Indonesia is a supporter of the Paris Agreement and has committed unconditionally to reduce green house gas emissions.

The country's goal is a 29% reduction by 2030 but National Development Planning Minister, Bambang Brodjonegoro, insists Indonesia's aggressive targets could be increased to 41% if the country receives international support.

Bambang claims there is a framework for managing forests and peat lands, and now Indonesia needs to focus on other large carbon producers, especially in the transportation and energy sectors. "Forests and peat have been (managed) pretty good, but energy, especially renewable energy, is still left behind. This is what we want to be accelerated, for example, by bringing in investors and setting a more appropriate pricing scheme," he said.

Climate change

Indonesia is under pressure to follow through on its commitments. Antara News are reporting Singapore is tackling climate change as one of its priorities, and as chair of ASEAN for 2018, was also aware of its role to establish partnerships within the group by conducting a Special Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change Control Action in July 2018 and establishing an ASEAN Smart City Network, whose aim is to help member states achieve sustainable urban development.

The Philippines has also taken steps to align energy, climate, agriculture and food issues through public and private financing.

"The private sector is ready to support by incorporating public-private partnerships to grow the green sector, such as renewable energy," said Filipino Senator, Loren Legarda. She went on to say large corporations had also begun integrating climate change control targets into their business models.

Alleviating poverty

The Indonesian government's agenda includes addressing poverty and connects the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) with its own national development agenda to alleviate poverty by 2030.

Bambang said Indonesia needed a revolutionary breakthrough before this could happen. "One of the key aspects is access to the poorest members of the population. They must receive special attention and receive access to education and health services, as well as basic infrastructure; from sanitation to housing."

Sources: Antara News, Jakarta Globe

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