Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC) delivered Climate Action Plan (CAP) training to 267 local government representatives in nine Indonesian cities in 2021, serving as a significant milestone to help increase local government capacity in building urban climate resilience. The training also emphasised the need for the convergence of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to achieve sustainable development.
The first phase of the training was conducted virtually and hybrid in the cities of Gorontalo, Cirebon, Mataram, Pangkalpinang, Samarinda, Kupang, Bandar Lampung, Ternate and Pekanbaru since August to September 2021. The participants are 156 male and 111 female, the members of the CRIC Working Group.
CAP fills the capacity gap
CAP training is a series of climate change mitigation and adaptation training. CRIC has completed training on greenhouse gas emissions inventory (mitigation), climate change science basis, risks and vulnerabilities (adaptation). CRIC collaborates with CCROM SEAP IPB that developed the training modules and provided experts. At the same time, the Indonesia Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) provided policy guidance throughout the training.
In addition, CRIC provides direct assistance to cities through Field Officers in the pilot cities who would help with data collection and analysis and Climate Action Plan document writing. CAP training fills the capacity gap for local governments in formulating a CAP document and integrating it into relevant policies.
The Head of Gorontalo Development Planning Agency, Meidy Novita Silangen, said in the opening remarks of the GHG Inventory Training that the CAP training is in line with existing initiatives to tackle environmental problems in Gorontalo. “Gorontalo is the barometer of environmental actions in the Province. It is therefore important for the City to develop its Climate Action Plan. We also have received assistance from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) on GHG calculation, which would complement what we received from CAP,” she said.
She further added that waste is one of the GHG emissions contributing sectors in the City. “The majority of waste produced, 67.72%, goes to the landfill, and the rest is incinerated and disposed to the river stream. This GHG Inventory training will help us to investigate more on the source of emissions in the City,” she said,
In another training on Climate Change Science Basis, Risks and Vulnerabilities in Pangkalpinang, Regional Development Planning Agency’s Erika Handoko said that the CAP Training would help the City formulate climate-proof development programmes. “The CAP document to be produced will help each sectoral department to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation into its activities. Along with that, the data collection will provide a basis for developing strategies and programmes to combat climate change,” he said.
Convergence of actions
The ultimate output of the training is the CAP document as a reference for cities to develop mitigation and adaptation actions. The MoEF’s Head of Vulnerabilities Analysis and Identification Sub-Directorate, Ir. Arif Wibowo, M.Sc., said these climate actions must align well with Indonesia’s global and national commitment.
“Indonesian is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, complying with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement to fight climate change. The convergence of these three commitments must turn into concrete actions and activities in the cities,” he said during the adaptation training session in Mataram.
He added that local governments must align their climate actions with local priorities to ensure sustainability and effectiveness. “We already have all required instruments to do the work on calculation, reporting and verification. Now, it’s time to do it swiftly and progressively,” he said.
The CAP training will take place until 2022, in which the first phase will resume in January 2021.