Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has expressed optimism that ASEAN would be able to generate US$1 billion from developing the green economy.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is currently chaired by Indonesia.
"We can expect that ASEAN will gain a benefit of approximately US$1 billion by developing the green economy," he remarked during a symposium on digital economy and sustainability in Jakarta on Thursday.
By adopting the green economy in the Southeast Asian region, ASEAN countries will be able to collectively create five million new job opportunities while increasing the regional gross domestic product by 7 percent by 2030, he said.
The green economy refers to economic activities that produce low or zero carbon dioxide emissions, posing minimal threats to the environment.
Hartarto affirmed that ASEAN can develop the green economy by expanding into new growth areas and enhancing the efficiency of natural resources-based energy businesses, food systems, and the logistics sector, which are key priorities in the green economy.
"In addition to economic benefits, the adoption of the green economy in ASEAN will help the region reduce its carbon emissions by up to 80 percent," he explained.
Moreover, by adopting the green economy, ASEAN countries will help companies in the region bolster their business efficiency and competitiveness to deal with global challenges, he remarked.
Indonesia is currently making significant efforts to build photovoltaic solar panel facilities as part of its industrial downstreaming policy to promote the green economy.
"I believe that this (green economy) will facilitate the development of the region by paying more attention to the optimization of the digital space as well as renewable energy," he pointed out.
On August 16, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan expressed his belief that by developing the quality of human resources alongside adopting the green economy, Indonesia can boost its economy.
Furthermore, he is upbeat that the country's next leaders would incorporate efforts to promote and adopt the green economy in their work plans.
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