Introduction: The Climate Crisis and the Sky of Aviation
The twenty-first century is defined by a paradox of breathtaking technological triumphs set against accelerating ecological precarity. Civil aviation epitomizes this paradox. It is a marvel of human ingenuity and a symbol of globalization, compressing space and time to connect cities, continents, and civilizations in ways once unimaginable. Air travel sustains commerce, tourism, cultural exchange, and even national integration—particularly for archipelagic states such as Indonesia.
Yet the very engines that lift aircraft into the sky leave behind carbon trails that weigh heavily on the planet. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), aviation accounts for roughly 2–3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, a share projected to rise sharply as passenger demand grows.
For Indonesia, the dilemma is acute. With more than seventeen thousand islands, aviation is not a luxury but a lifeline. It sustains national unity, economic vitality, and regional development. But if left unchecked, it could become a major driver of ecological degradation. Expanding airports, carbon-intensive fuels, and infrastructure demands place immense pressure on fragile ecosystems. Balancing connectivity with sustainability has therefore become not a theoretical challenge but a matter of national survival and global responsibility.
At this juncture, the concept of the eco-theosystem offers a way forward: a paradigm that bridges ecological consciousness with religious and spiritual wisdom. It reframes environmental protection as both an act of faith and a civilizational responsibility. In Indonesia—where Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the world’s largest Muslim civil society organization, shapes the lives of tens of millions—this paradigm can be grounded in the grassroots, amplified by religious authority, and translated into concrete action. By weaving together theology, civil society activism, and global aviation frameworks such as CORSIA and Airport Carbon Accreditation, Indonesia can chart a path that is not only technically sound but morally compelling.
Eco-Theosystem: From Philosophy to Practice
At the heart of the eco-theosystem lies the conviction that the Earth is a trust (amanah) from God. Humanity, as khalifah—stewards of creation—are not absolute proprietors but a responsible manager charged with preserving balance and justice. Safeguarding the environment thus becomes not merely an ecological duty but an act of worship, linking finite human action with the infinite divine order.
This contrasts with modernity’s prevailing anthropocentrism, which treats nature as a resource to be mastered and exploited. The eco-theosystem rejects this paradigm, advancing instead an eco-theocentrism: a worldview in which ecological harmony is recognized as a divine command. Environmental degradation, then, is not simply a technical failure but a spiritual transgression—a violation of the sacred balance sustaining life.
The Qur’an provides a powerful foundation. In Surah Ar-Rahman [55]: 7–9, God declares:
وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ
“And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance. That you do not transgress within the balance. And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance.”
This verse affirms that the universe rests on mizan—a balance both physical and moral—and warns humanity not to disrupt it. Applied to aviation, the resonance is immediate. The skies, elevated as a realm of balance, are now traversed by aircraft whose emissions alter atmospheric equilibrium. The injunction to maintain balance becomes not only a spiritual principle but also a practical guideline for policy, technology, and social action.
In this light, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is more than a technological advance; it is an expression of ethical compliance. Green airports powered by renewables and integrated with reforestation projects become symbols of civilizational maturity. Efficient air traffic management that reduces fuel burn reflects not just economic rationality but moral responsibility. The eco-theosystem thus translates theology into technology, ethics into engineering, and spirituality into sustainable practice.
Global Instruments: CORSIA and ACA
On the global stage, instruments such as ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) embody the attempt to align aviation with climate goals. CORSIA obliges airlines to monitor, report, and offset international flight emissions, while encouraging efficiency gains and SAF adoption. Yet compliance risks are becoming a box-ticking exercise, where offsetting is reduced to abstract credit purchases.
The eco-theosystem reframes CORSIA as a moral commitment. Offsetting must be localized, contextual, and meaningful. In Indonesia, it could take the form of mangrove rehabilitation, reforestation led by pesantren, or eco-mosques powered by solar panels. Such initiatives both absorb carbon and embody the Qur’anic injunction to preserve balance, transforming regulation into devotion and compliance into community empowerment.
