Jakarta – Sustainable energy advocacy organisation 350.org said that the idea of one of the vice presidential candidates regarding energy could threaten the sustainability of the equitable energy transition.
350.org Interim Indonesia Team Lead Firdaus Cahyadi considers vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s ideas about energy as the most dangerous in the context of a future energy transition.
In his assessment, Cahyadi emphasised that Gibran consistently promoted Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) in two debates. According to him, CCS is considered a false solution in energy transition as it can prolong dependence on fossil energy and hinder renewable energy development.
In addition, Cahyadi detailed that a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also stated that the ability of CCS to provide significant emission reductions in the next decade is very low, while the cost is very high.
“With such high costs, the investment should be directed to the development of renewable energy,” he said in a written statement, adding the urgency of allocating resources to technologies that support a more sustainable energy transition.
Another questionable energy idea of Gibran, Cahyadi said, is regarding the development of palm-based green energy. Cahyadi said that the reckless implementation of this program could lead to the conversion of forests into large-scale plantations, increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Furthermore, he said uncontrolled palm oil expansion has the potential to cause agrarian conflicts with indigenous and local communities, threatening the principle of justice in the energy transition, even though the program is embedded with a “green” label.
“We all do not want the agenda of a just energy transition in Indonesia to fall apart just because of Prabowo-Gibran’s green energy and CCS programs,” Cahyadi said, urging the Prabowo-Gibran team to revise their green energy program. (Hartatik)
