Involvement of Greenpeace as an International Organization in Environmental Damage

Case Study : Water Pollution in Indonesia

BAB I

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background

Greenpeace is a global environmental launched in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with

branches in over 40 countries. Greeenpeace was founded in Vancover, British Columbia,
Canada in 1971. Greenpeace is a non-governmental international organization focused on the
world's most pressing environmental issues, with 2.8 million supporters worldwide, with the
goal of making the world green and peaceful. (Indonesia, 2018 ) Greenpeace has always
adhered to its principles and core values when carrying out actions. One of Greenpeace's core
values is to take nonviolent and personally accountable actions. As time passes and more
problems arise, particularly environmental problems, Greenpeace has emerged as one of the
organizations that has played a significant and vital role.

Greenpeace's changes along the way had an impact on how they carried out their campaign
actions. This is due to the world's increasing modernization, which is characterized by changes
in the era of technology, information, and communication. Greenpeace is using this
advancement to disseminate information through various media platforms, including the
internet.As Marshall Mc.luhan stated in his theory "medium as an extension of human
faculties," the medium is, in fact, an extension of the human body. (Morrisan, 2013). The
problem of water pollution is one of the warning signs of environmental damage, and the
commemoration of World Water Day, or HAD, which is celebrated globally on March 22 every
year, is a momentum for the entire world community to be more aware of the importance of
water and wastewater management.
 As a maritime country, Indonesia is still grappling with the issue of clean water availability
and water quality degradation caused by waste pollution. The growing population percentage,
particularly in urban areas where 53% of the population now resides, has a direct impact on the
increasing need for clean water and a healthier residential environment. In terms of volume,
Indonesia has a potential of 3.9 trillion cubic meters per year, with Papua and Kalimantan having
the highest volume. Meanwhile, the potential, which ranges from 691 billion cubic meters per year,
is used to support people's lives. Indonesia only uses about 175 billion cubic meters of water per
year out of that total. While the remaining 516 billion cubic meters of potential water have not
been used to their full potential. (marroli, 2017). Water quality must also be considered because
most of the water used is still of poor quality due to waste and soil damage caused by community
land function. The Ministry of PUPR, through the Directorate General of Cipta Karya, is still
working to ensure that Indonesia meets the target of 100% access to safe drinking water by the end
of 2019.

Greenpeace, an environmental organization, has called for increased population growth and
urbanization, which will later contribute significantly to the problem of plastic waste, which will
affect water hygiene. The waste will endanger approximately 80% of marine life and may have an
impact on humans. The waste can contaminate waterways and prevent them from being used by
the environment. Plastic waste is a problem in ASEAN because 90% of the countries lack adequate
waste disposal and management facilities, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia,
and Indonesia. Indonesia is the leading contributor of waste to the sea, with an estimated 1.15
million to 2.41 million tons of plastic waste entering the oceans each year. (Adebayo, 2018).

1.2 Research Question

How is Greenpeace's policy participating in the process of overcoming the waste problem that
causes water pollution in Indonesia?
1.3 Theoritical Framework
Social Movement
As a writer, I will implement social movement theory to the title analysis. The term "social
movement" refers to an informal social entity that is organized and oriented toward moving
the social involved in extrainstitutional conflicts. The goals of a social movement can be aimed
at bringing about social change in society. The interaction of collective actions that are
organized independently to produce changes in society is referred to as social movement.
Understanding a social movement requires an understanding of networks or social networks.
Social networks have an impact on collective action. Social networks broaden individuals'
opportunities to participate and empower activists to advance their causes. (McAdam, 2003).
International organizations play an important role in this theory.

International Organization
International organizations, according to Clive Archer, play a role in which they act as tools
or instruments. International organizations are defined as intergovernmental organizations, a
new phenomenon in international relations. The membership of international organizations and
the nature of the laws that govern them are then used to classify them:
1. Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO)
2. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO-INGO)

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is an organization that is not part of the

government and is, in general, a social movement created by civil society. There are some
characteristics of NGOs, such as the fact that they are formed not as political parties, but as a
self-regulating or independent organization whose purpose is not to seek profit and is carried
out voluntarily in the sense of voluntary management participation.

1.4 Methodology
In this study, the author used a descriptive method or Case Study to illustrate how
Greenpeace's efforts are reducing plastic waste in Indonesia and its relationship with the
current rampant water pollution, by conducting surveys obtained through library research, both
 from books, journals, reports, and internet access containing relevant data and information
related to the aforementioned.

1.5 Hypothesis
Greenpeace acts as an information source, conducting research on plastic waste in
Indonesia with the goal of providing information, inverting and uncovering brands that have
the potential to pollute the oceans. Furthermore, Greenpeace acts as a socialization agent in
several Indonesian regions, raising community awareness through monitoring activities and
identifying plastic waste. Greenpeace launched the #PantangPlastik environmental campaign
in an effort to change and raise awareness about the long-term environmental impact of plastic
waste. This campaign also aims to persuade the government to enact plastic waste management
regulations and rules for FMCG manufacturers or companies. Furthermore, it encourages
FMCG companies to innovate in order to reduce and redesign their packaging products.

References
Adebayo. (2018). New Road Material Reducing Plastic Pollution In Indonesia. Retrieved from
https://borgenproject.org/tag/plastik-pollution-in-indonesia/

Indonesia, G. (2018 ). Sejarah Greenpeace . Retrieved from

https://www.greenpeace.org/indonesia/

marroli. (2017, March 27). Hari Air Dunia Mengingatkan Kembali Akan Pentingnya Air dan
Pengelolaan Air Limbah. Retrieved from Kominfo:
https://www.kominfo.go.id/content/detail/9490/hari-air-dunia-mengingatkan-kembali-
akan-pentingnya-air-dan-pengelolaan-air-limbah/0/artikel_gpr

McAdam, M. D. (2003). Social Movements and Networks: Relational Approaches to Collective

Actions.

Morrisan. (2013). Teori Komunikasi dari individu hingga Massa. Jakarta : Prenada Media Grup.