The citizens of Jakarta will head to the polls on 27 November to elect a new governor.
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This election marks a significant transition for Jakarta, as the city will officially gain new status as the “special region of Jakarta” following the relocation of the national capital to Nusantara, East Kalimantan.
However, as the world’s fastest-sinking megacity, Jakarta has been grappling with severe environmental and climate challenges for decades. There is growing concern that these issues may be neglected as the city inherits its new status.
According to Dhita Nabella, senior sustainability consultant at Equatorise, Jakarta’s climate challenges are persistent and complex. The major issue is flooding, which has haunted the city for over a decade, particularly in north Jakarta, which is sinking by an average of 1 to 15 centimetres annually, with nearly half of it now below sea level.
The second most pressing issue is rising sea levels, exacerbated by excessive groundwater extraction, which has caused Jakarta to sink by over 16 feet in some areas. In 2018, experts warned that by 2050, up to 95 per cent of north Jakarta could be submerged if groundwater extraction is unchecked.
Another critical concern is air pollution, a chronic public health problem that causes respiratory issues among children and vulnerable groups. Despite its severity, critics say the issue has largely been addressed with short-term solutions such as spraying water from tall buildings and shutting down charcoal factories.
Jakarta faces other chronic environmental challenges, such as deforestation, coastal erosion, poor waste management, land disputes, and clean water access, according to Muhammad Aminullah, a campaigner at WALHI, an environmental nonprofit.
Despite these concerns, the three main gubernatorial candidates have only addressed half of these challenges in their campaign platforms. Eco-Business has assessed the environmental pledges of the candidates in the running to be the next governors of Southeast Asia’s largest city.
Ridwan Kamil at a rally in Jakarta. The former governor of West Java and mayor of Bandung has pledged to allocate a regional budget to support low-carbon development and promises to take steps to cut emissions and improve air quality. Image: Ridwan Kamil on Instagram
Ridwan Kamil-Suswono: Ambitious net zero goal, questionable track record
Ridwan Kamil and his vice-governor running mate Suswono are the only candidates who propose a net zero emissions target under the banner of “ecological resilience” for Jakarta.
Kamil, a trained architect and former mayor of Bandung, has tabled the concept of a climate budget, allocating the city’s IDR80 trillion (US$5 billion) regional budget to support low-carbon development and promises to take steps to cut emissions and improve air quality.
He has also pledged to plant three million trees within the first three years of his term, increase green spaces, and create vertical gardens on buildings, claiming these efforts will improve air quality and lower ambient temperatures in the tropical city.
However, experts remain cautious because of Kamil’s track record. During his term as a mayor of Bandung (2013-2018) and governor of West Java (2018-2023), he failed to meet the minimum requirement of 30 per cent green open space, with Bandung’s green spaces falling below 10 per cent. Critics also noted his focus on superficial city beautification projects rather than addressing fundamental sustainability and urban planning challenges.
To address the city’s chronic flooding proposes, the pair proposes river naturalisation and a mix of nature-based and hard infrastructure solutions.
Additionally, they propose continuing to develop Jakarta’s giant sea wall, a $10 billion coastal megaproject designed to protect the city from tidal flooding and rising sea levels. In their proposal, they pledge to create open public spaces within the wall to strengthen community engagement. However, experts caution that a thorough analysis is needed to identify who will benefit and who might be adversely affected from the project.
On waste management, Ridwan Kamil–Suswono aims to tackle the issue by implementing an incentive scheme for waste collection, encouraging circular economy practices among the public and local industries, and moderning waste management infrastructure, though details on the scheme are vague.
“While the incentive scheme is crucial, involving the private sector is essential to address the issue effectively. It won’t be enough for the regional government alone to handle this issue, especially given resource limitations,” Nabella said.
On addressing Jakarta’s notorious traffic congestion, Kamil and Suswono propose expanding affordable public transportation options across Greater Jakarta, introducing an emissions-based electronic road pricing (ERP) system and promoting electric vehicle adoption.
Drawing parallels with London’s ultra low emissions zone, Nabella warned that without integrated public transportation alternatives, Jakarta’s reliance on ride-hailing services could undermine the effectiveness of an ERP system.
Ridwan Kamil–Suswono also proposes decentralising business districts across Greater Jakarta and implementing rotational work-from-home (WFH) policies across industries.
“For example, the media industry could implement WFH on Mondays, the legal industry on Tuesdays, and so on, to reduce mobility and traffic congestion,” Kamil has explained.
While their climate policies are ambitious on paper, Kamil’s track record has raised doubts. When he was governor of West Java, Kamil initiated several major public transportation projects that remain unfinished, including rail projects promised in 2013.
