Businesspeople vow to be energy efficient

Businesspeople vow to be energy efficient

Theresia Sufa, Bogor

At least 130 businesspeople promised on Wednesday to cut their
energy consumption and support the local administration's energy
efficiency campaign to reduce the industrial sector's greenhouse
gas emissions by 5 percent by 2010.

Also promising to cut their energy consumption were state
enterprises, regional administration enterprises, social groups
and residents during a seminar titled Energy Efficiency that was
held to mark 2004 World Environment Day, which fell on June 5.

Opening the seminar, Mayor Diani Budiarto said a recent study
found the city's industrial sector accounted for 53 percent of
all greenhouse gas emissions in Bogor.

"Global warming and declining air quality are now effecting
many parts of the world .... Besides curbing the rate of air
pollution, the efficient use of energy, especially in the
industrial sector, will also have economic benefits," he said.

The industrial community in Bogor agreed to reduce their
carbon dioxide emissions by cutting the use of fossil fuels and
using others energy sources.

The head of the seminar organizer, Adi Priyanto, said the
Bogor administration hoped to develop wind-powered and water-
powered energy to replace fossil fuels.

"For a start, all of us agreed to cut our use of electricity
as 83 percent of electricity in the city is used by the 130
industrial firms," he said.

The House of Representatives approved on Wednesday the
ratification of the 10-year-old Kyoto Protocol on climate change
as part of the country's efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

However, the protocol does not require developing countries
such as Indonesia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent
below their 1990 levels, as it does advanced countries.

By ratifying the protocol, Indonesia joins 123 others that
have adopted the international treaty.