ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – A series of devastating floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have been described as ecocide crimes and structural human rights violations, rather than natural disasters.
Greenpeace Indonesia and Tifa Foundation say the catastrophe is the result of a convergence of climate crisis, massive deforestation, extractive development policies, and systemic governance failures.
Greenpeace Indonesia argues that the recurring ecological disasters in Sumatra stem from large-scale forest loss, land conversion, and unsustainable resource exploitation, exacerbated by the global climate crisis.
Ecocide is defined as a serious crime involving widespread, severe, or long-term environmental destruction caused knowingly and unlawfully, leading to the collapse of ecosystems and the lives they support.
The assessment was delivered by Khalisah Khalid, Public Engagement and Action Manager of Greenpeace Indonesia, during the National Seminar “Ecological Repentance: Reflections on Natural Resource Governance” at the Istiqlal Mosque Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
“This climate crisis did not come out of nowhere. It is born of exploitative economic policies,” Khalisah said.
Ecological Losses Estimated at IDR 68.8 Trillion
According to calculations by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), ecological disasters in Sumatra have caused losses estimated at IDR 68.8 trillion, covering only physical infrastructure damage and excluding long-term social, health, and ecosystem restoration costs.
Khalisah warned that aggressive economic growth targets could further intensify environmental destruction.
“An eight percent growth target is extremely dangerous. Even five percent is reckless if the underlying economic paradigm remains exploitative,” she stressed.
She emphasized that the concept of ecological repentance must go beyond moral discourse and be translated into concrete policy reform.
“It is not only individuals who must repent, but also economic and political paradigms. Spiritual values must be reinterpreted to protect life and nature,” Khalisah said.
Greenpeace Indonesia also urged the government to prioritize green politics, accelerate environmental protection regulations, and pass key legislation such as the Indigenous Peoples Bill.
Tifa Foundation: Ecological Disasters Constitute Structural Human Rights Violations
Echoing Greenpeace’s position, Tifa Foundation declared that the floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra constitute structural violations of human rights.
In its official statement titled “Human Rights Day Amid Ecological Disaster: Ecological Disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra Are Structural Human Rights Violations,” Tifa Foundation expressed deep condolences for the hundreds of lives lost and the immense ecological and economic damage.
“This tragedy is an ecological disaster arising from the intersection of the climate crisis and local environmental destruction,” said Firdaus Cahyadi, Program Officer for Natural Resources and Climate Justice at Tifa Foundation.
“These ecological disasters are rooted in national political policies that have produced exploitative environmental governance.”
Firdaus explained that the floods are a direct manifestation of ecological crisis and spatial injustice driven by business–political interests.
He highlighted the strong correlation between the increasing frequency and intensity of floods and massive deforestation in upstream watershed areas across Sumatra.
“Permits in forestry, mining, and large-scale plantation expansion have destroyed natural ecological buffers, eliminating forests’ role in absorbing and retaining water,” he said.
“This is fundamentally a spatial planning failure.”
According to Firdaus, land-use policies prioritizing extractive investment in disaster-prone and protected areas have created structural vulnerability for downstream communities.
“This demonstrates the state’s failure to uphold its constitutional obligation to guarantee the right to a healthy and sustainable environment,” he added.
Disaster Victims as Victims of Human Rights Violations
From a human rights perspective, Zico Mulia, Program Officer for Human Rights and Democracy at Tifa Foundation, stated that the ecological disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra amount to state-enabled human rights violations.
“The loss of life and homes caused by environmental destruction facilitated by state policy constitutes a human rights violation,” Zico said.
“People’s rights are violated when state policies destroy ecosystems that sustain life, leading to deaths, environmental degradation, and the loss of housing.”
Zico also drew attention to Aceh, which recently marked 20 years of peace following the 2005 Helsinki MoU. Tifa Foundation, which supports the work of the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has documented more than 5,000 victims and family members of gross human rights violations who testified between 2018 and 2021 and were recommended for state reparations.
“Many of these families are now once again losing relatives due to ecological disasters and environmental destruction,” he noted.
Calls for Environmental Audits, Moratoriums, and Justice
Zico emphasized that disaster victims are entitled not only to emergency relief but also to comprehensive remedies and justice for state policies and negligence that allowed environmental destruction.
“Rights to health, food, housing, education, employment, and a decent livelihood have all been violated,” he said.
“Victims are entitled to full remedies—economic, social, and cultural—as well as accountability through law enforcement against corporations and officials responsible.”
In line with this, Firdaus Cahyadi urged central and regional governments to immediately conduct comprehensive environmental and licensing audits of all concessions located in upstream and watershed areas.
“Impose a permanent moratorium on new permits and revoke licenses proven to trigger ecological destruction,” he demanded.
“Law enforcement agencies must transparently and firmly prosecute corporations and officials responsible for deforestation and environmental damage leading to disaster.”
From a human rights standpoint, Zico added that authorities must ensure the full and equitable fulfillment of victims’ basic rights, including food security, healthcare, adequate temporary housing, education for children, and psychosocial support, in accordance with Indonesia’s Constitution and national and international human rights instruments.
“The state must stop acting as a facilitator of environmental destruction and return to its constitutional mandate,” Firdaus concluded. (AT Network)
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