We’ve been keeping an eye on the Group of 20 Summit (G20), where world leaders gathered in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss how to spend trillions of public money on energy transition and recovery.
At the summit, the Indonesia Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) was launched, which will mobilise US$20 billion to speed up the country’s energy transition from fossil fuels. It’s a good step, but we have major concerns – we have to make sure that deals like JETP are implemented justly, leaving no room for false solutions.
Watch this video to learn more:
Indonesia is the world’s largest coal exporter and uses coal as its primary energy source. JETP could be transformative if and only if designed and implemented with the principles of justice and transparency at its core.
Unfortunately, we find some things troubling about the terms and conditions of current JETP agreements and the lack of transparency around these deals.
Speaking of transparency, prior to and during the week of the summit, authorities blocked civil society groups from organising events that could subject the government to any kind of criticism, which begs the question: how can we move forward if the people whose voices must be heard are deliberately isolated from important public participation?
Anyway, it’s not all doubt and despair at the summit – we saw the G20 leaders reaffirm their commitment to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5ºC – a good signal, yet action speaks louder than words.
We can’t afford to wait any longer. The climate crisis is intensifying devastating weather extremes and will make these even worse in the coming decades. Real climate action should be expected from world leaders to prioritise, and we must keep banging down their doors to remind them of their commitments.
A real just energy transition is the only way to achieve a future that leaves no one behind.
For more information about JETPs, read our briefer, Just Transitions and Just Energy Transition Partnerships – friends of foes?
