Climate Change Mitigation in Indonesia: From Panel Discussions to Concrete Actions

Global warming has impacted many aspects of life, from health to environmental sustainability. A panel discussion led by Presidential Special Staff Diaz Hendropriyono presented various perspectives to encourage concrete steps in climate change mitigation. Panelists emphasized the need for a holistic approach to address these issues, taking into account social, economic, and environmental aspects. One of the panelists contributing to this discussion was Tommy Tjiptadjaja, CEO of Greenhope. 

The event, held on October 3, 2024, at XXI Lounge Plaza Senayan, Jakarta, gathered leaders and experts from various sectors to discuss the theme "Industrial Cleanliness in Supporting the President's Targets Related to National Emission Reduction." Panelists included Bob S. Effendi from PT Thorcon Power Indonesia, Helga Angelina Tjahjadi from Green Rebels Food, Kevin Pudjiadi from Casion, and Juan Apriliano from Plana, with moderator Cazadira Fediva Tamzil from Pijar Foundation. 

The discussion began with an overview of the challenges Indonesia faces in meeting international commitments to reduce emissions, in accordance with the Paris Agreement. In the context of achieving national emission reduction targets, Indonesia faces significant challenges that require collaboration between the government, industry, and society. 

Diaz Hendropriyono also announced the launch of the documentary film titled Dangerous Humans: Towards Zero eMissions? during the event. This film documents Diaz's work during his tenure as Special Staff to the President of Indonesia and will be made available to the public on YouTube. In the film, Diaz states that the climate crisis could lead to the extinction of human life on Earth unless our lifestyles change to become more environmentally friendly. 

“At the end of the book, I ask for clarification regarding climate change and global warming. We are actually at a crossroads, friends. Which direction do you want to take? Do you want to move towards Indonesia achieving net zero emissions or do we head towards zero ecological missions?” emphasized Diaz in his speech. 

Also present at the event was Deddy Corbuzier, who contributed to the film's production. Deddy expressed his desire to get involved because he felt called to raise awareness about the dangers of global warming and climate change. “The issue today is that in this age, I’m not sure that today's youth have the attention span to read a book that thick with such extraordinary content. So the idea is, what if we turned the book into a film? Because if we film it, attention will last longer,” Deddy explained. 

The film has a runtime of about one hour and features hundreds of EcoPreneurs from various regions in Indonesia. According to Diaz, their environmentally friendly product innovations need to be supported by the wider community to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This documentary will be screened simultaneously on October 4, 2024, and can be accessed through YouTube. 

On another note, the challenge of plastic waste management emerged as a hot topic in the panel discussion. Panelists agreed that increasing public awareness and collaboration among various stakeholders is crucial for finding innovative solutions to this issue. Mr. Tommy Tjiptadjaja commented that the book Dangerous Humans is very critical and factual. This book has been categorized so that if readers feel overwhelmed by its 600 pages, they can choose the topics that interest them the most. 

Mr. Tommy continued to highlight that microplastics are an urgent issue, citing several articles stating that in Indonesia, an individual can consume up to 15 grams of microplastics. For prevention, he proposed steps starting from reduce (reducing plastic usage), reuse (using existing plastics), recycle (if the plastic has value to be turned into new products), and finally Return to Earth: returning these plastic materials back to nature. Typically, regular plastic takes up to 100 years to decompose, but with Greenhope's additive technology, this time can be shortened to just 6 months. 

This panel discussion emphasizes that climate change mitigation efforts in Indonesia require synergy among the government, industry, and society. With the right strategies and collective commitment, Indonesia can strengthen its efforts towards sustainability and meet national emission reduction targets for a better future. 

With the launch of the documentary Dangerous Humans, it is hoped that public awareness about the importance of concrete actions in facing the climate crisis will be further enhanced. To watch the documentary, you can click this link.