JAKARTA, 4 September  2025 – In commemoration of International Clean Air Day 2025 with the global theme ‘Racing for Air’, Aksi Ekologi dan Emansipasi Rakyat (AEER) held a webinar entitled ‘Green Steel Industry: A Solution for the Health of the Surrounding Community?’. This event emphasised the importance of accelerating solutions and collective action to ensure clean, healthy and sustainable air for all.

International Clean Air Day, celebrated every 7 September, is a global moment to raise awareness about the importance of clean air for health and survival. The State of Global Air Report 2024 reports that air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death, causing approximately 8.1 million premature deaths each year from conditions such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

Transformation from conventional industry to green steel industry

This year’s Racing for Air theme emphasises the urgency of accelerating industrial transformation towards greener practices. Decarbonisation is not only a technical step towards achieving climate targets, but also a direct investment in public health and sustainable national development. After the cement sector, the steel industry is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, producing 20-30 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. In addition, the industry must also comply with international regulations on climate change, one of which is the SNDC (Second Nationally Determined Contribution), which is mandatory. ‘Indonesia’s NDC is bound by the ratification of the Paris Agreement by the Indonesian Government, and it is binding,’ concluded Dr Retno.

AEER recommends the establishment of buffer zones for industries that have a direct impact on residents, especially if they are only ±300 metres away, as this distance is highly vulnerable to air pollution exposure. Active synergy between local governments, industry players and the surrounding community is also needed in planning, organising and monitoring buffer zones so that air quality and health impacts can be controlled gradually.

In addition, transparency and public involvement in the form of real-time air monitoring systems (e.g., Air Quality Monitoring Systems) in industrial zones, with the publication of air quality indices and public information portals, provide the community with direct access to information about their environmental conditions and strengthen industry accountability.

The industrial sector needs to begin transforming to low-emission energy options such as renewable energy, in order to simultaneously address the climate crisis and reduce particulate pollution. This step not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, but also provides direct benefits to public health through the reduction of air pollutants.