Jakarta – People from the coastal areas of Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara, are urging members of the House of Representatives (DPR) to support communities threatened by the climate crisis. Yasinta Yunita Adoe, a fisherwoman, sent an open letter to a member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives, Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, urging them to fight for a clean energy transition and increase Indonesia’s emission reduction target in the Second Nationally Determined Contribution (SNDC) document.
“When Cyclone Seroja hit, my parents lost their boat and fishing gear. Until now, we have not recovered because there is no concrete support from the government,” Yasinta said at the “Surat untuk Sara” online launch on Friday, 25 April 2025.
350.org Indonesia, PIKUL Foundation, Climate Rangers Jakarta, WeSpeakUp.org, and Majelis Nelayan Bersatu Kota Kupang initiated the letter launch. This initiative aims to bring the voices of coastal communities to the national level so that legislators like Rahayu Saraswati can better understand the conditions on the ground.
According to Yasinta, advocacy at the regional level has not resulted in adequate protection policies for fishermen who are victims of climate disasters.
Clean energy demands and accelerated climate action
The public discussion also criticised the stagnation of national climate ambition. While the world already generates more than 30% of its energy from renewable sources, Indonesia has only utilised less than 1% of its total renewable energy potential.
Sicilia Nurmala Dewi from 350.org Indonesia emphasised the importance of public participation in pressing for change.
“As a woman and mother, I stand with Sinta and other women to protect the future of future generations. Indonesia’s renewable energy target must be tripled if it wants to face the climate crisis seriously,” she said.
Sicily also invited the public to support the “Triple Renewable Energy 2030” petition, as a concrete step to encourage the termination of fossil energy, increase energy efficiency, and achieve net-zero emission targets.
This discussion highlighted the impact of the climate crisis in Eastern Indonesia. Dina Soro from the PIKUL Foundation reminded us that regions like NTT are already on the frontline of climate disasters.
“Extreme drought, tropical storms and flash floods like those during Cyclone Seroja are not just future threats. They have become today’s reality,” he said.
The uncertainty of the planting and fishing seasons has damaged the agricultural and fisheries sectors, exacerbating the economic vulnerability of coastal communities.
Young generation takes part in change
The issue of intergenerational justice also came up. Febriani Nainggolan from Climate Rangers Jakarta emphasised the importance of youth involvement.
“Young people today have the passion and ability to drive change. We are fighting not only for justice for now, but also for our future,” said Febri.
He invited the younger generation to mobilise campaigns actively, voice opinions on social media, to join policy forums and build grassroots solidarity.
This public discussion is a vital momentum to strengthen the voice of vulnerable communities in national climate decision-making. The initiators invite all elements of society to actively participate in pushing for climate policies that are fair, ambitious, and in favour of affected communities. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: Image generated by OpenAI’s DALL·E via ChatGPT (2024)
