On 30 April 2021, Senior Research Analyst of ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT) of ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Zulfikar Yurnaidi, was invited by the Telecommunication Engineering Program, School of Electrical Engineering, Telkom University, to give open lecture (studium generale).  

Opened by Efri Suhartono, lecturer at Telkom University, the lecture was attended by more than 240 lecturers and students from the Telecommunication Engineering Program. 

Titled “Climate Change and Energy Transition: Regional Perspective”, the lecture focused on sharing the interrelated issues of energy and climate change, including the status, challenges, and opportunities towards energy transition, especially in the region of Southeast Asia.  

Started by introducing the ACE to the audience, the lecture then briefed about climate, its difference with the “shorter term” weather, and the causal relationship between sun radiation, GHG emissions, global warming, and climate change. Noting that three-fourth of global emission comes from energy sector, energy-climate policies should be synchronised, through knowledge sharing, capacity building, intersectoral research, and collaboration. 

Decarbonisation has been the challenge of energy transition, with the 6th ASEAN Energy Outlook projected that the region would still rely on fossil fuels for decades to come. Opportunities, though, come from renewable energy potential and positive trends, amid the global pandemic. The global push towards net zero could be critical policy changer as well. 

Zulfikar also shared the regional effort in energy-climate nexus, including the renewable energy and energy efficiency targets of ASEAN Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation (APAEC), and ACCEPT as the first energy-climate project in regional energy cooperation. The lecture touched the crucial roles of youth and women as well.  

In the discussion session, Erna Sri Sugesti asked about the issue of forest fire in Indonesia and the role of natural gas in energy transition. Zulfikar noted the critical role of forest in carbon sink, and deforestation to carbon emission. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Indonesia reported that the emission from forestry took almost half of the total emission of the country. Meanwhile, natural gas has been regarded as “transitional energy” from coal to renewable energy. 

The final question came from Favian Dewanta, who wanted to explore the potential collaboration between Telkom University and ACE. Zulfikar mentioned that ACE is open to have collaboration with academes, including through ASEAN Researchers Network on Energy and Climate Change (ARNECC).