IUC Asia Helpdesk, supported by CCROM as a technical partner, organized a virtual capacity building workshop on greenhouse gases (GHG) inventory with Depok City officials on 23-24 September 2020. The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of Depok City officials in developing a suitable Climate Action Plan, especially in designing an evidence-based climate mitigation plan. Approximately 20 city officials were present, representing various agencies comprised of Environment, Education, Social and Trade and Industry Agency. The virtual capacity building shared about the knowledge on how to develop the GHG inventory: particularly the step-by-step process of using SIGN SMART, an online tool to calculate GHG emission developed by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) of Indonesia. SIGN SMART was established in 2015, which acts as the National GHG Inventory System of Indonesia.
This workshop was organized in response to the request of the Environment Agency of Depok City, who was willing to develop the city’s GHG inventory with their own human resources. Previously, they were assisted by a third party to run and utilize the SIGN SMART.
As an introduction, the workshop presented the overview of the relevant topics such as climate change, global warming, the source of greenhouse gases, consequences of GHG concentration in the atmosphere (mainly temperature change), climate policies at the national and international levels. These were introduced to build an initial understanding and common ground about the urgency of this issue. Presidential Regulation No. 71, the year 2011, has mandated the local governments to conduct their comprehensive GHG inventories. The GHG inventory of each local government shall serve as a basis to plan for strategic and inclusive local climate action strategies.
The workshop also aimed to strengthen stakeholders’ knowledge of the data required for a GHG inventory and the methodologies for the data collection. Information presented during the workshop covered the topic of the tools utilized in data collection within the energy sector (including transportation and buildings), Industrial Process and Product Use (IPPU) as well as waste and agricultural sectors.
During the question and answer session, a participant raised a concern regarding the management of data collection and the matter of coordination to input data to SIGN SMART. In response to the question, CCROM highlighted the need to develop a mechanism of data collection system at the city level. The utility companies, e.g., PLN and Pertamina as the data generator, particularly in the energy sector, should be involved. There are some good practices from other cities, such as how the management of data collection is legally supported by the Decree of Mayor – putting further emphasis on the importance of this process.
In the coming weeks, Depok City officials would take the next steps to collect the data for a comprehensive and accurate GHG inventory through SIGN SMART, by making the Environment Agency as the focal point to collaborate with stakeholders across the city – both other city agencies and private sectors.