Similarly, the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program by Airports Council International (ACI) grades airports along a six-level pathway toward Net Zero. For major Indonesian hubs—Soekarno-Hatta, Yogyakarta International, Kualanamu—ACA offers a clear roadmap. Yet the eco-theosystem urges airports to go further: to become hubs of ecological education. Imagine terminals where passengers encounter green walls, solar roofs, and campaigns linking aviation with Qur’anic principles of balance. In such contexts, sustainability is no longer hidden in corporate reports but embedded in the cultural and spiritual identity of the airport.
Civil Society and the Role of Nahdlatul Ulama
No environmental framework can succeed without social legitimacy. Civil society is the amplifier that translates policy into lived culture. NU, with its vast networks of pesantren, mosques, and community groups, is uniquely positioned to embed the eco-theosystem in daily life.
Pesantren can be transformed into eco-hubs powered by solar panels and waste banks, integrating ecological stewardship into Islamic education. Mosques can serve as centers of environmental consciousness, where sermons highlight both spiritual devotion and ecological responsibility. Community programs like Sedekah Oksigen—tree-planting as an act of worship—can mobilize grassroots action. Even the pilgrimage flows of Hajj and Umrah can be reimagined as “green journeys” through SAF adoption and carbon offsetting.
Beyond grassroots engagement, NU’s moral authority can elevate environmental protection from a technical issue to a religious obligation. Through fiqh deliberations, environmental harm can be classified as sinful, while conservation becomes virtuous. Internationally, NU’s participation in interfaith platforms such as the Religion of Twenty (R20) enables Indonesia to project an Islamic ecological ethic in global aviation forums, amplifying the eco-theosystem as a civilizational narrative.
Eco-Theosystem as Indonesia’s Environmental Diplomacy
Aligning the eco-theosystem with frameworks like CORSIA and ACA positions Indonesia not merely as a compliant state but as a leader. At the regulatory level, it demonstrates technical capacity. At the normative level, it offers a distinctive narrative: one that integrates secular science with sacred scripture, global frameworks with local values.
Such leadership enhances Indonesia’s soft power. In an era when climate diplomacy intersects with trade, investment, and security, Indonesia’s ability to advance a faith-based sustainability model strengthens its international standing. It signals that the nation is not only an emerging economy but also a moral actor capable of shaping global conversations on climate and aviation.
Challenges of Implementation
Admittedly, the path is demanding. SAF production requires capital-intensive investment, green airports demand billions, and regulatory overlaps complicate governance. Smaller airlines and regional airports face resource gaps. Public awareness remains shallow, often overshadowed by immediate economic concerns.
Yet these very challenges highlight the indispensable role of civil society. Through education, mobilization, and cultural framing, organizations like NU can bridge theology and technology. International partnerships can help fill financial and technical gaps. With such synergies, the eco-theosystem can evolve from aspiration to operation.
Toward a Dignified Green Aviation
Ultimately, the eco-theosystem is not just a concept but a movement. It is holistic, uniting technology, policy, faith, and culture. It is participatory, enlisting state, industry, and community in shared stewardship. And it is spiritual, framing sustainability as worship and ecological care as obedience to God.
If pursued earnestly, Indonesia can become a global model: an aviation sector that is safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible, yet also socially inclusive and spiritually meaningful. Airports can be transformed into spaces of ecological awareness, airlines into agents of ethical innovation, and passengers into participants in a civilizational project. In such a vision, the skies above Indonesia would not only be filled with aircraft but with meaning—the resonance of a nation striving to uphold the balance commanded by God.
Conclusion
The sky is not merely an air corridor; it is a moral horizon. Aircraft carry not only passengers but humanity’s ecological responsibilities. The eco-theosystem—empowered by civil society, anchored by Nahdlatul Ulama, and aligned with global aviation frameworks—offers Indonesia a chance to lead.
By integrating theology, technology, and civil society, Indonesia can ensure that aviation becomes not a symbol of ecological decline but a beacon of sustainable civilization. Environmental protection in the skies, reframed as an act of faith, affirms that safeguarding creation is inseparable from safeguarding humanity’s future.
