RI launches ASRI Movement towards climate justice

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency on Saturday launched the Safe, Healthy, Clean, and Beautiful Indonesia (ASRI) Movement to advance climate justice and tackle the triple planetary crisis.

Minister of Environment/Head of the Environmental Control Agency Jumhur Hidayat said the initiative is a concrete manifestation of President Prabowo Subianto's instruction to encourage collective environmental action beginning at the household level.

"Ecological conversion is more than words. It is a call to reflect and change the way we interact with nature in order to mitigate hydrometeorological disasters and fulfill our commitments under the Paris Agreement," Jumhur said during the World Environment Day event themed "ASRI Movement: It's Time to Work for Climate Justice" at Cibubur Campground in Jakarta on Saturday.

The Indonesian government reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement in order to keep global temperature increases as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius through its Second Nationally Determined Contribution (Second NDC) 2030, targeting a 31.89 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through domestic efforts and 43.2 percent with international support, supported by a long-term climate strategy.

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Jumhur said the commitment is critical because Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, is highly vulnerable to climate change. More than 60 percent of its population lives in coastal areas exposed to sea level rise, extreme weather, and food security risks.

He added that more than 90 percent of disasters in Indonesia are hydrometeorological catastrophes, including floods, landslides, and droughts.

Beyond strengthening carbon governance, the ASRI Movement seeks to reduce methane emissions from the country's 51 million metric tons of annual waste by promoting mandatory household separation of organic and inorganic waste.

Jumhur said around 74 percent of Indonesia's waste is still not managed optimally, with much of it ending up in open dumping landfills that produce methane, a greenhouse gas with a warming effect more than 30 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2).

"Most of it is mixed and ends up in open dumping landfills, creating sanitation problems, environmental pollution, methane emissions, and threats to public health, quality of life, and sustainability. We must ensure this movement completely resolves the waste problem," he explained​​​​​​​.

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Jumhur said the government is also finalising a Climate Justice Bill to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities while ensuring they receive the largest economic benefits from Indonesia's domestic carbon trading market.

Rasio Ridho Sani, chairman of the ASRI Movement organizing committee at the Ministry of Environment, said the nationwide campaign involved 10,141 environmental volunteers participating online and in person, including neighborhood women's groups, sanitation workers across Greater Jakarta, waste picker communities, and Saka Kalpataru Scouts.

The event was attended by Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of National Development Planning and Head of the National Development Planning Agency Rahmat Pambudy, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Lodewijk F Paulus, Deputy Minister of Environment Diaz Hendropriyono, Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Farida Farichah, and Slovak Ambassador to Indonesia Thomas Ferko.

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Regional leaders, including the mayor of Tangerang, the acting mayor of Bekasi, the deputy mayor of Bogor, and the mayors of North Jakarta and South Jakarta, also pledged to expand green areas in their districts

Strengthening implementation nationwide, Jumhur and cabinet officials held a teleconference with six governors and head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority, accompanied by the distribution of waste-sorting facilities and symbolic tree planting toward Indonesia's target of planting two billion trees.

The environmental initiative will be complemented by the International Environment Technology and Innovation Expo and Conference, scheduled for June 11-13, 2026, at the Jakarta International Convention Center, to facilitate the transfer of green technologies and support Indonesia's emissions reduction targets as part of the country's Golden Indonesia 2045 development vision.

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Translator: M Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo, Martha Herlinawati Si

Editor: Fransiska Ninditya

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