Aiming for The SDGs of Economic Growth and Climate Action Through Low Carbon Development Policy in ASEAN
I would like to persuade you all to imagine several “what if” queries related to the lack of renewable energy. What if the government kept producing fossil fuels to fulfill their needs for energy? What if the time came and we were not ready to face it? Could you figure out what that time would be?
Our places would be polluted, basic needs, environment, even the needs to have good air quality to breathe and clean water to drink would not be available naturally anymore. Would oxygen be the main commodity to trade? Or should we be a beggar on the street to ask for water? Sounds delusional, but It wouldn’t be impossible.
What I explain above is all about the bad impacts that we will face when our energy needs are not shifted to renewable energy, it is not a delusional depiction, but the real one. When we burn coal, oil, and gas, we don’t only intend to fulfill our energy needs, but also bring the global warming crisis. We let the carbon emissions trap heat in the atmosphere and climate change happens. Besides the issue of dirty energy, we also face the issue of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG 8, and 13 to be precise.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a highly ambitious and comprehensive set of 17 Goals, 169 targets, and 244 indicators which are intended to be pursued with an integrated, rather than a silo approach. ASEAN shows us progress on many goals, but unfortunately, it has moved backward on Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) and Climate Action (SDG 13). On Decent Work and Economic Growth goal, according to the data of Decent Work Deficits in Asia-Pacific that also includes ASEAN from International Labour Organization (ILO), more than two in three workers were in informal employment in 2016 and it meant 48.6% of workers were vulnerable. Also, most workers in low-paid jobs must work more than 48 hours per week, as we all know, it is excessive to work that long. Meanwhile, on Climate Action (SDG 13), the effect of climate change has been affecting the world, especially the ASEAN region, such as the rising sea level. Approximately 10 million people in Bangkok will be affected by this rising sea level, also seawater could cover Jakarta as much as 26.9% of its area by 2025. If it is not prevented, 35.6% of ASEAN’s city is foreseen to be completely submerged.
That’s why we need renewable energy to solve and prevent so. Before going further, renewable energy is the energy that comes from natural resources and constantly replenished. I exemplify energy comes from wind that always blows every day and we can utilize it efficiently. According to the data, ASEAN has a set of targets of renewable energy that will support to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to actualize. In general depiction, increasing the component of renewable energy to 23% by 2025 is ASEAN’s plan in APAEC (ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation) 2016–2025 Targets. This plan is also one of the ways to achieve our SDGs.
How can we achieve our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but on the other hand, we are turned away from SDGs? We need a bridge. Renewable energy is the bridge and it can be implemented through Low Carbon Development. Low Carbon Development is a development approach that considers the aspects of economic growth, people welfare, and environmental protection. This approach is not an option or choice, but a must to as soon as possible actualize in ASEAN to prevent any worse scenarios happen. As it is explained, our main problems to achieve SDGs are Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Climate Action. LCD provides them to be overcome and to achieve the goals. Shifting from fossil fuel to renewable energy might cost more than using dirty energy as some people thought. The fact is the prices of renewable energy keep falling. Take solar as an example, two companies in Abu Dhabi bid a solar tender, the bid is less than half of the “headline” cost of coal, even if we can calculate the external cost, we should consider the health of citizen around and the environmental destruction, it will cost much more. Another good impact is we can create a new job when we are building renewable energy sites. Take an instance in Indonesia that is suggesting if it implements Low Carbon Development, Indonesia can increase 6% of economic growth and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emission by 43%. With such economic growth, Indonesia can create 15.3 million new jobs.
In ASEAN, as most of the countries have the same resources and issues, the forms of Low Economic Development could be shifting fossil fuel to renewable energy, planting more trees, improving land productivity by 4% (It means that smallholders can produce more foods, moreover ASEAN has much of fertile soil), using energy more efficiently, conserving water, fisheries, and biodiversity, stopping the issuance of deforestation permit for the sake of business or the others and providing investment for supporting Low Carbon Development.
Low Carbon Development is expected to be the actor between the problems and the goals. The unemployment, unpaid or low-paid jobs with overtime pressure, vulnerable workers, climate change, raising of sea level and even the happening issue such as financial shock due to Covid-19 Pandemic are the problems that LCD can help to solve and achieve SDG 8 and 13, Decent Work and Economic Growth and Climate Action. It is obvious that we no longer can put off and postpone these issues, or subsequently, we will be sunk underwater and enjoying our economy is degrading gradually. We need to take action, no matter who and what we are, we can participate in our own way to create a habitable environment along with the growing economy.
REFERENCES
ACE. (2017). The 5th ASEAN Energy Outlook 2015–2040. Jakarta: ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE).
ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT). (2019). Multiple Game Plan for ASEAN in Tackling Climate Change. Jakarta: ACCEPT.
Low Carbon Development Indonesia. (2019). Pembangunan Rendah Karbon: Pergeseran Paradigma Menuju Ekonomi Hijau di Indonesia. Jakarta: Kementerian Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional.
Shinn, L. (2018, June 15). Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts. Retrieved from NRDC: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/renewable-energy-clean-facts
The ASEAN Post Team. (2019, May 29). ASEAN not on track for SDG goals. Retrieved from The ASEAN Post: https://theaseanpost.com/article/asean-not-track-sdg-goals
The ASEAN Post Team. (2019, December 9). ASEAN’s renewable energy challenges. Retrieved from The ASEAN Post: https://theaseanpost.com/article/aseans-renewable-energy-challenges
The ASEAN Post Team. (2020, March 26). ASEAN falling behind on SDG targets. Retrieved from The ASEAN Post: https://theaseanpost.com/article/asean-falling-behind-sdg-targets
WRI Indonesia. (2020). Series 1 Climate Crisis. Sustainability Booklet, 1–10.
WRI Indonesia. (2020). Series 5 Energy. Sustainability Booklet, 1–8.
WRI Indonesia. (2020). Series 6 Walking The Talk on Sustainability. Sustainability Booklet, 1–10.
