Jakarta, Indonesia – ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Secretariat (ICLEI SEAS) Yayasan Indonesia Office organized a three-day capacity building workshop to assist local government technical staff and officials in conducting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories using Indonesia’s National GHG Inventory System, dubbed SIGN SMART. At least 36 participants representing 14 local governments attended the activity held at Hotel Sari Pacific in Jakarta from 10 to 12 April 2019.
The workshop is part of the activities under the project “Accelerating climate action through the promotion of Urban Low Emission Development Strategies” (Urban-LEDS II), funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by ICLEI and UN-Habitat. Urban-LEDS II helps local governments implement integrated low emission and climate-resilient development, addressing both mitigation and adaptation concerns. The project also supports the enhancement of Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems at the national level, where they exist, by promoting an integrated process, vital to tracking progress and accelerating climate action at the sub-national level.
National, online tool for calculating GHG emissions
Recognizing the role that local governments play in addressing climate change, Indonesia enacted Presidential Regulation No. 71 year 2011, mandating local governments to conduct their comprehensive GHG inventories. The GHG inventory of each local government shall serve as basis to plan for strategic and inclusive local climate action strategies.
In 2015, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) developed an online tool that can be used to calculate GHG emissions. This tool became the National GHG Inventory System, or the SIGN SMART. The tool aims to simplify the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) methodology. SIGN SMART was made to be Smart, Measurable, Accurate, concisely Right, and Transparent.
This workshop was organized to respond to the call of local government officials and staff during the City to Regency/Province Dialogue held in November 2018. Participants expressed the need for an activity to build their capacities in conducting local GHG inventories.
Building capacities for conducting local-level GHG emissions inventory
Trainers and resource speakers from the Directorate of GHG Inventory and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) under the MoEF were invited to serve as resource persons. The workshop was designed based on guidelines specified in the MoEF Regulation No. 73 Year 2017.
Participants were mostly technical staff from the cities’ Environmental Agency and their respective Regional Development Agency. Local governments which participated in the training included Bogor City, Bogor Regency, Tangerang, South Tangerang, Bontang, Tarakan, Balikpapan, Bekasi, Jambi, Yogyakarta, Sukabumi, Tanjungpinang, Probolinggo, and Bone Bolango Regency. Lecturers and representatives from the University of Indonesia, Mulawarman University, and Bogor Agriculture Institute were also present.
The training program delved on relevant topics such as climate policies at the sub-national, national, and international levels. The step-by-step process of using SIGN SMART, data quality control and quality assurance, setting inventory boundaries, and identifying data sources were also discussed.
Ms. Gina Karina, Country Manager of Yayasan ICLEI Indonesia, noted that “the role of cities in conducting GHG inventory is important because 70% of GHG emissions from the energy sector occur at the local level. Therefore, through this activity, it is hoped that the cities can understand the baseline and emissions profile as basis for determining their local action plans and strategies in achieving NDC targets.”
The training program is envisioned to help participants gain practical knowledge on the use of SIGN SMART tool and prepare them in conducting their own GHG emissions inventories.
