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This article first appeared in East Asia Forum.

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The term ‘energy transition’ has become increasingly popular in recent years to describe government-mandated green policies. Before, terms like ‘decarbonisation’ and ‘low carbon development’ dominated global policy discourses. This shift reflects ongoing efforts at global and national levels to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, which are linked to significant environmental issues.

Like many other countries, Indonesia has long demonstrated a commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Law No. 31 of 2009 mandated the government to engage in climate change mitigation and adaptation activities, including tracking greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2016, the Indonesian government has set official targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors by ratifying the Paris Agreement.

Advanced measures remain necessary, as Indonesia is among the top three countries most at risk of extreme weather events and climate-related disasters. Climate-related flooding in Indonesia’s coastal areas has caused severe impacts, including the destruction of assets and livelihoods. This situation places economically disadvantaged groups in even more precarious positions, as they lack the adaptive capacities to recover quickly.

The transition from fossil fuels must also be managed in a way that supports affected communities to prevent increased inequality. This is crucial given Indonesia’s role as a major global coal producer. In 2023, coal production surged to 770.85 million tonnes, a 12.4 per cent increase from the previous year. The fossil fuel sector is a vital source of employment, directly employing 250,000 workers in coal mining in 2020. In coal-producing regions like East Kalimantan, about 11 per cent of the workforce is engaged in coal-related employment.

The adverse impacts of energy transitions are often disproportionately borne by women. Although there is still a lack of publicly available data in the Indonesian context, women in the Global South face the harshest impacts of coal mine closures, as these typically occur in regions where gender relations are marked by unequal economic development. Key impacts include increased rates of gender-based violence due to mass unemployment, a worsening of the ‘triple burden’ of paid labour, unpaid labour and childcare imposed on women, as well as decreased access to essential health and childcare services.

Though women are often disproportionately impacted by the energy transition, considerations around gender within energy policymaking remains inadequate. In 2023, the Just Energy Transition Partnership Secretariat released a comprehensive document outlining the investment and policy blueprint for Indonesia’s energy transition. The blueprint emphasises the necessity of equitably distributing risks and opportunities in alignment with human rights, accountability and gender equality principles. This framework corresponds with Presidential Instruction No. 9 of 2000, which mandates the incorporation of gender considerations into the planning, implementation, and monitoring of development policies and programs.

The guideline for the formulation of the National Energy Plan and Regional Energy Plan states that their development will involve individuals with knowledge or expertise in energy. Policymakers — especially local governments — typically interpret this as involving a team of experts for data collection, including focus group discussions with the community. But a recent study reveals that sex-disaggregated data was not required for data collection, so the analysis behind energy plans cannot fully comprehend the needs and challenges faced by different segments of the population.

Women remain significantly underrepresented in the energy sector, constituting only five per cent of decision-makers in 2022. The lack of specific mechanisms to increase women’s participation in energy policymaking will likely perpetuate gender blindness in programs aimed at a just energy transition, as numerous barriers still hinder women from participating meaningfully. In many communities, societal expectations confine women to domestic roles while men manage public affairs. As a result, women are often neither invited nor allowed to formally participate in governance processes. Meeting spaces often lack considerations that facilitate women’s participation, such as accommodating their paid and unpaid work schedules.

Lessons from other countries show that women are crucial advocates for innovative solutions in just transitions. For instance, in Morocco, women’s active involvement in a concentrating solar power project led to the creation of communal drainage and irrigation channels for the land affected by the construction, rather than cash compensation that would have primarily benefited only the male landowners. Women’s extensive experience within the household in terms of water, food and energy management tend to effectively address related issues at both household and community levels.  

A similar trend is evident in Indonesia, where women spend 2.8 times more on unpaid household work than men. Hence, strongly engaging women in just transitions will ensure their insights — such as improving energy accessibility for household appliances — are incorporated, freeing up time for productive economic activities rather than adding to their burdens.

As Indonesia aims for net zero emissions by 2060, the energy transition should do more than reduce fossil fuels dependency — it is also a pivotal opportunity to enhance the quality of life for the entire population.

Gender equality and a just energy transition are interconnected goals, both striving for the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits arising from development and progress. To achieve this, specific mechanisms must be established to ensure women’s meaningful participation in the policy process, including planning and design. By doing so, Indonesia can harness the full potential of its population, fostering an inclusive and sustainable energy transition.