Mohamad Rayan. Desk Researcher.
RI Bidik 4 Target dalam Konferensi Perubahan IklimFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Bogor - Indonesia menargetkan 4 hal dalam konferensi perubahan iklim di Bali pada Desember nanti. Salah satunya dana insentif bagi negara berkembang untuk memelihara hutannya.
Menurut kepala delegasi Indonesia dalam Informal Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change, Emil Salim, pertemuan pada 24-25 Oktober 2007 di Istana Bogor berjalan dengan penuh keterbukaan. Para delegasi membangun kesepahaman untuk mengantisipasi perubahan iklim. "Ada trust building. Semua sepakat ada kepentingan untuk bertindak," kata Emil dalam jumpa pers di Istana Bogor, (25/10/2007).
Emil menjelaskan, Indonesia menargetkan agar Bali Road Map yang akan menjadi panduan dunia mengatasi perubahan iklim dapat tercapai Desember nanti. Pertemuan di Bogor mengisyaratkan dukungan ini. Target lainnya adalah adanya suatu badan yang disiapkan untuk transfer teknologi dari negara maju untuk negara berkembang. "Anda punya teknologi apa, kasih tahu kami, dan hutan kami akan menyerap karbon dari negara Anda," kata Emil memberi ilustrasi. Hal ini terkait dengan target ketiga agar negara maju menyediakan pendanaan bagi negara berkembang untuk memelihara hutan, sehingga emisi karbon berkurang. "Kita bukan minta uang. Kita mengantisipasi efek rumah kaca bukan karena dibayar, tapi agar pulau kita tidak tenggelam dan padi kita tidak rusak akibat perubahan iklim," tegas Emil. Mekanisme implementasi adaptation fund diharapkan dapat dilakukan pada 2008. Indonesia juga menargetkan agar pilot project Reducing Emission from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) dapat disepakati. "Sebab negara berkembang paling merasakan dampak perubahan iklim," pungkas Emil. (
Senin, 05/11/2007 12:54 WIBRI Bisa Raup Dana Kompensasi US$ 2 Miliar dari HutanFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Jakarta - Hutan Indonesia berpotensi menyerap gas karbon dunia senilai US$ 2 miliar per tahun. Pemerintah berkomitmen menggolkan dana kompensasi pengurangan emisi karbon itu dalam UNFCC di Bali, Desember 2007. "Indonesia berpotensi menyerap pasar karbon sebesar US$ 2 miliar per tahun," kata pakar kehutanan dari Indonesian Forest Climate Alliance (IFCA), Rizaldi Boer, dalam lokakarya di Departemen Kehutanan, Jakarta, Senin (5/11/2007). Menurut dia, RI perlu memperjuangkan proposal pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi dan degradasi hutan (REDD). Artinya, negara maju harus membantu kompensasi karena negara berkembang telah menjaga hutannya. "Sampai saat ini tidak ada mekanisme intensif yang diberikan untuk upaya pencegahan konversi dan kerusakan hutan," ujarnya. Ketua Delegasi Indonesia untuk COP13 UNFCC, Emil Salim, mengatakan mekanisme REDD adalah solusi yang adil karena negara berkembang telah mengorbankan kepentingan ekonominya dari hutan untuk mengurangi polusi di negara maju. "Rencananya hutan perlu dijaga supaya tidak ditebang, sekarang rakyat dikasih duit untuk pelihara hutan," kata Emil. Menhut MS Kaban menambahkan, rakyat Indonesia harus diuntungkan dari dana kompensasi REDD yang akan diperjuangkan di Bali. Kaban percaya angka US$ 2 miliar masih bisa ditingkatkan lagi. "Itu perkiraan sementara mungkin masih bisa lebih besar lagi," ujarnya. (aan/nrl)
