Key facts
- Indonesian residents are suing President Joko Widodo and other officials over severe air pollution.
- The lawsuit seeks to ensure clean air for residents affected by haze from wildfires.
- A previous ruling found officials responsible for failing to control Jakarta's air pollution.
- The court ordered the implementation of an action plan and emissions testing for polluters.
Residents of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, are suing President Joko Widodo and other government officials over the severe haze pollution that has plagued the region and drifted to neighboring countries. The lawsuit aims to ensure clean air for citizens affected by the country's worst wildfire season in 11 years, which has burned over 48,000 hectares of land and forest in West Kalimantan since the start of the year.
This legal action follows a landmark "citizen lawsuit" in Jakarta, filed in July 2019, where residents sued President Widodo, three ministers, and three provincial governors for failing to protect the capital's inhabitants from debilitating air pollution. In September 2021, a court awarded partial victory to the plaintiffs, ruling that the defendants had committed an "unlawful act by neglecting to take measures to control air pollution in Jakarta." The court ordered the defendants to ensure Jakarta's air quality meets standards, formulate an action plan, and implement emissions testing on polluters.
Studies have continually found Jakarta's air pollution to be among the worst globally, with a 2019 Lowy Institute report estimating over 7,000 premature deaths annually and nearly 2,000 low birth weights linked to pollution. The causes of Jakarta's pollution are attributed to vehicle emissions, construction, biomass burning, coal combustion, and secondary aerosols.