Higher Education Ministry Accelerates Net Zero Emissions Transition on Indonesian Campuses

Jakarta (ANTARA) — The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology is encouraging universities across Indonesia to accelerate the transition to net zero emissions through the launch of guidance and an analysis programme for Net Zero Campus.

The ministry’s Secretary-General, Badri Munir Sukoco, said environmental sustainability was central to the provision of higher education and national development in pursuit of the Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision.

“About 200 campuses are now involved. Some have already established quite effective recycling schemes, with the cost of recycling far lower than the revenue generated by the campus economy,” Badri said at the launch of the Net Zero Campus guidance and report at the ministry’s office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Badri said efforts to improve campus environments sustainably were also aligned with President Prabowo Subianto’s guidance on the ASRI movement: safe, healthy, orderly and beautiful.

He hoped the Net Zero Campus guidance could be integrated with existing reporting systems and global and national rankings, avoiding additional administrative burdens for university leaders.

Meanwhile, Filda C. Yusgiantoro, chair of the Purnomo Yusgiantoro Center, emphasised the higher education sector’s considerable potential to drive independent decarbonisation, with around 4,000 campuses and 11 million members of academic communities.

“The higher education sector has significant potential to contribute to the Net Zero Emissions target for 2060, or sooner,” Filda said.

Filda said Net Zero Campus was initially developed by Climateworks Centre for universities in Australia to support the transformation of higher education towards greener practices.

She hoped the guidance would help universities become role models and pioneers of concrete climate change mitigation measures at the national level.