The legal notice, delivered this week by the Bali Coalition for the Environment and Sustainability Movement, or Pulihkan Bali in Indonesian, gives both the central government and the provincial administration 60 days to respond before a citizen lawsuit is filed with the Denpasar District Court.
Ten plaintiffs have signed on, including environmental organiser and Bali resident Suriadi Darmoko, a field organiser with 350.org, an environmental non-profit.
The plaintiffs argue that government negligence in spatial planning, drainage systems and disaster preparedness created the conditions for the deadly floods that have been linked to climate change. They say the tragedy has become a flashpoint for growing frustration among frontline communities who feel abandoned as climate impacts intensify in the populous archipelago.
“The International Court of Justice climate ruling makes it clear: states have an obligation to protect people from climate harms,” said Darmoko. “We will no longer stand by idly as climate inaction destroys lives, our homes, and livelihoods. Using climate-heating gas for energy when renewable energy sources are abundant is downright criminal.”
Darmoko said the science linking extreme rainfall to climate change is already clear and urged authorities to integrate climate mitigation measures into disaster management and stop new fossil fuel developments, including proposed LNG and gas-fired power projects.
The plaintiffs are calling for sweeping reforms to Bali’s development and environmental governance. They want the government to halt new business permits for activities that threaten ecosystems and to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment across Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan with full community participation.
In addition, the plaintiffs are seeking policy reforms that ensure equitable land use, climate-friendly infrastructure, sustainable waste management and stronger environmental protections. They are also pushing for a provincial regulation on climate justice that outlines requirements for mitigation, adaptation and compensation for climate-related damages.
Earlier this month, the Balinese authorities issued a stop-work order for a glass elevator being built at Kelingking Beach, one of the island’s most photographed destinations, following widespread criticism over environmental risks, safety concerns, and alleged permit violations.
Sisilia Nurmala Dewi, Indonesia team lead for 350.org, said the lawsuit should be seen as a warning to political leaders at the COP30 climate talks. “If our leaders won’t act, the people will,” she said. “We need a clear roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, triple renewable energy, and ensure rich nations pay their climate debt. Words are no longer enough.”
Failure of duty to protect
Lawyers representing the coalition say the case rests on the state’s legal obligations under the Indonesian Constitution and environmental protection laws.
“The government has a duty to protect the public’s right to a clean and safe environment,” said Ignatius Rhadite, a lawyer with Pulihkan Bali. “Negligence in spatial planning, drainage, and disaster management amounts to an unlawful act that contributed to the deadly September floods.”
Scientists with the coalition argue that Bali’s ecological decline has left the island dangerously exposed. Ida Bagus Mandhara Brasika, a researcher with Pulihkan Bali, highlighted the rapid loss of green spaces and agricultural land.
He noted that Bali has lost 6,522 hectares of rice fields in the past five years, while Denpasar’s green open space has shrunk to just 3.2 per cent – far below the legal minimum of 30 per cent. Forest cover in the Ayung watershed around Bali’s longest river has also been degraded to 3 per cent, and an estimated 33,000 tonnes of waste enter waterways annually.
Brasika called Bali’s deteriorating ecological condition “a structural problem of failed governance,” warning that without a development moratorium and science-based corrective action, similar disasters will recur. “Bali needs climate-resilient development, not development that sacrifices citizens’ safety,” he said.
Once filed, the lawsuit would join a rising tide of climate litigation aimed at holding governments accountable for failing to protect citizens from climate-related harms. A report published by Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law last month found a surge in climate litigation in recent years, albeit mainly in the West. Indonesia is Asia’s most climate-litigious country, with most cases related to forestry or forest fires.
The most recent high-profile climate case was brought by a group of Jakarta citizens in 2021, who accused the Indonesian government of negligence in failing to regulate air pollution and protect citizens’ right to a healthy environment.
The Central Jakarta District Court later ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, finding top officials, including the president, negligent for failing to curb dangerous air pollution levels. The court ordered the government to tighten emissions standards, strengthen monitoring and draw up a comprehensive plan to improve Jakarta’s air quality.
