Where have Indonesia’s energy transition policies all gone?

Editor’s note: the author is a co-convenor of the 2025 ANU Indonesia Update Conference, which will be held in Canberra on 12–13 September. The theme of this year’s Update is “Navigating Climate Change in Indonesia: Mitigation and Adaptation Pathways.” You can live stream the conference proceedings, which will include updates on recent political and economic developments, on Zoom from 09:00 AEST on 12 September.

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Back in the 1960s, American folk singer Pete Seeger posed a haunting question in his anti-war ballad: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” The song spoke of loss, forgotten promises, and the tragic cycles we repeat. Today, one would ask a similar question in Indonesia: Where have all the energy transition policies gone?

In 2021, Indonesia boldly committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060—a pledge meant to confront climate change and improve urban air quality. For a time, energy transition dominated national discussions. But recently, it has quietly slipped off the agenda.

In his State of the Nation Address on 15 August 2025, marking Indonesia’s 80th year of independence, President Prabowo Subianto spoke extensively about free school meals, land reform, and state investment restructuring. There was no mention of the 2060 net-zero commitment. While these priorities matter, sidelining energy transition is a critical mistake—one that threatens our health, economy, and future.

Indonesia still relies heavily on coal and fossil fuels for power and transport. Combined with deforestation and forest degradation, the country is now among the world’s top six carbon emitters. Without a rapid shift to renewable energy, Indonesia risks undermining its own climate goals—and jeopardising global efforts to limit warming. Scientists warn that failing to act could push the planet past a dangerous tipping point.

This isn’t about distant projections; it’s about what’s happening here and now. Burning coal and gasoline releases toxic pollutants—PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides—causing respiratory illness, heart disease, strokes, and premature deaths. In Jakarta, where air quality ranks among the worst globally, pollution already cuts life expectancy by an estimated 2.4 years, according to the University of Chicago. Thousands of Indonesians, especially children, suffer from pollution-related illnesses every year.

Recent findings from a University of Chicago–ADBI–SMERU–ANU collaboration reveal an even grimmer reality. Between June and December 2024, researchers monitored air quality inside Jakarta homes. The WHO’s safe PM2.5 limit is 5 µg/m³. Yet not a single second during the study met that standard. Outdoor levels averaged 37.8 µg/m³, while indoor levels were even worse at 40.7 µg/m³. At times, indoor spikes exceeded 300 µg/m³, once nearing 500 µg/m³—exposures comparable to severe forest fires, happening inside people’s living rooms.

So, why the silence? Why has energy transition faded from political debates? Yes, challenges exist: renewable projects need financing, the grid requires upgrading, regulations remain patchy, and entrenched fossil fuel interests resist change. But none justifies inaction. On the contrary, they demand rapid and smarter responses.

Under the previous administration, policy discussions gained momentum, and international support was growing. But much of that progress has stalled since 2024.

Some initiatives persist, such as the Indonesia Update Conference at ANU this week, where around 15 leading academics and 300 participants will discuss Indonesia’s prospects for meeting its emissions targets and achieving net zero by 2060. Yet isolated events cannot substitute for consistent political will.

Indonesia’s energy transition isn’t just about climate—it’s about health, economic opportunity, and national development. It’s a chance to breathe cleaner air, reduce dependence on imported fuels, create new industries, and safeguard future generations. Delaying this shift means locking in more pollution, more illness, and fewer choices for a just and prosperous future.

The good news: it’s not too late. Indonesia can revive the conversation, build stronger policies, and forge the partnerships and infrastructure needed to move forward. But this demands real leadership—from government, business, civil society, and ordinary Indonesians tired of choking on smog and broken promises.

If we keep asking, “Where have all the energy transition policies gone?” without demanding answers, we risk becoming like Seeger’s song—nostalgic, mournful, and too late. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We still have a choice. We still have time, but not much. And we still have the power to turn things around.

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