Jakarta, 22 March 2024 – The increase of the earth’s temperature is an inevitable phenomenon as a result of various natural events and human activities and lifestyles which produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as the cause of the rise in the earth’s temperature.
The invention of the steam engine in 1880 made monumental changes to human life with the beginning of industrialization. The development of industry has been accompanied by increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2022 recorded an increase in earth temperature of 1.1 degrees Celsius. This is a warning for humanity to immediately take steps to control temperature rise to prevent the temperature increase from reaching no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Faricha Hidayati, Coordinator of the Industrial Decarbonization Project, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) explained that rising earth temperatures could trigger hydrometeorological disasters, one of which will be at an increasingly high frequency.
“Apart from environmental problems, another side impact is health costs which will rise along with the increase in disease, especially those that attack vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and poor households,” explained Faricha.
Even though it is one of the sectors causing increased GHG emissions, the industrial sector has a significant economic contribution. So strategic steps and efforts are needed to decarbonize the industrial sector.
In 2021, industrial sector emissions will be the second largest emitting sector after electricity generation. If we continue to use the business as usual scheme without any intervention, the value of emissions in the industrial sector will double by 2050.
“The industrial sector contributes to emissions of more than 300 million tons of CO2 in 2021, with the highest source of emissions from the use of fossil fuels as an energy source,” added Faricha.
Even though there are regulations that encourage industry to practice sustainable principles, their implementation is not yet mandatory. Even for industries that independently have the initiative to implement sustainable principles, there is no incentive system for them.
Faricha continued, apart from through policy advocacy to the government, consumers can contribute, one of the ways is by choosing products that are produced with sustainable principles. Consumers can also demand that producers or industries start implementing sustainable principles in their production processes.
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