Jakarta launches Copenhagen action
Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 11/18/2009 9:56 PM | Jakarta
British Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change Joan Ruddock and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo launched Wednesday a campaign to support the key climate conference in Copenhagen next month.
Ruddock said there would be advertisements on Transjakarta buses and bajaj (three-wheeled vehicles) to encourage people to use public transport instead of cars during the “Act on Copenhagen ” movement.
Ruddock said the United Kingdom and Indonesia had similar climate change challenges and the two countries could work together.
“We can assist each other and share our experiences to contribute to global greenhouse gas reduction,” she said.
She said London was a city built below sea level, forcing the government to deploy expensive infrastructure to protect it from floods.
"Scientists say if we’re able to maintain the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius on average then the world will most likely cope with climate change," she said.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned the world needs massive emissions cuts to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration levels to prevent average global temperatures from rising by 2 degrees Celsius.
Ruddock said people could start by reducing private car use.
“We all want to use cars, but if we can reduce car use, especially to and from work, then we save precious energy and improve air quality,” she said.
She said she communicated this message in the UK because 42 percent of the country’s emissions came from people’s homes and transport. In Jakarta , 70 percent of emissions come from vehicles.
Fauzi said the climate could also be improved if people substantially changed the way they disposed of waste.
