Southeast Asia's Clean Energy Transition / Indonesia

With carbon border taxes making life harder for carbon-intensive industries, Gunung Raja Paksi feared it could not export its products to the West if it did not slash emissions. The firm's top executives Kimin Tanoto and Kelvin Fu tell Eco-Business about how a firm in the hardest-to-abate sector is reducing its carbon footprint.

The 25-year-old behind Society of Renewable Energy, a student network with over 3,000 members, has access to government leaders, businesses and the coal industry. He believes youths need to be engaged in Indonesia's climate efforts.

Last year, Indonesia and G7 announced a new energy transition funding mechanism called the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). However, Indonesia’s 2024 general elections and the oligarchy have added uncertainty to its implementation.

While the world made some progress in 2022 to address climate change and protect nature, much remains to be done to overcome entrenched interests.

From Asia becoming a key fossil fuel provider to high-tech agriculture, these are the trends that could reshape society and business as the world navigates global uncertainty borne out of the Russian-led conflict in Ukraine.

EB Studio Most Asian countries’ NDC commitments are not sufficiently aligned with the Paris Agreement target to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, a study by Fair Finance Asia finds.

The trend of companies not reporting their sustainability progress for fear of getting called out for greenwashing could have serious consequences for corporate climate action, experts say.

Image-conscious companies have stopped promoting their green credentials for fear of being criticised for greenwashing. Eco-Business asked companies how the potential of such allegations affect their sustainability ambitions.

Indonesian companies are mainly export-focused. If firms cannot comply with new trade rules, they will not survive, says Muhammad Yusrizki, head of a new unit set up to help firms work towards global climate goals.

The head of a new government unit focused on pushing companies towards net-zero says companies' role has been 'overlooked' in a decarbonisation conversation dominated by the power sector.

Journalists working in the world's most fossil fuel-dependent, climate-vulnerable region tell Eco-Business why covering climate change is so hard.

Two-thirds of humanity now recognises climate change to be a serious issue, which could be affecting the willingness of people to start a family. Indonesia is one place where climate change is not putting people off having kids.