World Environment Day, Jakarta Momentum to Improve Air Quality

The World Environment Day commemoration, which is celebrated every June 5, is a turning point for the Jakarta Provincial Government in its efforts to improve air quality.

This year, the campaign is focused on the walking movement

Jakarta Environment Agency Head, Asep Kuswanto said his party always makes various breakthroughs every year. Besides the performance of prevention and monitoring, it also invites Jakarta residents to change their lifestyles to be healthier and environmentally friendly for the sake of cleaner air quality.

"I hope that the campaign efforts won't only be today, but will become a new culture. We invite all people to start and realize that we need to protect our environment," he expressed, Thursday (6/13).

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He explained the Jakarta Environment Agency invited Jakarta residents to use public transportation in commemoration of World Environment Day 2023.

"This year, the campaign is focused on the walking movement through the Jakarta Berjaga campaign, which stands for Move, Work, Exercise and Be Happy," he explained.

Jakarta Health Agency (Dinkes) Head, Ani Ruspitawati uttered that this campaign is a synergy between the Dinkes and Environment Agency to create superior human resources in a global city.

"We urge all people to live a healthy lifestyle through the Jakarta Berjaga campaign. This isn't just about exercising, but also about maintaining a balance between physical activity and happiness," she explained.

According to her, all ASNs under the Jakarta Government are expected to be pioneers or 'Agents of Change' for all Jakarta residents in the movement to walk 7,500 steps per day. Besides improving a healthy lifestyle, but also helps make Jakarta's air cleaner.

"This effort is a synergy between the Dinkes and the Environment Agency to improve the quality of life of residents by promoting physical activity and reducing air pollution," she added.

This program received a warm welcome from the community and various parties. Many Jakarta residents, especially the Jakarta ASN, were inspired by this movement and began to adopt the habit of walking in their daily activities.

Fadhil Muhammad Firdaus, City Advisor for Breathe Jakarta representative from C40 Cities, a global network of the world's leading cities united in action to face the climate crisis, revealed that currently, air conditions in almost all C40 cities are at 'Unhealthy' levels.

The big cities that are included in the "Unhealthy" category based on air pollution levels according to 2020 data from the C40 Knowledge Hub are Beijing, New York, Milan, Seoul, London, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, and Seattle.

Each of these cities faces challenges similar to Jakarta and has implemented various strategies to reduce emissions and improve air quality.

In the meantime, according to the Jakarta Air Pollution Source Inventory Report 2020 by the Environment Agency and Vital Strategies, transportation contributed 67.03 percent of air pollution in Jakarta. The manufacturing industry contributed 26.81 percent, the energy industry 5.69 percent, and the commercial and residential sectors 0.47 percent.

"To overcome this problem, radical and ambitious efforts are needed with a holistic solution approach," he added.

Currently, his party is collaborating with the Jakarta Government in setting targets, collecting data, synergizing policy stakeholders, feasibility studies, and developing a roadmap. Public participation and projected benefits from various sectors are also the main focus of this effort.

He emphasized the importance of integrated and inclusive action to achieve an integrated zero-emissions area, by learning from the examples of successful cities.

"These cities have implemented various interventions against various sources of air pollution, such as pedestrianization, bike lane development, and sustainable urban planning, we are also pushing Jakarta in that direction," he closed.