Climate Change Communication in Energy Sector Towards Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

After the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world agreed to prevent the process of increasing global warming by not burning fossil reserves. The world energy development trend driven by the issue of climate change to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) points to the world's imperative to reduce the use of fossil fuels, and on the other hand increase the use of new and renewable energy. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 7 gives credence to ensuring the accessibility of clean, affordable, reliable modern energy. As a country that has ratified the Paris Agreement, Indonesia is committed to reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) in order to mitigate climate change through energy sector. In Indonesia, energy-based policies have their own challenges ranging from regulation to communications. There is also limited research on the role of communication in driving the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change and sustainable development goals. This study aims to identify energy sectors related to climate change mitigation, and to explore relationship between stakeholders in communicating energy policies for climate change mitigation actions in Indonesia. Through in-depth interviews with government officials, participant-observation, literature study, and government documents review, this study concludes that there has been no strategic government communication to glue scientific messages for climate change mitigation action and SDGs goals in energy sector. The highest leadership commitment is needed to communicate the urgency of climate change related to energy sector and to build a sustainable messaging development for reducing GHG emissions and tackling climate change.