Letter: Natural resources economy

This refers to an article titled “Green economy: Growth is not good enough,” (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 15, p.7).

We just have to go back to the essential meaning of natural resource economics, because today there is no implementation in the level of policy and practice.

In practice the only theory of economy in the world mainly in Indonesia is just money based economics. As the richest natural resources country in the world Indonesia should be at the first forefront on implementing natural resources economics leadership.

There has been nothing for a long time to show that we care about the people or society. This has only become opinion and blank theory due to greedy, individualistic and consumeristic characters, indicated by growing corruption at several levels.

Natural resources should be placed first. Then people should gain similar rights and fairness from goods and services. In this sense, the energy of the natural resources, which is valued in terms of money, must be distributed according to the sweat, obligatory and responsibility of the human involved.

So, the green economic concept should put the principle of human sweat, creativity, skill and responsibility in the first place. If the human leaders were concerned about and considered natural resources in the first place, the concern toward the society will show because the people will appreciate and respect the natural resources.

They have a longer lifespan than humans. Society is put after. The experience of blind democracy has led natural resources to become uncontrollable and crushed.

This is the time of the green economy and political leadership in the era of climate change, which has been happening for a while.

Ismatul Hakim
Bogor, West Java