Banda Aceh, August 1, 2024 In an interactive discussion held by the Aceh Economic Journalists (JEA) with the theme “Carbon as Aceh’s Economic Potential and its Management Strategy”, PT. PEMA was present as one of the key speakers.
The event, which also featured representatives from the Aceh Environment and Forestry Agency (DLHK) and the Syiah Kuala University (USK) Climate Change Research Center, highlighted the huge potential of carbon in Aceh and the challenges in managing it.
Director of General and Finance of PT PEMA, Lukman Age, in his presentation emphasized Aceh’s huge carbon potential.
The company offers a concrete solution through the Arun Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project, which has the potential to be the largest CCS in Asia. The project aims to capture and store CO2, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Then for forest carbon, we have formed a team for social forests, village forests, as an effort for carbon business,” he said in front of dozens of Talkshow participants.
In addition, PEMA is also developing a forest-based carbon business. Through social forest and village forest initiatives, the company seeks to involve communities in sustainable forest management and gain economic benefits from the carbon stored in the forest.
Lukman mentioned that PT PEMA has collaborated with the Langsa City Government to manage mangrove forests. The collaboration was carried out to realize Aceh’s future source of income from carbon.
Dedek Hadi Ismanto, Sub Coordinator of Forest Inventory and Planning, Aceh Environment and Forestry Agency (DLHK), on this occasion said that Aceh’s forests have an important role in global carbon storage.
However, high demand for forest products poses a threat to forest sustainability and its carbon potential.
The Role of Research in Carbon Management
Syiah Kuala University (USK) Climate Change Research Center representative Mona Lisa explained the importance of research in understanding the impacts of climate change and finding science-based solutions.
One of the research focuses on carbon emissions, which is the process of releasing carbon from forests into the atmosphere.
The USK research team has conducted various studies, including the impact of climate change on rice productivity and the potential for carbon payments as a solution.
“That is a lot of carbon, namely carbon emissions, the release of carbon stored in trees into the air, such as for fossil fuels, well this will have an impact when it is released into the air more and more, and the use is not controlled,” he said.
So this process can have an impact on the environment, to create economic instability, and also human health.
“We have conducted research on the impact of climate change on rice productivity, the factor is that we have provided a solution with carbon payments,” he continued.
The interactive discussion successfully created a space for participants to actively participate. Critical questions and diverse responses showed the participants’ high interest in the topic of carbon and Aceh’s economic potential.
