Indonesia to Unveil Transport Decarbonization Roadmap

The Indonesian government is set to launch a comprehensive roadmap aimed at decarbonizing its transportation sector in May 2026. This significant initiative will outline strategies and policies to substantially reduce carbon emissions from vehicles and transport infrastructure across the archipelago. The announcement underscores Indonesia's commitment to environmental sustainability and its global climate pledges.

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, officially announced the upcoming launch. Speaking at a Town Hall Meeting on Transportation Decarbonization Acceleration in Jakarta on January 27, 2026, Minister Yudhoyono emphasized the urgency of this strategic document.

The roadmap is designed to be a guiding compass for the energy transition within the transportation sector. It will detail both medium-term and long-term strategic measures necessary to achieve national decarbonization targets, impacting various subsectors including land, rail, maritime, and aviation.

This move is a direct manifestation of Indonesia's moral responsibility in fulfilling international commitments, particularly following its ratification of the Paris Agreement. According to rri, Minister Yudhoyono highlighted that the policy aims to ensure Indonesia can achieve its ambitious Net Zero Emission (NZE) target by 2060.

The transportation sector in Indonesia is currently one of the most energy-intensive and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. A study by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) indicates that it accounts for 40% of national carbon dioxide emissions, making its transformation crucial for climate goals.

Officials anticipate that the finalized roadmap will serve as valuable material for presentation at COP31 in Turkey, scheduled for November 2026. This demonstrates the government's intent to showcase its proactive stance on climate action on the global stage.

• Critical Role of Transportation in Emissions: Indonesia's transportation sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing approximately 40% of the nation's total carbon dioxide emissions and 33% of its overall energy consumption. Road transport alone accounts for 95% of these emissions, driven by rapid urbanization and increasing vehicle ownership, as reported by the Stockholm Environment Institute.

• Alignment with National and International Goals: The forthcoming roadmap is integral to Indonesia's broader climate agenda, including its commitment to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2060. This aligns with the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which targets an unconditional reduction of 29% and a conditional reduction of up to 41% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to a business-as-usual scenario.

• Key Policy Directions and Pilot Projects: The roadmap will encompass diverse strategies, including accelerating the development of railway networks such as Trans-Sumatra, Trans-Kalimantan, and Trans-Sulawesi. Antara News reported that it also involves preparing a presidential regulation for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and implementing carbon offset mechanisms across various transport subsectors.

• Focus on Electric Vehicle Adoption: A significant component of Indonesia's decarbonization strategy is the accelerated adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). SIP Law Firm noted that Presidential Regulation No. 79/2023, amending an earlier regulation, aims to boost BEV adoption. The government has set ambitious targets of deploying 2 million electric cars and 12 million electric two-wheelers by 2030 to reduce emissions.

• Challenges in EV Transition: Despite ambitious EV targets, Indonesia faces hurdles such as limited charging infrastructure, high costs, and consumer loyalty to conventional vehicles. A report by SEAToday.com in May 2025 highlighted that the government's subsidy program for EVs has only met 40% of sales targets, with charging stations heavily concentrated in Jakarta and West Java, creating regional disparities.

• Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Broader Benefits: Coordinating Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono expressed optimism that the roadmap will foster stronger collaboration among ministries, government agencies, and state-owned enterprises. Beyond emission reductions, promoting sustainable transport is expected to yield significant societal benefits, including improved public health and reduced costs associated with traffic accidents, as highlighted by the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) report.

• Existing Regulatory Frameworks and Gaps: The Ministry of Transportation has already developed a decarbonization roadmap through Ministerial Decree No. 8 of 2023, covering land, railway, maritime, and aviation sectors, as reported by Antara News in January 2026. However, UNFCCC documents indicate that while Indonesia's NDC sets economy-wide targets, specific transport sector emission targets and net-zero goals have been lacking, which the new comprehensive roadmap aims to address.

• Biofuel Integration and Energy Transition: Indonesia has been actively pursuing biofuel integration in its transport sector, with a mandatory biodiesel policy that has progressed from B20 to B30, and a more ambitious B40 program planned for 2025, according to unfccc documents. This forms part of a broader energy transition strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and scale up clean energy alternatives.