Based on Kompas data in November 2016, natural disasters that occurred in Indonesia in 2016 reached 1,985 events. The number of victims who suffered and fled reached more than 2 million people with the death rate reaching 375 people.
Natural disasters are divided into two categories based on their causes, namely natural disasters that occur naturally and as a result of human actions. Human actions include policy and policy implementation, industry to extractive community groups that have a high dependence on the environment.
Natural disasters are related to the condition, management and protection of the environment. Currently, environmental issues are a serious problem regarding human life.
Thus, a humanitarian perspective should become a point of view in viewing environmental problems. Likewise, looking at environmental problems requires a social perspective to explore the root of the problem.
Risk Identification
Environmental problems are a reflection of the government’s involvement in policy making, industry or companies exploiting natural resources and people who are not aware of and are not environmentally friendly.
Thus, environmental problems have a relationship between the three parties above or one or both parties involved in environmental damage.
However, even so, the position of the community is most vulnerable to being affected due to environmental damage that has the potential for natural disasters.
The next question: How to identify disaster-prone groups or communities?
So, this needs to be a concern for the holders and policy makers and all components of the nation.
The priority of people affected by natural disasters is the poor who have very minimal accessibility to survive environmental damage to natural disasters.
Therefore, the government needs to identify and categorize groups of people who are prone to being affected by environmental damage and natural disasters based on geographic location; area vulnerability level; the level of exposure to impacts due to industrialization or the operation of resource exploration companies; the level of community affordability to public facilities; the level of community adaptation efforts; level of economic resilience and level of social resilience.
This identification is important in anticipation and mapping efforts that are long-term and preventive in nature. Given that the management of natural disasters and environmental damage is reactive in nature and tends not to solve problems completely.
Another benefit of risk identification is that it serves as a warning to the community to take concrete actions for joint safety and environmental preservation.
Environmentally Sensitive
Current environmental problems are so complex due to high population growth that they become a direct threat to humans as individuals.
Other than that, environmental problems are also related to political dynamics and the resulting public policies; law implementation; economic interests, culture to global political conditions. So, solving problems also requires synergy of related issues.
The first thing that can be done is not only to have a mindset of depending all public problems on the government as a form of state presence, but to solve the problem by carrying out an internal revolution.
However, the form of community activism does not mean the state is not responsible. The state continues to carry out its duties and functions, but efforts to improve can be accelerated if society plays its role.
Revolution in this case is more about patterns of thought, action and behavior to change bad habits that burden the environment into thinking patterns that promote common interests.
Social Modality
The public needs to be more critical of various policies and implementations that are not environmentally friendly. However, society needs to change its paradigm.
A small example, how easily we can find piles and debris in the corner of roads, rivers and other places. This shows a lack of concern for common interests. This egoism can be driven by exemplary figures from the community or government.
However, awareness efforts may be accelerated by identifying risks.
If the community group realizes that they are included in the risk group, then naturally they will make flexibility efforts to achieve safety.
Risk identification is part of social innovation to improve environmental conditions. However, these improvements require processes and require social modalities.
Community modalities of mutual cooperation and new habits of using social media can be encouraged towards awareness and an invitation to behave in an environmentally friendly manner.
The year 2016, shows when community groups took to the streets in massive numbers in peaceful demonstrations. So, what about other peaceful actions that might be carried out as a form of support for better social life and environmental conditions.
Source: mongabay.com by Ica Wulansari
