Friday, 01 May 2026
MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM ~ The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat in Indonesia—it is a pressing reality. Panut Hadisiswoyo, Director of Green Justice Indonesia, emphasized this during the book launch of "Reset Indonesia" at Serayu Café and Space in Sei Serayu Road, Medan, North Sumatera, on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
In the forum titled "Youth Voices and the Climate Crisis," Panut highlighted the public's lack of awareness. Many still see natural disasters as purely natural phenomena, rather than consequences of human activity that exploits the environment.
"Many people are disconnected from the climate crisis. They believe disasters are normal, but extreme weather conditions are human-induced. Now, humanity must adapt, or extinction looms," Panut stressed.
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Weak Forest Reserves in North Sumatra and Aceh
Panut pointed out that the string of disasters in Tapanuli Raya (Taput, Tapteng, and Tapsel) and Aceh at the end of 2025 was closely linked to dwindling forest reserves due to land-use changes and deforestation.
He cited the fragile Batangtoru ecosystem as an example, which continues to be exploited despite heavy investment. Local communities that rely on forest preservation face serious risks, while the shift from traditional agriculture to extractive monocultures has increased regional vulnerability.
"In Aceh, the situation is similar. Land-use changes are on the rise, and during extreme weather, nature lacks the resources to sustain itself. We must protect ourselves. Failure to adapt could lead to extinction," Panut warned.
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Criticism of Mining and Energy License Revocations
Panut regarded the government's revocation of permits for mining and energy companies in affected areas as a positive step, but he stressed that the actions must go beyond formalities. Environmentalists had long warned of the flood and landslide risks posed by major investments in Batangtoru, including gold mines and hydropower projects. Only now has the government officially recognized these threats.
"We expect the excessive exploitation to end completely. If licenses are revoked but the areas continue to be damaged by new state entities, the effort is meaningless. That would be like allowing future disasters to occur," Panut criticized.
The event, which also featured author Dandhy Dwi Laksono, was organized by Indata Komunika Cemerlang in collaboration with Green Justice Indonesia. In addition to the book launch, a photo exhibition depicted the material damages and thousands of victims of floods and landslides in Sumatra.
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Fika Rahma, Managing Director of Indata Komunika Cemerlang, highlighted the importance of this collaboration:
"We cannot continue with old patterns. 'Reset Indonesia' is a call to rebuild from the ground up—with strong foundations across all sectors," Fika said.
The discussion brought together experts from diverse fields, including conservation practitioners, journalists, academics, and meteorologists from BMKG, fostering constructive debates on the climate crisis and Indonesia's future. (IDNC)
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