Deputy Minister of Home Affairs: The main challenge in tackling climate change is synchronising global and local efforts
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto stated that the main challenge in climate change policy in Indonesia is connecting global commitments, national policies, and implementation at the regional level.
“Our challenge is actually what is written in this report, namely connecting global, national, and local commitments,” he said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He made these remarks while serving as a key speaker at the dissemination of research entitled “The Landscape of Climate Change Policy in Indonesia: Critical Reflection, Central-Regional Relations, and Challenges,” which was initiated by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
He reminded that since 2023, the United Nations (UN) has even introduced the term “global boiling” to describe the increasing severity of the climate crisis at the global level.
According to him, Indonesia has shown a strong commitment to the climate agenda, including the target of net zero emissions (NZE) by 2060, as outlined in the vision of the government of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
However, he emphasised that the biggest problem is not the commitments on paper, but the implementation at the regional level.
Bima revealed that around 75 percent of regional leaders are currently new figures. This presents a unique challenge in increasing understanding of climate change, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and green investment.
“Most of the regional leaders now are relatively younger. This is an opportunity to mainstream the issue of climate change, but it still requires capacity building,” he said.
He gave the example that in many regions, fundamental issues such as improving public transportation, managing industry, and controlling floods and traffic congestion are still the main priorities. In this situation, the issue of net zero emissions is often overshadowed by political and economic interests.
In addition, fiscal limitations are also a challenge. Regional leaders, he said, are currently faced with demands for budget efficiency and adjustments to central-to-regional transfer funds.
“Regional leaders are not in a comfortable position right now. They have to be efficient, manage finances strictly, and at the same time be encouraged to make green investments,” he said.
He also highlighted the issue of authority that often arises in handling environmental issues such as floods.
He believes that clarity in the division of authority between governments is crucial, including through an agglomeration area approach.
According to him, the role of the Ministry of Home Affairs is more about ensuring that regional planning and budgeting are in line with global and national commitments.
This is realised through regulations and technical guidelines to encourage green investment initiatives in the regions.
However, he reminded that the allocation of green budgets should not be ceremonial and must be jointly monitored to truly strengthen the ecosystem of sustainable development.
“We cannot only assess the success of regional leaders based on whether or not there is a green budget, but how that budget has an impact,” he said.