Pengurangan Emisi Karbon Tak Boleh Ganggu Hutan IndustriFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Jakarta - Indonesia harus menjaga keutuhan hutan untuk mengurangi emisi karbon. Namun di sisi lain ada hutan tanaman industri (HTI) yang harus diolah. Dua kepentingan ini tidak boleh bertabrakan. "Skema REDD (pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi dan degradasi hutan) jangan menjadi kontra produktif untuk program hutan tanaman industri," kata Menhut MS Ka'ban dalam jumpa pers lokakarya Indonesia Forest Climate Alliance (IFCA) di kantornya, Jl Gatot Subroto, Jakarta, Senin (5/11/2007). Menurut Ka'ban, HTI dan hutan tanaman rakyat (HTR) diperlukan dalam pembangunan. Jika pengolahan hutan mengoptimalkan HTI dan HTR, hutan alam justru akan terjaga. "Perlu ada pemahaman definisi mengenai deforestasi dan degradasi," ujarnya. Di tempat yang sama, ketua delegasi Indonesia untuk COP13 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change/UNFCCC, Emil Salim, mengatakan hal senada. Upaya pengurangan emisi karbon dan pengolahan HTI dan HTR bisa berjalan seiring. "HTI tetap ada, selama itu bukan deforestasi, itu tetap berjalan," ujar eks Menteri KLH ini. (umi/nrl)
Selasa, 13/11/2007 16:56 WIBMasyarakat Belum Paham REDDFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Jakarta - Dana kompensasi pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi dan degradasi hutan (REDD) akan diperjuangkan Indonesia dalam konvensi UNFCCC di Bali, Desember nanti. Namun banyak masyarakat yang belum memahaminya. "REDD bukan kegiatan penanaman pohon, tapi mekanisme insentif yang diberikan dari upaya pencegahan konversi hutan," kata Kabalitbang Dephut Wahjudi Wardoyo, dalam jumpa pers di restoran Front Row, Senayan, Jakarta, Selasa (13/11/2007). Dana kompensasi ini akan dihitung dari berapa banyak gas karbon yang berhasil ditekan dengan menjaga kelestarian hutan. Indonesia berpeluang meraih US$ 2 miliar per tahun jika REDD lolos dalam UNFCCC. "Ini kontrak unit per unit, stake holders mulai dari pemda, HPH dan masyarakat punya peluang mendapatkan dana, tapi mereka bertanggung jawab jika melanggar kesepakatan yang ada," lanjut pria yang menjadi Koordinator Indonesian Forest Climate Alliance (IFCA) ini. Wahjudi menjelaskan REDD akan diterapkan untuk 5 jenis hutan yaitu hutan konservasi, hutan alam produksi, hutan tanaman industri (HTI), lahan gambut dan hutan konversi kelapa sawit. Namun, hutan produksi, HTI dan kelapa sawit tetap bisa dimanfaatkan. "Manipulasi manusia tetap dibolehkan tapi terbatas. Kalau misalnya dulu 1.000 hektar HTI bisa dihabiskan, nanti dengan REDD disisakan 100 hektar," jelasnya. Implementasi kebijakan REDD, menurut Wahjudi, akan menjadi kunci kesuksesan program ini. Kepercayaan masyarakat internasional terhadap Indonesia akan ditentukan di sini. "Masalah kehutanan adalah pemerintahan yang lemah, masyarakat yang lemah dan kelompok bisnis yang berani ambil risiko. Pemantauan diperlukan untuk membuktikan telah terjadi penurunan emisi dengan REDD," pungkasnya. (fay/nrl)
Kamis, 06/12/2007 10:19 WIBRugikan Masyarakat Adat, Aktivis Tolak REDDGede Suardana - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Para aktivis yang tergabung dalam Civil Society Forum (SCF) menolak program dana kompensasi pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi dan degradasi hutan (REDD). Mereka mendesak Indonesia mengajak negara maju menjalankan pengurangan emisi melalui program jeda tebang hutan.Penolakan itu dilakukan dalam bentuk aksi long march yang dilakukan sekitar 30 aktivis yang tergabung dalam CSF, pukul 09.00 wita. Long march ini menempuh jarak 1 km dari bundaran kawasan Nusa Dua menuju kampung CSF dengan melewati lokasi konferensi Climate Change, di BICC (Bali International Convention