Indonesia Special Envoy met Secretary General of Muslim Elders Council discuss climate awareness
Emissions reduction in Indonesia will begin through the transition of development from fossil fuel-based to renewable-based energy.
MOSAIC-INDONESIA.COM, BAKU — Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders (Majelis Hukama Muslimin), Hakim Mohamed Abdelsalam, met with Hashim Djojohadikusumo, President Prabowo Subianto's Special Envoy for Energy and Environment and Chairman of Indonesia's Delegation to COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, last week.
During the meeting, Abdelsalam emphasized the Hukama Assembly's efforts in supporting the role of religious leaders in addressing global challenges, including climate issues. One of them is through the “Call of Conscience: Abu Dhabi Joint Statement on Climate”, signed by 30 leading religious leaders around the world. The Council also hosted a Pavilion of Faith at COP28, which marked the first of its kind at the annual conference. Today, the Hukama Assembly is holding a second Faith Pavilion at COP29 after a number of successes achieved at COP28, according to muslim-elders.com.
During the meeting, Abdulsalam praised Indonesia's exemplary model of pluralism, diversity, and coexistence. He congratulated the new government led by Prabowo Subianto that had just been sworn in. Abdelsalam expressed his respect for his attendance at the inauguration of Indonesia's President and Vice President last month and reiterated the Hukama Assembly's commitment to strengthen constructive engagement across Indonesian and Southeast Asian communities through initiatives that promote dialogue and coexistence.
Hashim, meanwhile, expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Hukama Assembly in mobilizing religious leaders to address climate challenges, including the Pavilion of Faith initiative at COP28 which was continued at COP29. He also expressed his intention to visit the Faith Pavilion and engage in various activities at the pavilion.
Hashim highlighted the importance of religious initiatives, which aim to strengthen the role of religious leaders in peace-building and building.At the end of the meeting, both sides reiterated the importance of the voice of religious leaders in addressing climate challenges, committing to continue collaborating to raise awareness of the urgent need to respond to climate change and its risks.
President Prabowo's promise
Based on a written statement from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MOE), Hashim Djojohadikusumo representing President Prabowo at COP 29 pledged to continue all commitments related to the Indonesian Government's climate actions made during the previous government.
The Indonesian government said it is targeting economic growth of more than 8% per year and ensuring green, resilient and inclusive development for all Indonesians. “This vision defines our mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2060 or sooner and avoid 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” he said in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday (12/11/2024).
He also mentioned the emission reduction measures Indonesia is undertaking ranging from the transition of development from fossil fuel-based to renewable-energy based development with an additional 75 per cent of electricity generation capacity from renewable new energy. The additional electricity will be distributed to all the main and most populous islands in Indonesia through 70,000 kilometers of smart transmission lines will be built.
Indonesia will also develop an environmentally friendly smart power grid, adding 42 gigawatts of wind and solar power, doubling its energy capacity, for a total of 75 gigawatts. “Affordable clean energy will be provided to accelerate growth, create more jobs, ensure food security, and eradicate poverty for people's prosperity while balancing growth, the environment and sustainability,” he said.
He said Indonesia would begin greening more than 12 million hectares of degraded forests gradually, revitalizing degraded land to increase food production, protecting the oceans for a prosperous blue economy, and empowering local communities for climate resilience and quality environmentally friendly jobs.
“Our efforts require three supporting factors: the comprehensive green economic growth policy framework we are finalizing, a massive investment of $235 billion, and international collaboration,” he said.
He called on countries to mobilize global resources in terms of technology, finance, and investment, to form a united front to fight global warming and regain humanity's right to survive.
Hashim also revealed that Indonesia is blessed with a vast salt aquifer that offers a carbon capture and storage capacity of nearly 500 gigatons. Several multinational companies have expressed heightened interest in the multibillion-dollar project.
He also said that if in the future to support climate action, Indonesia is committed to developing a strong carbon market starting with optimizing 557 million tons of verified carbon credits in Indonesia.
“We must work together to provide a better future for our next generation,” Hashim explained.
