Jakarta. The government is urged to promptly establish specific regulations or emission standards for vehicles used in mining activities, as the mining sector is considered a major contributor to emissions in Indonesia.

Komaidi Notonegoro, Executive Director of the Reforminer Institute, said there are two main factors contributing to the high emissions from this sector.

The first is deforestation or land clearing activities, which directly contribute to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The second is that mining production processes still rely on vehicles and power sources that generate high emissions.

“In addition to adopting environmentally friendly production processes, such as replanting or reforestation, the carbon credits that can be claimed from greening efforts are actually quite substantial,” said Komaidi at the Energy and Mineral Festival held at Hutan Kota by Plataran, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

He noted that if reforestation is carried out in parallel with production, the carbon footprint of mining activities could be significantly reduced.

However, Komaidi believes that the adoption of low-emission mining vehicles remains suboptimal due to the lack of strict regulations. For example, there are still no requirements mandating the use of high-emission-standard vehicles such as those compliant with Euro 4.

As a result, many mining companies continue to use low-standard operational vehicles due to lower fuel costs.

“As with any industry, the priority is minimizing operational costs. That’s why it’s essential for the government to impose clear limits and regulations,” he emphasized.

Komaidi stressed that achieving net zero emissions (NZE) in the mining sector will require regulations mandating the use of low-emission vehicles and operational equipment.

A similar view was expressed by Bisman Bakhtiar, Executive Director of the Center for Energy and Mining Law Studies (Pushep). He noted that reaching NZE in the mining sector remains a major challenge, especially because fossil fuel-powered vehicles and heavy equipment still dominate operations.

“It’s extremely difficult to implement NZE in the mining sector. Right now, coal mining is still very popular, with production increasing every year,” said Bisman.

He added that mining activities remain a significant source of emissions due to the continued use of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles and equipment with high emission levels.

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