CPI Indonesia’s Director, Suzanty Sitorus, participated in the Conference on the Paris Climate Agreement: Issues and Implications for ASEAN, held in Singapore on the 28th of July 2017. She was one of the panelists at the Roundtable Discussion on Climate Change Responses in ASEAN Countries. She presented Indonesia’s response to climate change, assessing the government’s commitment, follow-up policies and implementation with a focus on energy. She expressed that to achieve climate targets in the energy sector, Indonesia needs to slow down the growth of coal-fired power plants and accelerate renewable energy development which is still far below its potential. Energy efficiency efforts are also critical. Energy efficiency is not only for an economically advanced society. Reducing energy consumption could reduce the pressure to develop more energy, especially from dirty sources. Momentum is strong and should not be missed: aside from Paris Agreement, the country also sees momentum from the private sector’s appetite on renewables investment as well as the growing capacity of national financing institutions and their commitment to sustainable finance.

Experts and practitioners involved in dealing with aspects of climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region shared their insights and perspectives on the following topics:

(a) Overview on the projected impact of climate change in Southeast Asia

(b) Economic costs and opportunities

(c) Impact of the US’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accord on the region

(d) Country perspectives: Indonesia, Malaysia

This conference was hosted by ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. This half-day seminar aimed to further discuss the changes and challenges that the US move will bring to Southeast Asian countries.