Climate Action through the Eyes of Indonesian Muslims

Our recent research on the perception and attitude of Indonesian Muslims toward climate provides some insights into how the climate movement can break out of the echo chamber and strengthen its impact. In this article, we discuss 5 key takeaways from the study which surveyed 100 Islamic leaders and 3,000 Muslims from across the nation.

By Michelle Winowatan, Strategy and Partnerships Lead

Climate Action through the Eyes of Indonesian Muslims

Despite being a crisis that can have disastrous effects on life as we know it, climate change continues to struggle to break through the noise. One of the factors driving this challenge is that climate discourse is trapped within an echo chamber of activists, academics, and bureaucrats. Consequently, climate is perceived as an elite issue that is not immediately relevant to the day to day life of the masses. This lack of critical mass for climate, in effect, warrants the inaction or slow progress of policymakers in achieving the climate targets.

In an effort to build this critical mass that can move the needle on climate action in Indonesia, for the past 3 years, Purpose has been working with various Islamic partners to energize a climate movement that is driven by Muslims and guided by Islamic teachings through the Islamic Climate Movement (ICM) program. Together, we aim to popularize the Islamic mandate to steward the earth and harness the power of the 250-million strong Muslim community in Indonesia to push for climate action. This initiative intends to bring the climate conversation out of the echo chamber and broaden the climate audience, in order to embolden policymakers to take ambitious and meaningful action.

In August-September 2024, Purpose conducted a nationwide quantitative survey among 3,000 Muslims and qualitative study among 100 Islamic leaders, in collaboration with YouGov Indonesia and Tenggara Strategics, respectively. The objectives of this research are to deepen our understanding about how Muslims perceive and relate to climate action and sharpen our engagement strategy. Here are the 5 key takeaways from this study:

1. Climate change is not a priority issue.

Climate Action through the Eyes of Indonesian Muslims

Employment, health, poverty, education and human rights are top 5 issues and environment or climate is ranked 6th. This indicates that there is a gap between the actual and perceived urgency of climate change.

Arguably, it is because climate is often talked about in manners that are theoretical (e.g. what will potentially happen to the fish in the sea when the planet reaches a certain degree of warming) and technical (e.g. how will we finance X gigawatts of renewable energy to reduce X kilotonnes of emission?). When it should also be talked about within the context of these issues that are deemed as more priority by the public (e.g. how many good-paying jobs can the clean energy industry generate? how can we limit warming in order to protect the ocean as a food source?). The fact is that, if left unaddressed, the climate crisis will add more burden to the economy, increase the risk of many health problems, and worsen socioeconomic inequality. As climate campaigners, we need to communicate this more clearly in order to raise the urgency to prioritize climate agenda.

2. Islamic leaders are important climate allies.

Climate Action through the Eyes of Indonesian Muslims

Our survey shows that religious leaders are the most trusted climate messengers among Indonesian Muslims, followed by environmental activists and the national government. Unfortunately, they are rarely engaged in climate discourse. This needs to change as they are well positioned to speak to and inspire actions from the Muslim communities in Indonesia. 

From our qualitative study, we found that there is a consensus among Islamic leaders that Islam contains clear teachings about protecting the environment. One cleric from West Java states that, “…as caliphs on earth, we must not destroy the earth. Islamic da’wah [preaching] does not only create pious people who have akhlak al karimah (noble behavior) for themselves but also for the society and others.”

These leaders also believe that climate change or environmental destruction is caused by humans. An Islamic leader from Aceh says, “Climate change cannot be separated from human behavior […] it is human responsibility to lead it in a better direction.” 

This shows that there is already a solid level of awareness and understanding of climate challenges among these leaders. Including religious leaders as climate movers or changemakers can help broaden the support for climate action and help reach a critical mass that can create impactful policy and systemic change.

3. Support for climate action is high, but not politically visible.

A vertical stacked bar chart displaying survey responses to a question about renewable energy implementation. The bar is divided into color-coded sections with corresponding percentages: 52% (orange) - Strongly Supportive 28% (pink) - Supportive 4% (light green) - Slightly Supportive 15% (blue) - Neutral 0% (black) - Slightly Not Supportive 0% (dark gray) - Not Supportive 0% (light gray) - Strongly Not Supportive The chart is labeled on the left with percentage markers at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. A legend on the right explains the color coding. Below the chart, the survey question reads: 'Renewable energy is energy from natural sources that are abundant and continuously available. Examples of renewable energy are solar, wind, water, geothermal, ocean waves, etc. Which of the following describes your position for the implementation of renewable energy?

An overwhelming majority of the respondents are supportive of the implementation of renewable energy, which is a key action for combating climate change. However, this support is not currently translated into political cover that can enable or push policymakers to invest in climate solutions. According to Climate Action Tracker, Indonesia’s climate policies, actions, and targets are critically insufficient. This shows that there is a gap between what the public wants and what policymakers are doing. Climate campaigners need to help make this support more visible, so that it can influence the government to take bolder and more ambitious climate actions.

4. Move beyond the individual to the communal.

Climate Action through the Eyes of Indonesian Muslims

Low-barrier individual actions are the most common practices taken to protect the environment, as mentioned by our respondents. The ease and practicality of taking these steps are likely the main factors for why they are the most popular. While these actions are important, there is an important need to mobilize the audience to take community-oriented actions, or actions that require participation from a larger group of people, which can lead to a larger and more systemic change. Change may start at an individual level, but it doesn’t stop there.

5. Meet the audience where they are.

Climate Action through the Eyes of Indonesian Muslims

From our survey, we were able to come up with 4 segments of Islamic climate audience. First is the Climate Caliphs, which are devout Muslims who deeply care about the environment. Second is the Eco-Hijrah Community, who are as pious but do not yet prioritize the environment or climate. Third is the Responsible Citizens, which are not-so-religious Muslims who have a basic awareness about the environment, but are limited by time and resources to take action. Lastly, The Aspiring Ummah, which are the moderately religious who don’t really think much of climate issues.

Our key takeaway from this segmentation is that each group is on a different point in their spiritual as well as climate journey. Everyone has a role to play, and it is the task of climate campaigners to activate these audiences based on what they are able to contribute. The most important thing is to know your audience, tailor your message to speak to their hopes, needs, and desires, and craft suitable call-to-actions for each audience.

What’s next

These insights have been tremendously helpful in strengthening the Islamic Climate Movement initiatives implemented by Purpose in Indonesia. Projects such as Umat untuk Semesta, Sedekah Energi, Forest Waqf, and Bengkel Hijrah Iklim, among others, continue to broaden support for climate among faith communities. We hope that these learnings can inspire and unlock stronger collaboration between various climate stakeholders in Indonesia and beyond.

To learn more about the Islamic Climate Movement, visit: mosaic-indonesia.com.