Experts have also widely criticised his poor governance in developing an integrated public transportation system in Bandung, where neglected infrastructure has forced residents to rely on private vehicles.
Former police general Dharma Pongrekun, pictured centre right, has pledged to make Jakarta more walkable, improve public transport and create more bicycle lanes. Image: Dharma Pongrekun on Instagram
Dharma Pongrekun-Kun: Heavy on technology, light on detail
Of the three candidates, the independent pairing Dharma Pongrekun and Kun Wardana have proposed the briefest vision for the future of Jakarta, outlined in just a four-page document.
Under the programme “My Safe Jakarta”, the former police general and his university lecturer running mate aim to transform the city into a global and national economic hub by reforming the city’s core identity, the pair aims to build “a more prosperous, independent and harmonious community.”
One of their main ambitions is to overhaul the city’s approach to urban planning to curb traffic. They recently noted that better urban planning could also support climate mitigation efforts, including the creation of more green spaces to reduce emissions.
The duo are also prioritising mobility, with plans to make the city more walkable, improve public transport and create bicycle lanes. However, experts remain sceptical about this approach, due to Jakarta’s air pollution and high temperatures and humidity, which makes replicating bicycle-friendly cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen difficult.
One of Dharma Pongrekun–Kun’s boldest pledges is in flood mitigation, with a plan to improve management of the city’s rivers, canals, and green spaces; they say they will naturalise and clean-up 13 rivers so that the water is safe to drink. They also propose using pervious concrete, a highly porous material capable of absorbing 600 litres of water per square metres. However, further details on sourcing this material were not given.
Another pillar of their candidacy is a “monkey cheek” project, which refers to a system consisting of 21 water-retention areas capable of storing up to 30 million cubic metres of rainwater and floodwater. Their plan includes converting the stored water into safe drinking water using technology integrated with the local water supply utility (PDAM).
However, experts have expressed doubts over the feasibility of the candidate’s tech-heavy ideas due to a lack of technical details and clear explanations.
With the amount of waste in Jakarta exceeding 3 million tonnes in 2023, the pair propose improving community-based waste management and providing affordable waste management technology. They stress fostering a culture of waste sorting at the community level, with recycling centres to be set up in every sub-district.
Interestingly, the pair also propose deploying “sun in a bottle” as an alternative energy source. While they provided no details, experts speculate that they are referring to nuclear fusion technology, which can potentially produce carbon-free, high-density power with little waste.
“‘Bottled sun’ energy is still at the experimental phase, and is not ready for large-scale deployment, especially in Jakarta. I don’t think this is the right solution,” Nabella said.
Dharma Pongrekun–Kun also propose using seaweed for biofuel, although Nabella suggested that a potential food source should not be burned for energy.
The Pramono-Anung team led by former cabinet secretary Pramono Anung Wibowo (pictured) aims to address limited access to clean water, traffic congestion, air pollution, subsidence, and coasting flooding. Image: Pramono-Anung on Instragram
Pramono-Anung: A comprehensive climate plan lacking in focus
Under the slogan “Jakarta is on fire,” the Pramono-Anung team led by former cabinet secretary Pramono Anung Wibowo aims to address a range of complex issues, including limited access to clean water, traffic congestion, air pollution, subsidence, and coasting flooding.
The campaign platform includes a plan to electrify more public transport options and create more inclusive public facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities. They have pledged to expand green open spaces in the city, from the current 5.2 per cent of the city’s land area to the 30 per cent mandated by law. They also aim to develop roof gardens, add greenery to buildings, and ensure parks are permanently open to the public.
To tackle traffic issues, Pramono-Anung proposes implementing transit-oriented development (TOD), an urban planning concept that integrates public transport into city infrastructure.
On flooding mitigation, they pledge to restore infiltration wells that allow surface water to drain underground, while their waste management plan includes an incentive scheme to encourage collection, sorting and recycling.
Pramono-Anung has said that it will back the construction of the sea wall, despite opposition from environmentalists, but will also plant a giant mangrove forest alongside the sea wall.
The candidates intend to increase the number of air quality measurement devices across Jakarta, and collaborate with surrounding provinces to address pollution caused by major industries.
However, experts note that while Pramono-Anung is advocating for the use of technology to measure air pollution, they have not provided sufficient detail on how the data will be used or what measures will be taken to reduce pollution levels.
While Pramono-Anung’s platform has been lauded for its scale and ambition, experts point to a lack of technical details and realistic timelines, and question whether their proposals can be completed over a five-year term.
The quick count in Jakarta’s local elections will be announced on 27 November. The official results will be announced mid-December.
