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Indonesia Elections 2024: Presidential candidates’ climate pledges vague, possibly counter-productive, activists say
Indonesia’s presidential hopefuls have backed the goal of net-zero emissions by 2060. But some of their proposals could do more harm than good to the environment, experts caution.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
JAKARTA: One has pledged “climate justice”, another wants to make Indonesia a “superpower” in biofuels and renewable energy, while the other believes in making remote villages across the vast archipelago energy self-reliant.
Besides being out of line with efforts to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, some plans announced by the candidates may, in fact, do more harm than good to the environment, experts said.
Under Mr Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, Indonesia has pledged to cut its emissions by nearly 32 per cent on its own, or by 43.2 per cent with international support by 2030. These targets, announced in 2022, are slightly higher than its earlier Paris Agreement pledge.
Indonesia has also pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 or earlier, which means it will absorb as much carbon as it emits. It plans to do so by retiring all its coal-fired power plants by 2050 and deploying more clean energy sources like solar farms and wind turbines.
The country – Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s largest coal exporter – currently derives 57 per cent of its energy from coal, which is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Indonesia's energy sector emitted 600 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide in 2021.
How Mr Widodo’s successor continues to steer Indonesia’s energy transition will have far-reaching impact.
REACHING NET-ZERO
All three candidates – former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, defence minister Prabowo Subianto and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo – have said they will remain committed to the goals set by Jokowi if they become Indonesia’s next president.
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However, their plans to achieve these goals differ.
Mr Anies and his vice-presidential running mate Muhaimin Iskandar plan to closely monitor the carbon emitted by factories, smelters and power plants. They have pledged to retire coal power plants, especially those in Java and Bali, early.
Although they have promised to increase the share of renewables in Indonesia’s energy mix, they have not specified a target. Indonesia’s current goal is for renewables to make up 23 per cent of its electricity mix by 2025, up from 14 per cent in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency.
They have also promised incentives to encourage communities to participate in clean electricity generation, which could be on-grid or off-grid.
Their two rival teams have also announced net-zero targets.
The Ganjar-Mahfud plan to achieve this involves thousands of “energy self-reliant villages” across Indonesia. These villages will generate their electricity solely or partially from the sources available in their regions, which could range from geothermal and solar, to natural gas and hydropower.
Although some climate activists agree with a focus on community-based clean energy programmes over large-scale projects, Mr Leonard said the Ganjar-Mahfud team’s “energy self-reliant villages” plan is, in itself, not enough to get Indonesia to net-zero.
“The big consumers of electricity are in the big cities,” he said. “We need a more ambitious strategy because we are heading to a climate catastrophe.”
SOVEREIGNTY THE FOCUS FOR PRABOWO-GIBRAN
Mr Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, have affirmed climate targets made under Jokowi’s administration, including early retirement of coal power plants.
The pair’s climate and environment proposals are generally focused on Indonesia’s sovereignty, such as self-sufficiency in energy, food and water. They believe Indonesia has the potential to become the world’s “superpower” in biofuels and renewable energy.
“By increasing our biofuel production, we can reduce (oil) imports, increase the production of our palm oil and it is more environmentally friendly,” Mr Gibran said on Jan 21 during a vice-presidential debate on environment, energy and food security.
The pair also want to promote the use of bioplastics, which are made from biomass sources like vegetable oils and fats. Bioplastics have been touted as an eco-friendly substitute for plastic, but experts caution they are not a real solution as they can be composted only in carefully controlled conditions. If bioplastics end up in landfills, they could cause environmental harm, as plastics do.
Boosting Indonesia’s biofuel production could also mean more deforestation, benefiting big palm oil companies at the expense of the environment, noted Mr Anggi Putra Prayoga, a campaign manager at Forest Watch Indonesia.
“(The plan) will harm Indonesia’s natural forests,” Mr Anggi told CNA.
