Yayasan KEHATI urges balanced approach in Indonesia climate bill

Yayasan KEHATI, in collaboration with researchers from ITB, BRIN, and the AKATIGA Social Analysis Center, has released a policy brief titled ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Society: A Critical Review and Recommendations for Climate Policy Focus in Indonesia’. The study urges the Indonesian government to ensure that the upcoming Climate Change Management Bill balances mitigation efforts with adaptation strategies.

The organization emphasizes that national climate policy must integrate biodiversity protection and the interests of vulnerable populations. Rony Megawanto, Program Director of Yayasan KEHATI, noted that current adaptation strategies often focus solely on risk reduction, whereas there is a need to mainstream strategies that also leverage opportunities arising from climate changes.

The brief highlights issues of climate justice, noting that groups with minimal carbon footprints—such as indigenous peoples, the poor, people with disabilities, and children—often face the most severe consequences of climate change, including rising sea levels, droughts, forest fires, and floods. Furthermore, the report identifies a critical link between biodiversity and climate, where ecosystem degradation can exacerbate climate impacts and diminish quality of life.