Emil Salim's Legacy: Knowledge, Integrity and the Future of Indonesia's Environment

GARISBUMI.com – Emil Salim's position in the cabinet ended in 1993. However, the debate about the relationship between development and the environment that he has been voicing continues to take him to other spaces, including international forums that assess the impact of the oil, gas and mining industry.

He no longer has the authority to sign policies. Even so, his experience and thoughts are still sought after when governments, international institutions and civil society face the same question: who gets the benefits of development, and who bears the costs?

Assessing Extractive Industries Closely

In 2001, Emil Salim was appointed to lead the Extractive Industries Review (EIR), a study of the World Bank Group's involvement in the oil, gas and mining sectors. The process involves consultation with government, industry players, civil society and residents affected by the project. The final report was published in December 2003.

The problem studied is not simple. Extractive industries provide energy, raw materials, jobs and state revenues. However, the same activities can cause pollution, damage ecosystems and trigger conflict if people's rights are ignored.

Through this study, Emil again faced problems that had long accompanied his work in Indonesia. Investments and state revenues need to be calculated, but so do their impacts on the environment, citizens' lives, and efforts to reduce poverty.

The measure of development success, thus, does not stop at how much natural resources can be extracted. The next question is whether the community around the project will enjoy the benefits and still have a decent place to live after the project runs.