This article is published in Jakarta Post 6 October 2009.

 

The achievement of a strong climate agreement in Copenhagen is essential to keep the rise in global temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius. With deforestation, forest degradation and other land use changes accounting for approximately 20 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is clear that any solution to the climate change problem must include a solution to these issues.

 

In addition to contributing to global climate solutions, tackling deforestation and forest degradation is a crucial part of the development of tropical forest nations.

 

Forests have a vital role to play in the fight against global warming — being the largest terrestrial store of carbon and the third largest source of carbon emissions after coal and oil.

 

Also, forests have significant economic and ecological values as providers of ecosystems’ goods and services, a home for the largest part of the world’s biodiversity and support for the livelihoods of more than 1 billion of the world’s poorest people.

 

Indonesia, as one of the largest rainforest countries in the world, has. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barack Obama speaks during a summit on climate change at the United Nations in New York. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters (Source: guardian.co.uk)

 

Nearly 100 world leaders have accepted United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s invitation to participate in a historic summit on climate change to mobilize political will and strengthen momentum for a fair, effective and ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen.

 

According to Secretary-General Ban, the purpose of the Summit is to focus minds and generate urgent action at the highest levels.  “This year we have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent climate change from slipping out of control and to jumpstart the transformation to a safer, cleaner, more prosperous green economy that benefits all,” he said.

 

The participation of leadership at the level of Head of State from all countries -– industrialized and developing nations, and newly emerging economies on the front lines of climate change impacts -- is crucial to realizing this achievement.

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This article is also published in Jakarta Post 15 September 2009

 

Achieving an ambitious global climate agreement at Copenhagen depends on the political and economic will and ability of many countries.

 

Indonesia, as the host of Bali COP (Conference of Parties)-13, which historically marked the beginning of two years of formal negotiations, has much at stake in ensuring that the Copenhagen COP-15 is successful in reaching the goals of the Bali Action Plan.

 

Overall, however, progress from Bali to the last UN Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC) intersession meeting in Bonn fell sharply short of what we need - little movement of any substance between parties was achieved and the consolidation effort happened at a pace that puts Copenhagen at risk.

 

As an archipelago that will experience multiple adverse effects from climate change, Indonesia needs to strongly and proactively accelerate the negotiations.

 

In particular, Indonesia must urge industrialized countries to dramatically cut their emissions further to keep the increase in the global temperature at less than 2 degrees Celsius; at this level, the im. . .

Since the 2007 Climate Change Conference in Bali, related parties in Indonesia have been following up on the conference agenda by examining how new mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) can benefit forests and the communities who depend on them.

 

To strengthen implementation of these mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions a new website on REDD in Indonesia was launched on 25 August 2009 in Jakarta. The website; www.redd-indonesia.org, is managed jointly by CIFOR, the Indonesian Environmental Information Centre (PILI Green Network) and WWF Indonesia.

 

The site is expected to facilitate information dissemination and exchange for REDD project implementers in Indonesia and throughout the world. It contains publications and the latest reports and news stories on REDD schemes in Indonesia and across the world. A periodic e-newsletter on Indonesian REDD will also be published and you can sign up for a free copy at info(at)redd-indonesia.org.

 

The website also contains global and national gov. . .

A draft report of a study underway at the National Climate Change Council (DNPI) shows that Indonesia has the potential to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 60% by 2030, with the right mixture of domestic policies and international support. Policy and institutional changes in the forestry, power and transportation sectors, as well as in peatland management, are key to Indonesia’s opportunity to shift to a more sustainable economic path, along with higher efficiency in the use of energy, carbon and natural resources.

 

“The Government’s first and overriding priority is to enhance the welfare and livelihoods of all Indonesians. However, Indonesia acknowledges the common threat all nations face from the specter of global warming, and will pursue domestic emission reduction opportunities provided they are consistent with our development goals and aspirations and with the equity principles and provisions of the UNFCCC,” said Rachmat Witoelar, Minister of Environment and Executive Chair of the DNPI. 

 

The DNPI study has analyzed emissions and reduction potential in six sectors, and has involved more than 150. . .