An Assessment in Supporting Green Jobs in Indonesia by Paskal Kleden and Philipp Kauppert I. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Context Indonesia is currently facing a twin challenge regarding the sustainability of its economy. It is the third largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world 1 and a country with an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent in 2010. 2 Should Indonesia’s economic growth improve in the future, it is likely that it is going to be conducted at the cost of environmental sus­tainability. Because of the circumstances, sup­porting the development of green jobs, even though not a silver bullet, can be one possible option for job creation. Considering Indonesia’s vast natural re­sources, Indonesia should have the potential to develop its renewable energy sector. President Yudhoyono has also made commitments at a number of international forums. For instance, at his speech at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in 2009 he elucidates on the re­sponsibilities that developing countries must make in low carbon development so that they “do not repeat the historical mistakes of devel­oped countries.” He further commits that Indo­nesia will reduce its emissions by 26 percent (41 percent with external support) in 2020. 3 1 World Bank, Executive Summary, Indonesia and Cli­mate Change, Working Paper on Current Status and Policies,(Jakarta: World Bank& DFID, 2007), p. 2. Indo­nesia with 3,014 MtCO 2 e is behind the United States (6,005) and China(5,017) 2 World Bank, Indonesia Economic Quarterly 2010,(Ja­karta: The World Bank 2010), p. 13, retrieved from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/ WDSCon­tentServer/WDSP/IB/2010/09/28/000333038_20100928 015604/Rendered/PDF/567900WP0IEQ1S132B01PUBLI C10ENGLISH.pdf, 10 October 2010. 3 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Speech at the UNFCCC Copenhagen, retrieved from the web- site of Indonesia’s environmental law is considered as solid by activists. Law no. 32/ 2009 on the protection and management of natural re­sources was a DPR initiative(instead of the government’s as is most often the case), and was drafted with the assistance of a number of civil society organizations. The law clearly states that the government is responsible for preventing pollution and environmental degra­dation, and that polluters should be punished. 4 However, as will be explained later, the law is often contradicted by other laws that fuel envi­ronmental deprivation. If not hampered by vested interest and conflict­ing policies, Indonesia has huge potentials to utilize its renewable energy sectors. The table below shows the difference between the ener­gy potentials and the installed capacities of renewable energies: Renewable Potentials Installed Sources Capacity Hydro 75, 67 GW 4200 MW Geothermal 27 GW 807 MW Biomass 49, 81 GW 445 MW Solar 1,200 GW(4,8 kWH/m 2 / day) 8 MW Wind 9,29 GW(3- 6 m/s) 0,6 MW Source: World Bank, Executive Summary, In­donesia and Climate Change, Working Paper on Current Status and Policies,(Jakarta: World Bank& DFID, 2007)& US Commercial Ser­vice. 5 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Indonesia, http://www.deplu.go.id/Pages/SpeechTranscriptionDispla y.aspx?Name1=Pidato&Name2=Presiden&IDP=496&l=e n, 12 October 2010. 4 UU 32/ 2009, p. 8. 5 Anasia Silviati,“Indonesia Renewable Energy Market”, retrieved from http://www.climatelaw.org/laws/indonesia/ indonesiaenergy