Jakarta — The Indonesia Climate Justice Summit (ICJS) 2025 officially opened on Tuesday, August 26, in Jakarta, convened by the People’s Alliance for Climate Justice (Aliansi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Iklim/ARUKI), the group announced in a statement. The summit positions itself as a people’s political forum to unite voices and demand stronger state action in the face of the escalating climate crisis.
The first day featured a “People’s Plenary,” where representatives of nine vulnerable groups—Indigenous communities, farmers, fishers, women, workers, the urban poor, youth, the elderly, and persons with disabilities—shared firsthand accounts of climate impacts on their lives. Testimonies ranged from Jakarta’s urban poor, who face chronic floods and a lack of clean water, to small-scale fishers in Lamongan whose livelihoods are threatened by shifting wind patterns, and women farmers in Sulawesi who are losing local knowledge due to unpredictable seasons.
“Fisherfolk are not the cause of the climate crisis—we protect the sea,” said one traditional fisherman. “What we demand is justice, not pity. Without us, who will feed this country?”
Speakers also highlighted systemic injustices. A migrant worker from Serang recounted being forced abroad after crop failures, only to face exploitation and threats of imprisonment.
A person with disabilities from North Maluku warned that climate change deepens existing discrimination, while a woman from Nusa Tenggara Timur described geothermal projects imposed without community consent.
“Our hearts are broken. The geothermal project was implemented without our consent, and our voices were ignored. When we refused, we were labelled anti-development, and some were even criminalised. We are not asking for pity, we are asking to be respected,” she said.
ARUKI emphasised that the climate crisis must be understood not only as an environmental issue but as a justice and human rights crisis. The alliance, formed in 2023 and comprising over 36 civil society organisations, called on the government to move beyond rhetoric and adopt concrete measures to protect communities most affected by climate change.
Climate justice is about survival, dignity, and the rights of the people on the frontlines of this crisis, the group said. (nsh)
Banner photo: Indonesia Climate Justice Summit (ICJS) 2025 resmi dibuka Selasa, officially opened on Tuesday, August 26, in Jakarta. Source: The People’s Alliance for Climate Justice (Aliansi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Iklim/ARUKI).
