Young people join the environmental change campaign that carries the theme "Climate Strike" in Jakarta, on Friday (9/20/2019). The action called on the government and the community to further raise awareness about the impact of climate change on the environment.
Within one day, the Kompas daily presented a clear environmental paradox. If on a Thursday in early September (5/9/2019) the minister of environment and forestry disclosed the record of a "heroic" action by the Indonesian government in the global arena on the issue of climate change, the next day, Friday (6/9), the daily published the story of Kampung Bengek, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, which stands on top and is surrounded by city rubbish.
The depiction of a neighborhood on a mountain of rubbish in the Indonesian capital city was accompanied by a dramatic illustration, namely a photo of a part of the Jambe River in Tambun, Bekasi, West Java, which is jam-packed with plastic waste.
On the one hand the Indonesian government is so eager to be part of a global solution to tackling climate change – complete with a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 29 percent – but on the other hand the same government and its local governments have failed to save their citizens and urban ecosystems from the onslaught of rubbish and waste.
The correct term to describe this situation is unclear. Is it paradox, irony, or even environmental comedy?
The article of Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar was in the vortex of a large narrative on global climate change, while the coverage of Kampung Bengek and the Jambe River was a small story about local pollution. The great attention on large global narratives does indeed risk obscuring the views of environmental policy makers on small local narratives.
Trapped in big narratives
As environmental problems become increasingly global, large environmental narratives are increasingly present, followed by the emergence of global environmental measures (GEMs). In the last two decades various GEMs have been born, such as ecological footprints, carbon footprints and water footprints.
The birth of GEMs was driven by a passion for finding aggregate measurement tools, such as carbon footprints being a measure of contribution to climate change. GEMS can also be used to compare the level of damage or the depletion of ecosystem products or services among various regions or human activities. Scientists, activists and policy makers involved with environmental issues easily become familiar with GEMs, especially because of their easy-to-understand and practical nature.
With GEMs, the environmental burden arising from consumption and various activities of individuals, cities, or countries can be compared. In practice, GEMs are indeed interesting because their single values can describe complex phenomena, namely consumption and activities of human beings.
The risk of overemphasis on GEMs by environmental stakeholders should not be overlooked, especially from the viewpoint of local environmental challenges.
Although conceptually interesting, an overemphasis on GEMs has presented a dilemma between obeying global environmental responsibilities and ignoring local environmental problems. The risk of overemphasis on GEMs by environmental stakeholders should not be overlooked, especially from the viewpoint of local environmental challenges.
The fact that most GEMs are developed by scientists or organizations in developed countries has intrinsic biases that can have hegemonic implications. Ironically, environmental actors in developing countries often act as strong and enthusiastic supporters of GEMs.
GEMs are still high, not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries. In Indonesia, carbon footprints and water footprints are very popular.
Amidst the global environmental problems, such as climate change, that appear to have occurred in Indonesia, most of the pressing environmental problems in Indonesia are still local. Meanwhile, as the focus on GEMs continues to increase, the country is actually facing more pressing local environmental challenges, such as waste and pollution. Indeed as news, the GEMs seem more interesting.
Take for example the news story entitled "Indonesia, the world\'s third-largest producer of greenhouse gases". This seems more captivating than news about dumping plastic waste into the rivers. Therefore, it is natural that excessive emphasis on GEMs can divert our attention from small stories of local environmental pollution.
KOMPAS/JOHANES GALUH BIMANTARA
Kampung Bengek settlement in Penjaringan Sub-district in North Jakarta on Monday (2/9/2019).
Alternative strategies
Actually, all environmental problems – both local and global – including ecological suicide, are referred to by Jared Diamond in his 2005 book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive. According to him, there were 12 ecological suicides, eight of which triggered the downfall of ancient civilizations, such as the Mayan cities in Central America, Greater Zimbabwe in Africa, Angkor Wat and the cities of the Indus Valley of Hope in Asia.
The eight ecological suicides include deforestation and habitat destruction, land damage, water mismanagement, over-hunting, over-fishing, the impact of introducing alien species on native species, growth of human populations and increasing environmental impacts per person. Unfortunately, humans do not learn from the past.
The fact that the eight types of old ecological suicides – which are generally localized – endure until now is proof that environmental problems cannot be underestimated.
Instead of reducing the process of ecological destruction, modern civilization actually adds four other suicide processes, namely the accumulation and pollution of chemicals, waste of energy, maximizing the capacity of photosynthesis and climate change. The fact that the eight types of old ecological suicides – which are generally localized – endure until now is proof that environmental problems cannot be underestimated.
Environmental issues are a dynamic challenge, as sustainability is an estuary of their resolution and not a silent target. To realize sustainability requires a change and the change requires leadership. In handling environmental issues, what are needed are leaders who are able to think differently. As revealed by physicist David Bohm, the ability to understand or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained (in Newman-Storen, 2014).
Kompas
Budi Widianarko
Sustainability as a creative change requires the ability to adapt and innovate. Environmental issues that are classified as wicked problems – which challenge technical competence, governance capacity and institutional capacity – require more complex, adaptive and innovative leadership (Newman-Storen, 2014). In other words, what are needed are creative leaders who are able to think and act differently to overcome complex problems.
One of the strategies that might be chosen is ngeliningorakeli (drifting, but not being swept away). In the midst of the intense international campaigns and pressure to carry out global environmental compliance, responsiveness and vigilance toward local environmental issues must still be given priority. Although participating in "drifting" in the discourse, policies and actions to manage the global environment, the government must still be awake so as not to be "swept away" and deny the local environmental problems.
Budi Widianarko, Professor of Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, Catholic University of Soegijapranata
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