Jakarta – A civil society coalition believes that the continued construction of new steam power plants (PLTU) and the development of coal-derived technologies such as gasification and coal liquefaction could hamper Indonesia’s target of achieving carbon emission reductions following the Paris Agreement commitments. According to them, amidst the downward trend in global carbon emissions, Indonesia still faces severe challenges in reducing carbon emissions.
Novita Indri, a fossil energy campaigner from Trend Asia, in a press statement on Wednesday, November 13, revealed that the construction of new power plants and the development of coal-derived technologies are counterproductive to the efforts to reduce emissions being promoted.
The latest report from the Global Carbon Budget shows that carbon emissions from fossil fuels in Indonesia reached 733.2 million tons in 2023, a slight decrease compared to 2022. Despite this decline, carbon emissions from the energy sector, particularly from coal use, still pose a significant threat to achieving the net-zero emissions target by 2060.
In addition, the development of coal gasification extends the life of coal use in Indonesia. This contradicts the energy transition commitment, which should focus on developing renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
FOLU Net Sink 2030 commitment
Meanwhile, Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of MADANI Berkelanjutan, added that if the government is serious about achieving the net zero emission target, the first step must be to stop building new power plants and accelerate the early retirement of existing power plants. “We need a bolder policy change to abandon coal energy and switch to renewable energy completely,” Nadia concluded.
Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of Indonesia’s commitment to the FOLU (Forestry and Other Land Use) Net Sink 2030 initiative. Through this initiative, the forest and land sector is expected to absorb more emissions than it releases, thus significantly reducing national carbon emissions. “The FOLU Net Sink 2030 commitment has received global appreciation, especially from tropical forest countries such as Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Nadia said.
“However, this commitment will not be effective if the government continues to push for energy policies that rely on coal. Indonesia must take a firm position on preventing deforestation and join global initiatives such as the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP),” he said.
Despite a slight decrease in emissions from fossil fuels in Indonesia, the Global Carbon Budget report predicts that global carbon emissions from fossil fuels will reach a record high of 37.4 billion tons in 2024, an increase of 0.8% compared to the previous year. This increase shows no sign of a peak in carbon emissions from the fossil energy sector.
Pierre Friedlingstein, leader of the University of Exeter’s Global Carbon Budget study, said that COP29 participating countries must immediately take decisive steps to limit global warming to below 2°C from pre-industrial levels.
“Time is running out. The world must reduce fossil fuel emissions immediately to keep global warming below safe limits. Until we reach net zero, world temperatures will continue to rise, bringing increasingly severe impacts,” Friedlingstein said. (Hartatik)
