Balikpapan, Indonesia

About Balikpapan, Indonesia

Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan.  Balikpapan is one of the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 2020 GDP at Rp 103,600 billion rupiahs. The city has the third busiest airport in Kalimantan after that in Banjarmasin and Pontianak, namely Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airpor Port of Semayang was the second busiest seaport in East Kalimantan, after that in Samarinda. With a population of 688,318 according to the 2020 census, Balikpapan is the second most populous city in East Kalimantan, after Samarinda. Balikpapan has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in Indonesia.

Balikpapan's sustainability challenges

The city of Balikpapan faces sustainability challenges like increasing GHG emissions, waste management, water pollution, flooding, and land-use changes. In 2018, stationary energy contributed to more than half of the total emissions (82%). The remaining emissions were shared by transportation (13%), waste (5%), and AFOLU (0.2%). Despite AFOLU having the lowest emissions, land-use change has become one of the concerns of Balikpapan, as it could impact biodiversity and increase flooding risks. The city also faces the problem of a high amount of waste being transported to landfills, while the landfill area is limited. This is due to the fact that waste sorting and processing have not been optimized yet and Balikpapan still lacks a recycling center. In addition, the city experienced water pollution issues which led to a decrease in the water quality index to 40 in 2020 as well as limited raw water capacity to meet drinking water needs. Additionally, city officials face another challenge as the amount of waste transported to landfills is still high, despite landfill areas being limited.

Balikpapan's existing sustainability commitments and targets

Balikpapan wants to create a liveable and environmentally sound city with a green economy by improving environmental quality and increasing the capacity of the city’s disaster resilience. The city also continues to reduce its GHG emissions by developing regulations and policies including the renewal of the city’s GHG emission reduction target by 2030. Moreover, Balikpapan has a commitment to achieving zero waste to landfill by implementing a circular economy system.

Balikpapan's existing circular practices