17 January 2022 | The third session of the GCoM National Webinars in Southeast Asian Countries is for Indonesia. Moderating the session was Ms. Sri Indah Wibi Nastiti, the General Manager of the Association of Indonesian Municipalities (Asosiasi Pemerintah Kota Seluruh Indonesia/APEKSI), who allowed Mr. Seth van Doorn of the EU Delegation to Indonesia and Dr. Bernadia to deliver their opening remarks. Both hoped that these national webinars would benefit and motivate people to take concrete climate actions at the local level.
Before sharing the session from pilot cities of GCoM Phase I, Ms. Asih Budiati introduced the GCoM Asia Project and that the main objective of this project funded by the European Union (EU) is to help local governments set climate targets. She also encouraged more Indonesian cities to join GCoM global movement to combat climate change and keep the temperature rise under 1.5 degrees as agreed.
Five pilot cities of the GCoM Phase I (Malang, Denpasar, Palembang, Makassar, and Depok) were all present at the event to share their lesson learnt. Representing Malang City was Mayor Sutiaji himself, who shared the city’s initiatives in mitigating climate change.
Speaking on behalf of the Mayor of Denpasar was the Head of the Development Planning Agency Mr. I Putu Wijaya Kusuma sharing about the electricity efficiency in the city. The Denpasar government has been transitioning to cleaner energy for the past 2 to 3 years, significantly reducing electricity bills.
From Palembang City, Ms. Nyimas Ida Apriani shared that the city is focused on energy efficiency in the public settlement as the second major emission contributor. Palembang is the first city in Indonesia that receive City Climate Gap Fund and now receiving technical assistance from the World Bank.
Dr. Aryati Puspasari Abady, Head of the Environment Department of Makassar City Government, shared her experience in addressing the waste issue. Makassar is planning to build a processing centre to convert waste to electricity. “Building Waste-to-Energy is expected to bring great benefit to environmental and economic aspects,” she added.
Ms. Ety Suryahaty, Head of the Environment and Cleanliness Department, Depok City Government, shared various measures taken as part of Depok’s climate action. Depok is starting to shift to energy-efficient electricity, developing waste banks, increasing green spaces, and developing cycling routes.
Closing the session, Ms. Indah emphasised collaboration and building relations with other stakeholders to reduce GHG emissions.
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Written and reviewed by: Rona Ikram Putri
