VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

New Zealand has unveiled an ambitious blueprint to phase out petrol-powered cars to combat climate change. (Photo: AFP/Marty Melville)

New Zealand unveiled a blueprint on Sunday (Jan 31) to phase out petrol-powered cars while its dairy industry, a key pillar of the economy, must slash cow numbers under the ambitious plan to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The changes are among a raft of recommendations presented to the government by the Climate Change Commission on steps New Zealand must take to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.

Commission chairman Rod Carr acknowledged the advice was ambitious but said it was realistic and made a clear case for "immediate and decisive" action.

"As a country, we need transformational and lasting change to meet our targets," he said."There are a few actions that are critical to meeting our targets: electric vehicles, accelerated renewable energy generation, climate-friendly farming practices and more permanent forests, predominantly natives."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the document, which will now go out for public consultation, showed the impact of the reforms would not be an economic burden.

"The cost of action on the economy is not as great as many have previously thought. In fact, action on climate change is an economic opportunity for New Zealand," she said.

"Action on climate change is critical to our ongoing economic success. New Zealand exporters rely on our clean, green brand and there will be new opportunities for Kiwi businesses as we adapt to a zero-carbon economy."

The commission found New Zealand's current climate commitments were not compatible with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but said change was achievable at little cost.

A switch from fossil fuels would see hundreds lose their jobs in the coal, oil and gas industries but the commission expected many workers to be re-employed "in the circular economy, development of biofuels and hydrogen, and in deploying and supporting new technologies".

The commission wants to end imports of petrol-powered cars by 2032 and projects that more than half of all light vehicle travel would be in electric vehicles by 2035.

To reduce methane gas levels, the report said farmers needed to improve animal performance while reducing stock numbers by about 15 per cent from 2018 levels by 2030.

"If farmers can continue to achieve productivity improvements in line with historic trends, these outcomes could be achieved while maintaining total production at a similar level to today," the report said.

Following the public consultation, the government is due to make a final decision by the end of 2021 on whether to adopt the measures//CNA

Bakkara Valley, Toba Lake; North Sumatra - Satu nusa 

Foreign investment inflows in North Sumatra more than doubled to Rp14.036 trillion in 2020 from Rp5.693 trillion a year earlier.

The 2020 foreign investment represented 44 percent of the total investment in the province which stood at Rp32.226 trillion last year, Chief of the North Sumatra Provincial Investment and Integrated One-Stop Licensing Office Effendy Pohan said here on Saturday.

The foreign investment mostly went to the electricity, gas and water sector at Rp10.557 trillion, the food industry at Rp1.397 trillion and the mining sector at Rp692.235 billion, he said.

Most of the foreign investment projects in 2020 are located in Tapanuli Selatan, Mandailing Natal, Deliserdang, Dairi, and Medan.

Singapore remained the biggest investor in North Sumatra with Rp10.651 trillion of investment, followed by Hongkong and China Rp1.466 trillion and Malaysia Rp790,341 billion."The North Sumatra Provincial Investment and Integrated One-Stop Licensing Office is optimistic that investment in North Sumatra in 2021 will further increase as the global economy begins to recover after being battered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020," he said//ANT

Indonesian Ambassador to Colombia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Cristopher and Nevis, Dr. Priyo Iswanto, M.H., receives a doctorate (honoris causa) degree from Rector of the Muhammadiyah University in Malang (UMM), Dr. Fauzan, on Saturday (January 30, 2021). (ANTARA/HO/UMM/END)

Indonesian Ambassador to Colombia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Cristopher and Nevis, Dr. Priyo Iswanto, M.H., wants Colombia to join the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) to help counter negative campaigns against palm oil.

"We believe the induction of Colombia (into the council) will be able to strengthen the CPOPC and lend support to counter the black campaign against global palm oil," he said on the sidelines of a scientific orientation on his being awarded a doctorate (honoris causa) degree by the Muhammadiyah University in Malang (UMM) on Saturday.

Despite an agreement between ASEAN and the European Union on the issue of palm oil linked to sustainable development goals (SDGs), palm oil producing countries still need to step up positive campaigns to counter “black campaigns”, he stated."Our hope is that the public will be more confident that this commodity has many positive values and benefits," he remarked.

He further spoke on the strategy for improving the reputation of palm oil, particularly from the perspective of SDGs. Palm oil production can be viewed and understood from four dimensions such as economic, social, environmental, and moral dimensions, he said.

From the economic standpoint, palm oil serves as an important factor in lowering poverty rate and reducing famine, he noted. It can also support economic growth and create decent jobs, he added.Palm oil can help narrow the social gap between urban and rural residents and ensure a better quality and standard of living, he said. However, palm oil cannot shun negative criticism, he pointed out.

As a matter of fact, he added, oil palm plantations require more efficient use of land than soybean and canola. Palm oil only contributes 5 percent to carbon dioxide emissions, he stated.

"According to data from the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI), palm oil absorbs 161 tons of carbon dioxide and produces 18.7 tons of oxygen per hectare a year," he stressed//ANT

Health workers get covid-19 vaccine jabs - beritajakarta

The Health Ministry has claimed 482,145 of the 1,530,308 medical workers targeted under the national immunization program have received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of the 482,145 medical workers, 20,810 have received their second vaccine doses as of January 30, 2021, according to data posted on the Health Ministry's website on Saturday.

The ministry said 1,500,717 of the 1,530,308 medical workers targeted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have re-registered with the health authorities for vaccination.The government is targeting to vaccinate a total of 181,554,466 people, or 70 percent of the Indonesian population of more than 270 million, against SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, to create herd immunity. Health workers are the first prioritized group in the vaccination campaign.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said earlier that the government has set itself the target of inoculating 1.5 million health professionals by late February, 2021.

"It is estimated that by the end of this month, we will have vaccinated 500 thousand healthcare workers; so, we can achieve the target of (inoculating) 1.5 million of them through the end of February," Sadikin informed during an online seminar on Saturday.After the vaccination of medical workers has been completed, the government will start administering the COVID-19 vaccine to public service officers, including military and police personnel.

Sadikin said he hopes the vaccination of public service officers can be rolled out in early March this year, and the general public can receive their first vaccine doses starting late April this year.

The minister pointed out that several vaccine producers are yet to complete clinical tests, which has lead to ambiguity over the immune period. Therefore, he has called for expediting the vaccination process.Indonesia has currently secured vaccine supply from four different producers: 125 million doses from China’s Sinovac and 50 million doses each from Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Novavax//ANT