Environmental Institutional Development in Indonesia

 

Environmental Institutional Development in Indonesia

 

Introduction

According to Otto Soemarwoto, the environment is a space occupied by living things along with other inanimate objects. The existence of this living environment is very important for all living things, because if there is damage then the lives of all creatures will also be disturbed. However, along with globalization and massive human development, this has had a drastic impact and changes in current environmental conditions, particularly in terms of environmental damage and pollution. Furthermore, the current society's consumption culture also has the potential to worsen the current environmental conditions, because that culture tends to create various activities that place nature or the environment as objects of exploitation, disposal media, and industrial activities only, regardless that the environment is material which has limitations and can be damaged. Therefore, nowadays, environment preservation has been seen as an obligation of communities around the world (National Research Council, 1992).

In this case, to minimize the occurrence of pollution and damage, it is necessary to have a balance between development and environmental sustainability. In addition, in order to anticipate the increasingly widespread counterproductive impact on the environment, especially due to the rapid development of the industrial world, law enforcement in the environmental sector is absolutely necessary. Here, an effective and efficient institution is needed in maintaining the environment from the decline in function that always threatens the present and future life (Nicolaisen, Dean, & Hoeller, 1991). In this regard, Indonesia itself has shown its commitment in preserving the environment by making various laws and regulations regarding environmental institutions. However, changes in laws and regulations that continue to be carried out make the form of environmental institutions in Indonesia also continue to change, which in the end is ineffective and inefficient in the implementation of environmental preservation and realizing sustainable development. Based on this, this essay will discuss the development of environmental institutions in Indonesia in dealing with environmental problems.

 

Discussion

In principle, the environment is one of the resources required for its existence by all living things, be it animals, plants or humans. Therefore, development and increased economic activity should not interfere or damage other sectors, in order to meet the needs of future generations. Unfortunately, the consumptive behavior of society nowadays makes the number of people's necessities of life increase and creates new needs in their lives. Consumptive behavior is considered not only to destroy and dredge natural resources, but also exhaust gas and waste from industrial factories which also cause problems, especially with the increasing market demand (UNEP, 2015).

One of the impacts of environmental damage is global warming or also often referred to as global warming, which occurs due to environmental degradation or a decrease in the quality and carrying capacity of the environment which is the impact of development activities from the malfunctioning of environmental components properly. This is caused by excessive human interference with the natural environment that is the impact of mining, industrial, agricultural and residential development activities. For example, in urban areas, Todaro and Smith (2012) reveal that one of the most important phenomena of modern demographics is the rapid growth of urban population in developing countries. In 2010, the world's population residing in urban areas reached 3.4 billion and more than three-quarters of urban people residing in metropolitan areas. The consumption of urban communities is considered to be much higher than that of rural communities. This can have an impact on the high absorption of natural resources into urban areas, with a much larger number of rural communities.

The Role of NGOs in Combating Environmental Issues

 

The Role of NGOs in Combating Environmental Issues

Introduction

Environmental issues have become one of the main components in international relations. Along with its development, environmental issues continue to be an issue that is always actual and a topic of great concern given the number of environments whose conditions are worsening due to rapid industrialization around the world such as decreasing natural resources, increasing pollution, poverty, and increasingly extreme climate change. Even though cleanliness and environmental health are very important for the survival of the community because it is a place where people carry out their lives. When the environment is dirty, unhealthy, or polluted, the people who live there will be infected with diseases that can cause death. In addition, the current unbalanced environmental composition where the expansion of the industrial estate is not matched by the expansion and maintenance of green areas causes extreme climate change which is very threatening to people's lives. The environmental issues are also considered as complex issue because the environment involves various interrelated elements where changes in one element will affect other elements (Hauger, Daniels, & Saalman, 2014).

Considering the importance of environmental hygiene and health, the complexity of environmental issues themselves, and in order to anticipate the increasingly widespread counterproductive impact on the environment, all parties in all countries in the world, ranging from governments, activists, community organizations or institutions, as well as the community itself, wish to preserving the environment from deterioration in function which always threatens the life of the present and the future. However, this is not an easy thing to do. Moreover, there are still many people who do not have the awareness and willingness to protect their surrounding environment. Therefore, collaboration between parties is needed to overcome this. One of them is by collaborating with non-government organizations or community organizations. This is because the two organizations are organizations that represent the community and are closest to the community. Moreover, the ability of NGOs to provide an independent perspective is very important to build trust and help effect changes in behavior or culture in the community. Participation and involvement of NGOs in government is also growing, where NGOs can influence the formation and formulation of policies. Therefore, participation and involvement of NGOs in combating environmental issues is urgently needed, not only helping to overcome gaps by conducting research to facilitate policy development, but also building institutional capacity and facilitating independent dialogue with civil society to motivate and help communities lead more sustainable lifestyles and does not damage the environment(Badruddin, 2015).

Analysis

In dealing with environmental issues, the government is not a major player in any negotiation process. They are also not the only influential groups, but non-governmental organizations also play an active role in determining the government's opinion through various lobbies and policy recommendations that they compile from credible studies. This is because the government cannot reach all the people directly. Likewise, not all environmental conservation and protection activities can be carried out by the government. Moreover, policies, actions and regulations made by the government also sometimes still have many gaps or shortcomings. Therefore, they need partners to help formulate and implement policies and participate in the development of the country so that their implementation is effective and in accordance with the needs and desires of the community(Mubarak & Alam, 2012).