Hashim: Global Carbon Investment Momentum Must Be Seized

Jakarta - Presidential Special Envoy for Energy and the Environment Hashim Djojohadikusumo has stressed that all policymakers in the country must move quickly to seize the momentum of high international interest in carbon investment. At the launch of the Ministry of Environment’s Carbon Unit Registration System (SRUK) in Jakarta on Thursday, Hashim stated that the certainty of the system built by the government is now the main attraction that global investors have been eagerly anticipating. “The investor community from abroad has been waiting for the Indonesian Government’s system. Now we must seize the existing momentum so we can utilise this for the people’s welfare,” he said. Hashim explained that the massive interest from international and domestic businesses is partly due to the success of the ministry and agency bureaucracy, which successfully launched the SRUK in a mature and seamless manner. The integration of the green instrument mapping system, coordinated across sectors, is considered tangible proof of the success of the nation’s bureaucratic reform, as hoped for by President Prabowo Subianto. High appreciation was given specifically to the ranks of the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Forestry, the Financial Services Authority (OJK), and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP). According to Hashim, the readiness of the SRUK regulation and infrastructure is an operational achievement that the international community has actually been waiting for since the agreement at the Climate Change Conference/COP 21 in Paris, France, a decade ago, in order to realise an accountable carbon trading ecosystem. To ensure the investment flow runs smoothly without obstacles on the ground, Hashim specifically requested the commitment and active cooperation of all regional government officials, including governors, regents, and mayors, to oversee its implementation at the grassroots level. Synergy from regional government ranks is considered crucial to prevent administrative delays or obstacles, so that this primary carbon market momentum can be immediately converted into an instrument for improving the living standards of the wider community.