Interfaith Alliance and Environment Ministry Launch National Ecological Repentance Movement
A cross-faith moral movement united under Siaga Bumi (Indonesia Movement to Save the Earth) met with Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat at the Ministry of Environment building in Kuningan, Jakarta, on Friday (12/6). The meeting resulted in a shared understanding regarding the importance of cultural approaches and religious persuasion in facing the increasingly alarming threat of ecological collapse.
During the audience, the Environment Minister was accompanied by the Ministry Secretary, several special staff members, and deputies. Meanwhile, the Siaga Bumi delegation was led by its Initiator and Chairman of the Steering Board, Din Syamsuddin.
On the occasion, Din Syamsuddin explained that Siaga Bumi was established in 2015 as a moral movement of religious communities to respond to various environmental problems. According to him, the movement serves as an inclusive collaborative platform bringing together eight elements of the Indonesian Inter-Religious Council (IRC), from the Indonesian Ulema Council and the Communion of Churches in Indonesia to the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia, other religious organisations, and academics.
‘Siaga Bumi has been active through various concrete programmes, one of which is the Eco Worship House movement. This programme focuses on greening the physical environment around places of worship, sustainable water management, and waste management,’ said Din Syamsuddin.
The presentation received a positive response from Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat. He appreciated Siaga Bumi’s consistency in mobilising ecological awareness based on religious values and revealed that the Ministry of Environment is preparing a major agenda titled ‘National Ecological Repentance’.
This strategic programme encompasses various large-scale concrete actions, from reforestation through the planting of two billion trees to the data collection and strict monitoring of industries deemed harmful to the environment. The measure is expected to be part of a national effort to restore environmental quality while transforming public behaviour towards nature.
Jumhur assessed that environmental issues have the power to unite various groups that have previously come from different backgrounds. According to him, the moral responsibility towards the earth has become common ground capable of bringing together diverse elements of society.
‘All diverse parties—across religions, nations, professions, and expertise—can now unite because they share a sense of moral responsibility for environmental issues. We at the Ministry of Environment feel a strong need for social engineering and religious persuasion to influence and simultaneously change public behaviour towards the environment,’ Jumhur Hidayat stated.
Both the Ministry of Environment and Siaga Bumi agreed that the root of the ecological crisis problem lies not solely in technical aspects, but also in public culture and lifestyle. Therefore, behavioural change is considered necessary through a continuous cultivation process, both through responsive short-term actions and in-depth long-term education.
As a follow-up to the meeting, both parties committed to strengthening cooperation and building tangible synergy in efforts to save and honour the environment in Indonesia. The collaboration between the government and interfaith leaders is expected to broaden the ecological awareness movement while encouraging the birth of a more environmentally friendly living culture.