The climate crisis has become one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Rising global temperatures, shifting weather patterns, more frequent natural disasters, and rising sea levels show that the Earth’s climate system is under serious strain. One of the main causes is the use of fossil-fuel-based energy—such as coal, oil, and gas—which produces large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. The energy transition toward cleaner and more sustainable energy sources is therefore an urgent need for the world.
In response to this issue, Hasanuddin University hosted an academic dialogue titled “MPR Goes to Campus: The Urgency of the Energy Transition to Prevent the Impacts of Climate Change.” The event took place at the Arsjad Rasjid Lecture Theatre, Unhas Tamalanrea Campus, on Tuesday (10 March).
Dr. Eddy Soeparno, S.H., M.H., Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) of the Republic of Indonesia, attended as the main speaker, presenting a talk on “The Paradoxical Dilemma of Energy and Handling the Climate Crisis in Indonesia.”
Dr. Eddy explained that in the modern era many parties still do not fully realize the threat of the climate crisis, even though the impacts of climate change are already being felt in everyday life.
The world faces three major disruptions that affect the global order: the Covid-19 pandemic, the development of artificial intelligence (AI), and global geopolitical conflict. All three affect global energy and economic stability.
“The climate crisis is being felt more and more through a significant rise in air temperatures. 2024 was recorded as one of the periods with the highest temperatures, a serious warning for the world, including Indonesia,” said Dr. Eddy.
Meanwhile, waste management in Indonesia is currently in a state of emergency. National waste production reaches around 52 million tons per year, yet only about 40 percent can be managed. The rest is still dumped illegally in final disposal sites (TPA) and in public spaces. The largest sources of waste are food waste and plastic waste, much of it generated by market and household activities.
“To face this crisis, an integrated approach is needed through the synergy of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Engineered-Based Solutions (EbS). This approach can be a strategic pillar in tackling the climate crisis while strengthening national economic and energy resilience through the use of natural resources and the development of low-carbon technology,” explained Dr. Eddy.
The public lecture, moderated by Prof. Suharman Hamzah (Secretary of the Unhas Institute for Research and Community Service, LPPM), was attended by hundreds of members of the Unhas academic community and broadcast through the Unhas TV channel. (*/dhs)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.