Ecological Transition and the Rule of Law: Reconstructing Environmental Governance for a Sustainable Future
Keywords:
Ecological Transition, Environmental Governance, Environmental Law Enforcement, Environmental Justice, Sustainable DevelopmentAbstract
The growing climate crisis, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and ecological vulnerabilities have increased the urgency of ecological transition in Indonesia. Despite having a relatively comprehensive environmental legal framework, Indonesia continues to face challenges such as institutional fragmentation, inconsistent law enforcement, overlapping authorities, limited enforcement capacity, and the prioritization of economic development over environmental sustainability. This study aims to examine the role of environmental law enforcement in supporting ecological transition and to formulate a framework for reconstructing environmental governance. Using a normative legal method with statutory, conceptual, comparative, and case approaches, the study analyzes constitutional provisions, environmental legislation, international instruments, legal doctrines, and relevant literature. The findings indicate that environmental justice and meaningful public participation remain insufficiently integrated into governance practices. The study argues that ecological transition requires a shift toward sustainability-oriented governance based on constitutional environmental rights, environmental justice, climate resilience, precautionary principles, and intergenerational equity. Therefore, environmental governance reconstruction should prioritize stronger institutional coordination, effective law enforcement, climate policy integration, broader public participation, and the development of an ecological rule of law framework to support Indonesia’s sustainable and resilient future.
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