Jakarta – The Indonesian government was supposed to have submitted the Second National Determined Contribution (SNDC) climate target in early February this year as disclosed by government officials at the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan in November 2024. However, as of today, the government is yet to submit the second NDC target pending the approval of President Prabowo Subianto.
NDC is the commitment of countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement. NDC is the main tool these countries use to collectively address climate change.
The NDC document contains a nation’s commitment, target, and climate efforts that are disclosed and submitted every five years as part of efforts to reduce global emissions. The first NDC was submitted in 2016. In 2022, the Indonesian government raised its ambition to reduce GHG from 29% to 31.89% through owned efforts and to 43.2% from 41% through the support of the international community.
Head of Public Relations Bureau of KLH/BPLH Sasmita Nugroho said recently (13/02) that the Minister of Environment (MoE) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has submitted the draft Second NDC to the President for approval.
“We have submitted the final position (of SNDC) to the President. Hopefully, it will be approved as soon as possible,” Sasmita was quoted by the state news agency Antara.
He said that the draft of the Second NDC includes the national greenhouse gas (GHG) targets from the marine sector and upstream oil and gas sub-sectors.
Previously, the Indonesian government set the target to reduce GHG emissions to 31.89% independently and 43.20% with international support in 2030.
In the enhanced SNDC document, several sectors have set targets to reduce GHG emissions. These sectors are energy, forestry, waste, agriculture, and industrial processes and product use (IPPU) sectors.
To achieve the emission reduction target, he added, the government has also started international carbon trading which was launched on Jan. 20, 2025. Indonesia’s NDC targets include as follows:
• Restore 2 million hectares of peatlands
• Rehabilitate 12 million hectares of degraded lands
• Increase adaptation ambition
• Reaching the peak national GHG emissions by 2030
• Achieve net forestry and land use removals of 540 MtCO2e by 2050
• Achieve net zero emissions by 2060 or sooner
In addition to carbon trading, Indonesia also supports climate financing efforts with performance-based payments.
Some observers have said that achieving the government’s net zero target by 2060 or sooner is possible but requires significant efforts to add renewables and balance solutions at scale while at the same time phasing out inflexible power plants. Expanding renewable energy generation rapidly in the short term is also crucial for achieving climate goals.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said that the G20 members are responsible for the bulk of total emissions, accounting for 77% in 2023. Therefore, its members must take the lead. However, this group is still off track to meet even current NDCs. The largest-emitting members must lead by dramatically increasing action and ambition now and in the new pledges.
Stronger international support and enhanced climate finance will be essential to ensure that climate and development goals can be realised fairly across G20 members and globally, UNEP has said.
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
The general public, both national and international, is now awaiting the steps of the new Indonesian government under the helm of President Prabowo. (Roffie Kurniawan)
