Model cities DKI Jakarta in Indonesia and Pasig City in the Philippines of the Ambitious City Promises (ACP) project met with representatives of the business sector to discuss how they can support the cities’ respective mitigation goals and strengthen multi-stakeholder climate action.
The discussions were part of ICLEI’s City-Business Collaboration Accelerator (CiBiX) Ideator Workshop, an activity which aims to provide matchmaking services between the business sector and the local government and to facilitate city-business dialogues and cooperation.
The CiBiX workshop in Jakarta took place at DKI Jakarta City Hall last 04 December. Attendees included Wijaya Karya Industri, Gerbang Multindo Nusantara, Solar Rooftop Association, Green Building Council of Indonesia, and the Indonesian Institute for Energy Economic Foundation (IIEE), among others. DKI Jakarta’s Deputy Governor for Spatial Planning and Environment Oswar Mungkasa represented the local government, along with Mr. Yuli Hartono, Deputy Assistant on Environmental Sector.
Meanwhile, the workshop in Pasig City took place last 05 December at the Joy-Nostalg Hotel, Ortigas, Pasig City. Mr. Anton Siy, Head of Pasig City Transport Development and Management Office (CTDMO) led the discussion from the city’s side. Representatives from Wunder Mobility, Unioil Petroleum Philippines, Inc., Globe Telecommunications Inc., SunE Solar Philippines, Clean Air Asia, and others formed the delegation from the business sector.
DKI Jakarta’s journey towards clean and renewable energy
The CiBiX workshop in Jakarta served as a first step in strengthening the link between the local government and private sector actors in the city.
DKI Jakarta plans to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% in 2030. To achieve this, the City is actively seeking ways to promote sustainable transport options and renewable energy.
The City invites its business sector to take advantage of the Governor Regulation No. 38/2012 (Green Building) which lays out entry points for the private sector by acting as suppliers of eco-friendly materials and solutions to promote energy efficiency.
Highlights of the discussions included strengthening renewable energy education, especially in primary schools. The representative from IIEE noted that the local government is already installing solar panels on schools’ rooftops but this can be complemented with an awareness-raising component explaining to the students why renewable energy is important.
The accessibility issues of solar energy technology especially for low-income families was also discussed. Akuo Energy, a company which develops and finances renewable energy plants, stated that microfinance should be available for households that are interested in the transition to renewable energy options.
In terms of transport, Transit X shared their technology which combines renewable energy solutions with sustainable transport options. The company develops transport pods which are powered by solar panels. The high capacity, high speed, and no pollution transport option is 100% feasible in DKI Jakarta, the company said.
Pasig City’s vision of realizing sustainable transport options
Based on previous studies, Pasig City’s CTDMO reported that 70% of the city’s air pollution and 31% of its GHG emissions in 2010 are attributed to the transport sector. Transport is considered as a priority sector and the city welcomes the private sector’s assistance in uncovering solutions and addressing related challenges.
By Implication, founder and creator of Sakay.ph, a web-based provider of real-time commuting guides, noted that access to information is a significant aspect of improving the city’s mobility situation. When users have access to real-time traffic updates, along with information about commuting routes, weather, road closures, and others, they can plan their journey in a more efficient and smarter way. Additionally, data aggregation can help local governments analyze trends and behavior which can be used as the basis for policy recommendations and urban planning as a whole.
A representative from Globe Telecommunications, on the other hand, suggested exploring telecommuting to ease road congestion in Pasig City. She cited her company’s telecommuting practices, which she thinks can contribute not only to road decongestion and less pollution but can positively impact the employees’ overall well-being too.
The representative from Globe Telecom noted that technology can be leveraged for telecommuting solutions such as web conferencing, real-time collaborative document editing, web-based file archives, and others.
The issue of electric vs. conventional vehicles that ran on fuel was raised by several private sector representatives. Mr. Siy shared that the city government can look into policy decisions that favor electric vehicles over conventional vehicles such as phase-out deadline policies. For example, the city is now banning two-stroke tricycles as a way to transition to e-tricycles. He also said that the City gave financial assistance to drivers and operators who will be affected by the shift. The representative from BEMAC stated that such transitions should be coupled with sufficient charging ports and infrastructures as well as social preparation for increased appreciation and awareness of all affected stakeholders.
Mr. Siy, as head of the City Transport Development and Management Office, provided insights about Pasig City’s goals towards promoting sustainable transport options.
Recognizing that transport and mobility concerns are trans-boundary, the idea of exploring inter-local government cooperation also surfaced during the discussion. Mr. Siy noted that the private sector can potentially serve as “bridges” to help strengthen such mechanisms. For example, Robinson’s Galleria, a mall located in Quezon City, will serve as one of the stations of Pasig City’s upcoming bike sharing program.
The road ahead: further collaboration and entry points
This city-business exchanges built the ground for continuous collaboration with more concrete commitments and actions from both the private sector and local government units.
As a milestone activity of the ACP project, the CiBiX workshops in DKI Jakarta and Pasig also served as scoping activity for entry points in which the private sector can support the local governments; particularly in their planned pilot projects for ACP. A CiBiX workshop is also underway for Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019.
The ACP is a 3.5-year international project supporting cities in Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam to formulate local climate action plans directed by concrete targets, enhanced multi-stakeholder engagement, and integrated strategies. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) program. The project draws inspiration from the Promise of Seoul, a comprehensive climate action plan launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) in 2015. SMG also serves as supporting project partner.
