When Emil Salim Brings the Environment to the Heart of Development

Unfinished Struggle in the Cabinet

Emil Salim handled environmental affairs in government until 1993. However, the end of his term of office did not make him stop talking about the future of the earth.

He is again active in the academic world, civil society organizations, and various national and international forums. From these spaces, Emil continues to remind us that sustainable development must not stop being a term in official speeches and documents.

Because, the real problem always lies in implementation.

An AMDAL can be made, but are citizens' voices truly heard? Rules may be issued, but are violations prosecuted? Governments can talk about green growth, but are forests, rivers, coasts and people's living spaces really protected?

Those questions are still alive today.

Emil Salim's traces are not only found in the names of institutions, regulations or international forums that he has participated in. This trail also lies in a change of perspective: the environment is not a peripheral concern nor is it an obstacle to development.

The environment is the basis that determines whether development can survive or collapse due to the consequences of its own creation.

After no longer being a minister, Emil Salim chose to remain standing in the same place. He continues to remind the government, business world, academics and society that the earth is not inherited to be consumed by one generation.

However, big ideas always face tests when they meet economic interests and power. That's where Emil Salim's legacy becomes important: not just to be remembered, but to be continued and, if necessary, fought for again.