Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that Indonesia has vast potential to develop a green economy to reduce the impact of climate change.”The world economy is currently being transformed into a green economy. Financing is now mainly provided to the green industry,” Jokowi stated at the opening of the XIII Congress of the Indonesian Hindu Students Association at Tadulako University, Palu, Central Sulawesi, Wednesday. The president highlighted a shift to the use of green energy, as the world is aiming to reduce the impact of climate change. The president drew attention to Indonesia’s vast potentials in the form of geothermal potential of 24 thousand megawatts, 95 thousand megawatts of hydropower from 4,400 rivers in the country, 169 thousand megawatts from solar panels, and 68 thousand megawatts of wind power. With the presence of those various potentials, President Jokowi is optimistic that Indonesia would be able to attract more investment in the green economy sector. Moreover, Indonesia is currently developing green industrial areas, one of which is in North Kalimantan, with a total area of 30 thousand hectares. The industrial area will use hydropower from the Kayan River in that area. “If we use this power properly, it will become our country’s strength because other countries do not have that much energy potential; 434 thousand megawatts (new renewable energy potential) is a big power,” he remarked. Jokowi further underlined the community’s responsibility to continue to be consistent with Indonesia’s vision and strategy in competing with other countries. “This is a challenge as well as an opportunity. The (industrial) downstreaming that I often convey everywhere, if we carry it out consistently, will make this country to be able to leap to become a developed country,” he remarked.
Source: Antara News Agency