Conducting stakeholder consultations (online) on the prospects and challenges of the transition to a low carbon society in West Java

Whereas, IGES, in pursuit of inputs regarding conducting stakeholder consultations (online) on the prospects and challenges of the transition to a low carbon society in West Java, Indonesia, will engage the Contractor to conduct/carry out the Work which is specified in Exhibit A

The continued degradation of the physical environment, the depletion of natural resources and the growing threat of climate change have increased the urgency of a sustainable transition of human activities. Countries around the world have expressed their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many have also adopted a vision to transform into a low-carbon society. Achieving this transformation will requiresubnational-level authorities to be directly engaged with national governments in implementing the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. Many of the policy-related competencies such as the provision of water, housing and infrastructure, climate actions, etc. are within the jurisdictional scope of the local development plans of the cities, provinces, and other subnational administrative units. However, these policies and measures are often fragmented and incoherent.

Climate mitigation or adaptation plans can provide an instance. Many local governments aspire for low carbon development but do not adequately utilise their renewable energy potential for a variety of reasons including lack of technological know-how or access to modern technologies, inadequate financing and gaps in planning. Local renewable energy development may also create pressures on the fossil fuel industry and thus face opposition when the renewables planning does not address the issue of workers’ relocation. Climate actions and sustainable development policies are strongly linked with many other economic and social issues such as gender equality and income-generating activities. How to address these specific issues and challenges in policy design and planning for a given local/subnational area, therefore, becomes crucial for the success of these policies. Incentives such as subsidies or other forms of direct or indirect benefits have been used in different ways in different countries, cities and regions with varying levels of success. All these issues, however, are context-specific and require expertise and knowledge to address the local needs. This is an area that has remained under-researched, especially in terms of embracing the perspectives of relevant local stakeholders from governmental agencies as well as from the private sector, academia and other sectors.

The purpose of this Work is to consult local stakeholders (including but not limited to representatives from government agencies, business sectors, civil societies, and academia) to understand a couple of key issues related to low carbon development in West Java and their interactions with the SDGs. Both mitigation and adaptation sides will be explored. The study particularly focuses on the following key topics and their linkages with the SDGs :

• Renewable energy development in West Java (prospects, opportunities, and challenges);
• The gender dimension of low carbon society development in West Java;
• Income effects of the transition to low carbon development on different groups in West Java;
• Mitigation/adaptation governance and policy measures (subsidy removal, provision of economic
  incentives such as carbon tax, etc.) and their impacts