This was conveyed at the 2025 Rectors' Forum: Collaboration on Environmental Protection and Management in Jakarta on Monday, which was attended by 41 university leaders from across Indonesia.
"We are seeking to encourage universities to participate in conceptualizing themselves as social entities with a high level of environmental awareness," Fauzan noted in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.
The deputy minister remarked that this step aligns with President Prabowo Subianto's Asta Cita goals, quick-win programs, and priority programs that place sustainable development and environmental resilience as key pillars of the nation's transformation.
"Let us safeguard the environment with science and technology, not only from what is visible but also from the moral values that shape the nation," he remarked.
On the same occasion, Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq emphasized that policies will succeed only with robust contributions from science.
According to the minister, universities play a crucial role in validating Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) documents, developing waste management technology, preparing Strategic Environmental Studies (KLHS), and providing cross-disciplinary education on sustainability.
Nurofiq said his ministry recorded that 12 percent of environmental permit applications in 2023 were rejected for failing to meet carrying capacity requirements.
Indonesia's greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 reached 1.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, reflecting an increase from 2020. Furthermore, national waste generation in 2023 reached 56.63 million tons, but only 39 percent was managed.
In addition, more than 150 districts and cities have an Environmental Quality Index (EQI) of below 65.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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