Indonesia is in a race against time. In 10 years, by 2030, we need to fulfill our NDC commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29% through our own efforts and 41% through international partnerships. Indonesia has also pledged to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The roadmap to get there has been drawn up, but challenges lie ahead. Through Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities (CRIC), UCLG ASPAC works with city governments to pave the way for sustainability starting from the city.
Without city-starting climate change action, efforts to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030 will be futile, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in its 2018 report. Cities need to immediately accelerate measurable and evidence-based mitigation and adaptation actions. So, to what extent are cities in Indonesia prepared?
Indonesia’s commitment to sustainable urban development has clearly been translated into various policies such as the National Urban Policy (KSN) 2045, Presidential Regulation No. 59/2017 on the Implementation of SDG Achievement and the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2020-2024. In addition, there is also sectoral policy support related to environmental management, climate change and climate-resilient urban infrastructure development issued by technical ministries such as the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing.
Urban problem nodes
Despite its strong commitment, Indonesia is still struggling with various urban challenges. Access to basic services has not been equally enjoyed by citizens, indicating that urban development has not been inclusive, in addition to various challenges related to urban resilience (Bappenas, 2019). The resilience of cities is being tested in the face of climate change, and we should be concerned given the inadequacy of urban systems and carrying capacity to deal with stresses and shocks.
Cities in Indonesia have not provided Green Open Space of at least 30% of their area, as mandated in the Spatial Planning Law No. 26/2007 article 29. The Environmental Quality Index in cities has also declined from 65.73 in 2016 to 66.46 in 2017 (KLHK, 2017). Cities are still a source of carbon emissions reaching 1,514 million tons of CO2 (BPS, 2018) while the primary energy mix sourced from new renewable energy (EBT) only reached 5% in 2015 (RUEN ESDM, 2015). Cities in Indonesia have also not been able to support themselves given that 80% of the resources, raw materials and energy used in cities come from other regions; in addition to the linear economic model that has a negative impact on the environment (World Bank, 2010). With these challenges, urban areas are vulnerable to disasters and climate change impacts, especially cities in coastal areas and those with high population density.
Overcrowding will further increase the burden on cities. Bappenas (2015) projects that by 2035, 66% of the population will live in cities, due to high urbanization and development inequality between villages and cities. The increase in urban population will lead to problems such as waste disposal, water and sanitation management, fulfillment of housing needs, access to health and education and other aspects of basic services.
Breaking down sectoral and administrative boundaries
Addressing the complexity of existing and future urban problems requires a strategic and orchestrated response, both in terms of policy improvements and behavioral changes, from the local to the national level. Is it easy? Of course not. The implementation of urban development policies, especially those related to the environment and climate change, is still hampered by inter-agency coordination issues. However, there is room to strengthen climate change governance, both vertically and horizontally.
One step that can be taken is to encourage the birth of a joint commitment and cooperation between regions to address the impacts of climate change. For example, upstream and downstream regions within one watershed landscape can share costs (cost-sharing) and strengthen coordination and collaboration to address flooding problems. For this reason, a joint commitment is needed to ensure that spatial allocation in development still takes into account aspects of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. This commitment certainly needs to be translated into action to reduce the potential economic and non-economic losses experienced by the city.
This effort to strengthen commitment and coordination between regions has been carried out by UCLG ASPAC for the past 16 years. As a local government association, UCLG ASPAC strengthens the capacity of city and local governments through various initiatives. And now through the CRIC Project, the initiative to bridge the national government with sub-national as well as intercity governments is becoming more concrete. At the city level, CRIC is assisting 10 pilot cities to integrate climate resilience and inclusiveness issues in KLHS-RPJMD, as has been done in Samarinda and Mataram. CRIC is also assisting cities to develop Climate Change Action Plans that will be preceded by a series of trainings related to mitigation, adaptation and co-benefits.
To encourage cross-sector coordination in the city, CRIC oversaw the formation of a climate change Working Group (Pokja) consisting of government and non-government elements. The Pokja team becomes a coordination node between parties as well as an agent of change to encourage policies and programs related to climate change in the city. Parallel to this, CRIC builds partnerships with technical ministries and associations to create knowledge-sharing spaces where national and local governments coordinate on vertical integration and implementation of climate actions. Within one year of implementation, CRIC has also reached out to more than 40 cities in Indonesia and cities in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe. Starting with ten pilot cities, CRIC is committed to achieving NDC targets through strengthening the capacity of cities in a practical and implementable manner.