Climate Justice from the Margins: Indigenous Voices in Indonesia’s Climate Crisis

Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of climate justice and Indigenous rights in Indonesia, focusing on how Indigenous communities—often marginalized in environmental policy discourse—are both disproportionately affected by and actively responding to the climate crisis. Drawing on case studies from Kalimantan, Papua, and the Mentawai Islands, the research highlights the lived experiences, traditional ecological knowledge, and resistance strategies of Indigenous peoples confronting deforestation, land dispossession, and climate-related displacement. While national and international climate frameworks frequently overlook or tokenize Indigenous participation, this study argues that meaningful climate justice must center their voices and agency. By engaging with critical Indigenous scholarship and conducting semi-structured interviews with community leaders and activists, the paper reveals how climate policies in Indonesia often exacerbate structural inequalities, reinforcing extractive development models under the guise of sustainability. In contrast, Indigenous cosmologies and land stewardship practices offer alternative paradigms for ecological resilience and adaptation. The paper contends that the Indonesian state’s recognition of Indigenous land rights remains insufficient and inconsistent, undermining both environmental and social equity goals. The primary contribution of this study lies in its amplification of Indigenous epistemologies as essential to reimagining climate governance in Indonesia. It challenges dominant narratives that frame Indigenous communities as passive victims or romanticized stewards, instead portraying them as political agents with valuable insights into sustainable living. By situating Indigenous voices at the core of climate justice debates, the paper advances a decolonial approach to environmental policy that is both contextually grounded and globally relevant.