Eco-Democracy: Advancing Sustainable Governance Through Green Politics

Abstract

This study focuses on eco-democracy, a governance model that integrates democratic principles with environmental sustainability to address global challenges such as climate change, deforestation, pollution, and natural resource degradation. The model emerges as a response to the shortcomings of traditional governance, which often prioritizes short-term economic growth while neglecting ecological balance. Eco-democracy emphasizes the importance of inclusive participation, transparency, and accountability in environmental decision-making, while advocating for social justice in the context of environmental policies. This research employs normative legal methods with conceptual, comparative, and futuristic approaches. Descriptive-prescriptive in nature, the study aims to describe the concept of eco-democracy and formulate forward-looking policy recommendations. The collected data is analyzed using content analysis to evaluate the implementation of eco-democracy and green politics in various countries, including Ecuador, Bolivia, New Zealand, and Germany. These nations have adopted policies recognizing the rights of nature and promoting public participation in environmental governance. The findings reveal that Indonesia has significant potential to adopt eco-democracy, rooted in the values of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. However, several challenges impede its implementation, such as conflicts between economic and environmental interests, corruption, and a lack of environmental awareness among the public. The study concludes that the successful adoption of eco-democracy in Indonesia requires comprehensive legal reform, enhanced institutional capacity, and broader public education. Eco-democracy, therefore, has the potential to contribute to the creation of a more sustainable and equitable environmental governance system in Indonesia.