Jakarta. Indonesia was built on the spirit and history of revolution. We fought for our independence and navigated the Asian Financial Crisis that transformed us into a resilient democracy. Today, we stand at another inflection point: a revolution to confront climate change. We are at the edge of a planetary crisis that threatens Indonesia’s environment, economy, and people. Our mission is to ignite a new wave of transformation that will make our economy greener, stronger, and fairer. But this cannot be achieved in isolation. It requires turning global commitments into real, localised action across our provinces. 

Recent international experience reinforces this direction. Strategic partnerships between countries increasingly emphasise the importance of translating national climate ambition into subnational delivery. In Indonesia’s own bilateral cooperation, climate-focused partnerships have highlighted that durable results come not from parallel projects, but from strengthening local institutions, planning systems, and policy capacity so that regions can lead implementation within a nationally coherent framework.

If we continue without decisive measures, we risk devastating consequences for the people and planet. The latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report warns that under current pledges, the world is heading toward up to 2.8 degrees Celsius of warming. Business-as-usual is no longer an option. Within a generation, we must collectively steer toward decisive, inclusive, and sustained climate action.

Under the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), the groundwork for this transformation is already underway. As Indonesia’s national planning agency, we have charted a 20-year strategic path to mainstream low-carbon development at the heart of our growth model. This includes scaling up renewable energy, reducing land-based emissions, advancing blue carbon initiatives, decarbonising industries, and strengthening governance. These priorities form the foundation of Indonesia’s green economy, but success will depend on empowering regions to act.

Climate action is also rising across Asia. China’s 2035 strategy, for instance, establishes regional climate governance structures tailored to local adaptation needs. India’s low-carbon development plan highlights the importance of standardised data and municipal service delivery for sustainable transitions. For nations with vast geography and diverse populations, regional engagement is not an option. It is essential. Indonesia is no exception: our pathway to decarbonization must be tightly linked with regional growth and local prosperity.  

Lessons from regional climate cooperation in Asia and beyond show that decentralisation works best when paired with consistent national standards, shared data systems, and sustained capacity-building at the local level. Bilateral climate partnerships, including those that Indonesia maintains with long-standing partners such as the United Kingdom, increasingly focus on these enablers—supporting evidence-based planning, data integrity, and coordination between national and subnational governments as reflected in initiatives such as the Low Carbon Development Indonesia (LCDI) programme—rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions.

The key lies in strengthening provincial capacity and resilience to accelerate decarbonization. The national government must empower and collaborate with local authorities, localising low-carbon development to fit subnational contexts while aligning with global standards. In North Sumatra, Bengkulu, Maluku, and West Nusa Tenggara, for example, we have already embedded low-carbon policies into regional development plans and provided training for evidence-based policymaking. Pilot initiatives such as the solar-powered water pump in the Samosir Regency are supporting farmers to build energy resilience and sustainable agriculture, small but concrete steps towards systemic change. 

These pilots reflect an important lesson from international cooperation: subnational climate action becomes scalable when local initiatives are embedded in formal planning instruments and supported by continuous technical learning. Experience from Indonesia’s climate partnerships shows that empowering provinces with the tools to plan, measure, and adjust their policies is as critical as financing individual projects.

Strategic climate partnerships also underscore that regional empowerment is not a short-term exercise. It requires long-term policy alignment, institutional trust, and shared accountability across levels of government. When these conditions are in place, decentralisation becomes a driver of resilience and innovation, rather than fragmentation.

Yet, we need to acknowledge that there is still more work ahead, and this takes a village. First, Indonesia must continue integrating low-carbon strategies into national and provincial planning, to make climate policy the backbone of development. Decentralisation and regional autonomy can become powerful enablers of climate action. 

Second, our collective responsibility to address climate change presents a tremendous economic opportunity. A strong green economy could generate more than 4.4 million green jobs, particularly by optimising provincial manufacturing and spurring innovation in technology and research. Climate action and economic transformation can, and must, advance hand in hand.

Third, collaboration must extend to local representatives and communities. As the voices of their constituents, regional leaders play a crucial role in ensuring that low-carbon policies deliver equitable benefits. They can advocate, monitor, and expand initiatives that make the green economy inclusive, ensuring that no province is left behind in Indonesia’s green transition. 

Ultimately, Indonesia’s experience mirrors a broader global lesson: low-carbon transformation succeeds when national vision is matched by regional leadership. International cooperation can accelerate this process by supporting learning, standards, and capacity, but the momentum must be sustained by provinces and communities themselves as agents of change.

Indonesia has every opportunity and resource to become not only a green economy leader but also a global leader in sustainable transformation. The pathway toward a low-carbon revolution has been laid; what is needed now is political courage and a shared national purpose. It is time for all institutions – national, provincial, local – to move with unity and urgency. The planet demands nothing less.  Should we rise to this challenge, Indonesia will not only protect its natural wealth but also secure a greener and more prosperous future for generations to come.

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Nizhar Marizi is the Director for Environment at the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas).