VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo reaffirmed his strong commitment to tackling climate change. This was conveyed by President Joko Widodo when receiving a visit from the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for European Green Policy and Climate, Frans Timmermans at the State Palace in Jakarta Monday (18/10). Quoting the official website of the State Secretariat, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi explained that in the meeting, President Joko Widodo also conveyed the concrete steps that Indonesia has achieved. It is a commitment in dealing with climate change.

In the past year, climate change has indeed become one of the issues, that has been a serious concern for President Joko Widodo. In various occasions and meetings, he said that Indonesia is truly committed to tackling climate change. At the Climate Change Summit last April, President Joko Widodo affirmed three major points related to the issue of climate change. First, Indonesia is very serious in controlling climate change and urging the world to take concrete actions. Second, world leaders must advance green development for a better world. Third, in order to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement and the following shared agenda, global partnerships must be strengthened.

This commitment was also conveyed by President Joko Widodo at the 2021 Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting in mid-September 2021. He remarked that the energy and climate sector emergency situation must be responded to by all countries. This response is realized through joint action on a global scale.

Concrete steps have also been taken by Indonesia. One of them is the rehabilitation of mangrove forests. Several mangrove forests are being rehabilitated, such as in Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province and Bali. Indonesia's target until 2024 is expected to be successful in restoring and rehabilitating 600 thousand hectares of damaged mangrove forests. The initiative is considered very important. At least, that was highlighted by the Special Envoy of the President of the United States (US) for Climate Issues, John Kerry. In a YouTube broadcast by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry on Monday (19/10), John Kerry said that the action is very important and he is looking forward to the success.

Indonesia's commitment to addressing climate change will also be presented at the Conference of Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland on October 31 - November 12, 2021. According to the schedule, President Joko Widodo will attend directly and convey Indonesia's commitment to the Net Target Zero Emission 2060 and the opportunity for blue carbon as an emission reduction solution.

Strong commitment and real action must be echoed and carried out by the Indonesian people. Because, Indonesia has an important position to tackle climate change. With more than 17,000 islands owned, the third largest tropical forest in the world and a population of more than 270 million people, tackling climate change must be a priority for the Indonesian people. Real actions taken every day by all Indonesian citizens to care for and protect the environment will contribute significantly to achieving the target of zero carbon emissions by 2060. Changing habits to save water, manage waste and switch to public transportation are little steps every day that Indonesian people can do. Meanwhile, at the government and related stakeholders, there is an allocation in the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget for handling climate change. The joint efforts of the Indonesian people to overcome climate change will contribute prominently to the global community.