill this void by creating a coherent legal basis for climate action.
2. Promoting Coordinated Policy: The bill seeks to unify Indonesia’s fragmented climate vision, ensuring that all government agencies work toward common, justice-oriented goals, a key component of effective governance under SDG 16.
3. Mainstreaming Climate Justice: A primary goal is to enshrine the principle of climate justice in law, mandating the protection of vulnerable communities and ensuring their participation in decision-making processes.
4. Ensuring Public Participation: The civil society draft of the bill was developed through consultations with communities in 14 regions, embodying the participatory approach central to SDG 16.

• The proposed legislation would make Indonesia a regional leader by being the first nation in Southeast Asia to legally codify climate justice.
• Support from lawmakers acknowledges that climate action is a universal right and that affected communities must have a direct role in shaping the policies that impact them.
• As stated by community representative Rizal Assor, “Ignoring our voices means ignoring justice. Climate justice is justice for all.” This sentiment captures the interconnectedness of SDG 13 (Climate Action) and the broader 2030 Agenda’s promise to leave no one behind.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues stemming from climate change in Indonesia, which directly relate to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 1: No Poverty. The article discusses how climate change leads to the destruction of livelihoods for fishers and farmers, causing “total harvest failure” and “mounting losses.” This economic devastation forces individuals into debt and poverty, compelling them to seek precarious work abroad.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger. The article explicitly mentions that for Indigenous communities like the Dayak people, “climate change isn’t some abstract notion — its impacts on food security are direct, visible, and very much present.” Unpredictable weather and floods have destroyed their ability to grow vegetables, undermining their food security.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. The collapse of traditional livelihoods in agriculture and fishing forces people into migration. The article details how these migrant workers, such as Muninggar and Resilianto, face “exploitation,” “unsafe working conditions,” “withheld wages,” and are vulnerable to “human trafficking,” which are direct violations of decent work principles.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. A central theme of the article is that “the climate crisis is deepening inequality and displacing those least responsible for it.” It specifically focuses on the disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups, including “rural residents, Indigenous peoples and those with disabilities,” who are “largely excluded from government responses and public discourse.”
• SDG 13: Climate Action. The entire article is framed around the impacts of climate change, such as “erratic weather,” “rising temperatures,” “droughts,” and “tidal floods.” The call from civil society to pass a “Climate Justice Bill” is a direct appeal for national policy and legal frameworks to address climate change and its impacts.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The push for a “Climate Justice Bill” is a core focus, aiming to “enshrine climate justice as a constitutional right” and create coordinated national policy. The article notes that “Indonesia currently has no dedicated legislation addressing climate change,” highlighting a weakness in institutional frameworks. The demand for communities to “have a real say in the drafting of the bill” also points to the need for inclusive and participatory decision-making.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, the following specific SDG targets are relevant:

1. Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.
   • Explanation: The article describes how vulnerable communities, including fish farmers like Muninggar and Indigenous farmers, are suffering from “total harvest failure” and collapsing livelihoods due to “erratic weather.” Their lack of resilience forces them into debt and dangerous migration, showing a clear need to build resilience as outlined in this target.
2. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • Explanation: The Dayak community’s inability to “grow vegetables anymore because of the unpredictable weather and floods” directly reflects a failure to achieve resilient agricultural practices. The article highlights the disruption of traditional farming seasons, making food production unsustainable.
3. Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.
   • Explanation: The experiences of Indonesian migrant workers are a central focus. Resilianto faced “abuses ranging from withheld wages to discriminatory treatment,” and the article notes that such workers are “vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation.” This directly relates to the need to protect the rights and safety of migrant workers.
4. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • Explanation: The article repeatedly states that Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities are “often neglected in Indonesia’s climate discourse” and “remain largely excluded from government responses.” The story of a mentally disabled man being left behind during a flood because of stigma exemplifies the severe exclusion faced by these groups.
5. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
   • Explanation: The article points out that “Indonesia currently has no dedicated legislation addressing climate change” and its “climate vision is fragmented.” The entire campaign for a “Climate Justice Bill” is an effort to achieve this target by creating a coordinated legal framework to address climate change at the national level.
6. Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
   • Explanation: The article highlights the demand from civil society groups that people “should have a real say in the drafting of the bill as part of their right to participate in political decision-making.” This reflects the need for an inclusive process where marginalized communities, who are most affected, can shape the policies that impact them.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several qualitative and quantitative indicators:

• Number of people displaced by climate-related disasters: The article provides a quantitative indicator from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, stating that “around 32.6 million people globally were forced to migrate due to climate-related disasters in 2022.” This can be used to measure the scale of climate-induced migration, a key issue discussed.
• Livelihood and economic losses in climate-vulnerable sectors: The article provides qualitative indicators through personal stories of “total harvest failure” for fish farmers and increased operational costs for farmers who “must spend more money to drill boreholes.” The statement that “the agricultural and maritime sectors employ nearly 80% of Indonesia’s workforce — yet they’re also among the most affected” implies that tracking economic performance and employment in these sectors would be a key indicator of climate impact.
• Reports of exploitation and abuse among migrant workers: The detailed accounts of “withheld wages,” “discriminatory treatment,” and vulnerability to “human trafficking” serve as powerful qualitative indicators of the failure to protect migrant workers’ rights (Target 8.8).
• Inclusion of vulnerable groups in policy-making and disaster response: The article implies that an indicator of progress would be the level of participation of Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities in climate discussions and the accessibility of disaster aid. The statement that “government aid during disasters is still not disability-friendly” serves as a baseline indicator of exclusion.
• Existence and content of national climate legislation: The primary indicator for progress on Targets 13.2 and 16.7 is the status of the “Climate Justice Bill.” The article states that currently, “There is no law that directly addresses the problems.” Therefore, the successful passage and implementation of such a bill would be a clear indicator of progress.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: news.mongabay.com