To reduce emissions, the government is encouraging the private sector to manage emissions. The government is also encouraging the relevant parties to pay attention to efficient construction and use renewable energy.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The concept of green building, which puts emphasis on the aspects of environment and energy efficiency, can contribute to reducing carbon emissions, particularly in the construction sector, an official has said.

Buildings generate a significantly large amount of exhaust gas emissions—11 percent of which come from construction materials—that are projected to reach 20 thousand tons of carbon dioxide, director of energy conservation at the Directorate General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Luh Nyoman Puspa Dewi, said.

"To reduce emissions, the government is encouraging the private sector to manage emissions. The government is also encouraging the relevant parties to pay attention to efficient construction and use renewable energy," she said at a seminar on “Sustainable Finance for Net-Zero Green Building,” which was followed online from Jakarta on Tuesday.

The implementation of green building management is a strategic step to reduce emissions and achieve the carbon neutrality target in Indonesia, she added.

The concept of green building can help reduce electrical power consumption and replace it with other energy sources, in line with the government's regulation on energy efficiency, she said.

The government is supporting the concept of clean and green building to achieve energy efficiency, with the aim of offering holistic approaches to apply a more effective and efficient construction concept, both for the construction and operation of buildings, she added.

"This will receive investment and support from the government as well as its partners," she informed.

Meanwhile, chief of the Energy Transition Working Group (ETWG) of Indonesia's G20 Presidency, Yudo Dwinanda Priaadi, said that the carbon emission reduction policy is part of the Paris Agreement, which requires all countries, including Indonesia, to pay attention to making environment-friendly buildings.

"Green building is one of the solutions to reduce carbon emissions and innovative financing is the other solution so we can create zero emission buildings," he said.

A green building is a building that considers the negative impact on the climate and environment and creates a positive impact, starting from the stages of planning, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, to demolition, he added.

The green building concept serves as a means to increase the efficiency of building resources in the form of energy, water, and materials as well as to reduce the impact of building on human health and the environment.

Chief of the Indonesia Green Building Council, Iwan Prijanto, said that the buildings that emit the most carbon dioxide are not commercial buildings but housing complexes, which contribute 80 percent of carbon emissions in the construction sector.

"The most fundamental question is how to create many low-cost, environment-friendly, low-emission housing complexes for the public in order to create a good environment," he said,

"I believe the financial sector also plays a significant role," he added.

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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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