Battling Pollution and Inequality: The Urgent Call for Environmental Justice

The lungs of Jakarta are becoming dirtier, dustier, and more polluted. Yesterday, 15/8/2023, Liputan 6 carried a shocking headline: ‘Air Pollution in Jakarta Worst in the World This Morning.’ This claim was based on the IQAir air quality parameters. Out of 109 countries, Jakarta’s air quality index reached a value of 183 on the US Air Quality Index (AQI US).

This data was measured at 08:00 AM yesterday. The level of air pollution in Jakarta was 10 points higher than Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which ranked second with an air quality index of 173 AQI US. Meanwhile, Doha, Qatar, ranked third as one of the most polluted cities in the world with a score of 161 AQI US.

Based on IQAir’s observations as of August 15, 2023, the average concentration of fine pollutants in Jakarta’s air was 45.3 micrograms (µg) per cubic meter (m3). This figure is nine times higher than the WHO (PM 2.5) standard limit. The sobering message from these figures is that the air quality in the capital city is no longer hygienic and completely unhealthy.

Truly, the unfortunate capital of the Republic. Approaching its 78th year, it finds its breath facing a significant risk of infection. Since the early 1990s, the poor air quality in Jakarta has been detected. At that time, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) conducted air quality sampling in 20 megacities worldwide, including Jakarta.

Based on the results of these samplings, the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) value in Jakarta indicated a serious problem according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. SPM consists of fine particles originating from the combustion of fossil fuels that linger in the air for a relatively long period.

These particles infiltrate the noses of city residents, settle in their lungs, or land on their eyes. They pose risks to the central nervous system, hypertension, eye-nose-throat irritation, lung diseases, and even reproductive system disorders. This is a massive health horror gripping Indonesia’s most prestigious city.

The issue of air pollution in Jakarta unveils a more urgent problem related to carbon emissions. It’s known that carbon emissions are one of the major contributors to global climate change, alongside greenhouse gas emissions. But the question remains, who is truly responsible for the degradation of our planet, our home?

A report by Oxfam in November 2022 attempts to provide an answer. Titled “Carbon Billionaires: The Investment Emissions of the World’s Richest People,” the report accuses the billionaire class as the culprits. Carbon emissions from the world’s richest 125 billionaires were said to be a million times higher than 90 percent of the world’s population. The investments of just these 125 billionaires emit 393 million tons of CO2e annually.

These super wealthy individuals emit 70% of the emissions produced from investments across various industries. They collectively own shares worth $2.4 trillion in 183 companies. The pollution they generate is likely even higher, as there are billionaires and companies that don’t openly disclose their emissions, therefore not included in the research.

The report also states that the top 10% richest people in the world contributed more than half (52%) of the emissions added to the atmosphere between 1990–2015. While the profits of these tycoons multiply, particularly during the Ukraine-Russia War, they continue to amass wealth. Throughout the war, their fossil energy industries brought them great riches.

While we suffer from respiratory damage, they reap exorbitant profits. From 2021 to 2022, ExxonMobil’s profits soared from $23 billion to $59.1 billion; Shell’s increased from $19.3 billion to $39.3 billion; Chevron rose from $15.6 billion to $36.5 billion; TotalEnergies jumped from $18.1 billion to $36.2 billion; and BP leaped from $12.8 billion to $27.27 billion.

In recent years, various narratives have circulated in the public space. That each individual carries the responsibility for the climate crisis threatening human survival. We are asked to reduce plastic usage, promote cycling, walk more often, and leave private vehicles behind. There are countless calls for these actions.

However, all these individual recommendations feel empty and deceptive without pointing the finger at the main perpetrators. It is these wealthiest individuals who are actually exacerbating the climate crisis, while the majority of the population suffers from the harmful pollutants. Just like us in Jakarta today, surrounded by thick and tainted air.

Environmental preservation is impossible without the relentless class struggle to quell the greed of capitalists. What we need is not just to plant thousands of new trees as the city’s lungs. Rather, it’s about dismantling capitalist power in the economic and political spheres. Just as Chico Mendes said, “Environmental preservation without class struggle is nothing more than gardening!”

Written by: Adityo Fajar — Chair of the Labor Party’s Ideology and Cadreization Division