Centre), Nusa Dua, Bali, Kamis (6/12/2007).Para aktivis melakukan aksi jalan kaki sambil bernyanyi dan berorasi. Bahkan, aksi unik dilakukan sekitar 10 orang, yaitu berjalan miring sepanjang trotoar. Tujuannya, agar tulisan yang menempel pada punggung mereka di baca oleh para delegasi yang melintas di kawasan ini saat menuju BICC. Tulisan bercat putih ini bertuliskan, "Say No REDD!".Meskipun aksi ini dilakukan oleh segelintir aktivis, namun mendapatkan mengawalan ketat dari sekitar 50 aparat keamanan. Polisi ikut berjalan mengawal mereka hingga tiba di kampung CFS. Eksekutif Walhi Riza Damanik kepada detikcom mengatakan, REDD akan merugikan masyarakat adat. Ia menjelaskan, pengurangan emisi melalui REDD akan mengubah fungsi hutan hanya menjadi penyerap karbon."Hutan kita sangat luas dan memiliki fungsi sosial, ekonomi dan ekologi. Kalau REDD dilaksanakan maka masyarakat adat tidak akan mendapatkan manfaat dari fungsi hutan,"katanya.Walhi mendesak agar pemerintah tidak menandatangi perjanjian REDD. "Pemerintah seharusnya mengajak dunia melakukan program jeda hutan bukan melakukan program REDD,"jelasnya.Rencananya, Menteri Kehutanan bersama Gubernur Aceh dan Gubernur Papua akan meluncurkan Readinnes REDD di hotel Ayodhya, Nusa Dua, pukul 11.30 wita, Kamis (6/12/2007). (gds/iy)
Kamis, 06/12/2007 12:53 WIBKonferensi Perubahan Iklim REDD Resmi DiluncurkanArfi Bambani Amri - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Indonesia secara resmi melaunching program Reducing Emissions from Deforestration Degradation (REDD). Launching dilakukan Menteri Kehutanan MS Kaban di Nusa Dua, Bali."Hari ini kita melakukan launching REDD," kata Kaban dalam jumpa pers usai launching di Hotel Ayodya, Nusa Dua, Bali, Kamis (6/12/2007).Launching ini sebagai upaya mendorong negara-negara yang masuk dalam annex 1 untuk memberikan insentif bagi negara yang menjaga kelestarian hutan. "Namun sifatnya masih sukarela," imbuh Kaban.Tawaran Indonesia dalam REDD ini akan disertai metodologi, definisi pasar karbon, masalah pembayaran dan pilot project. "Departemen Kehutanan sudah melakukan studi yang didukung negara-negara donor untuk pilot project ini," kata Kaban.Program REDD akan berlangsung mulai pertengahan 2008 sampai 2012. "Kita berharap sebelum akhir komitmen, Indonesia sudah mendapatkan hasil dari komitmen," tandas Ketua Umum Partai Bulan Bintang itu.Launching ini dihadiri juga oleh Menneg LH Rachmat Witoelar, Emil Salim, Direktur Climat Change Kementerian Lingkungan Inggris Henry Derwent, Gubernur Papua Barnabas Suebu dan Gubernur NAD Irwandi Yusuf. (aba/asy)
Kamis, 06/12/2007 13:06 WIBRachmat Janji Kekhawatiran Aktivis Soal REDD Tak TerjadiGede Suardana - detikNews
Jakarta - Para aktivsi menolak program dana kompensasi pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi dan degradasi hutan (REDD). Mereka khawatir program itu akan merugikan masyarakat adat. Meneg Lingkungan Hidup (LH) Rachmat Witoelar berjanji kekhawatiran itu tidak bakal terjadi. Hal itu disampaikan Rachmat saat berdialog dengan para aktivis lingkungan di Balai Banjar Kauh, Kampung Civil Society Forum (CSF), Nusa Dua, Bali, Kamis (6/12/2007). Para aktivis lingkungan yang hadir dalam acara itu antara lain berasal dari Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara, Pemuda Indonesia, Solidaritas Perempuan Peduli Lingkungan, petani, nelayan dan aktivis asing. Sejumlah poster berisi protes dan kritik mewarnai diskusi tersebut. Poster antara lain bertulisakan, "Tidak akan ada keadilan iklim tanpa keadilan gender" dan "RI jangan dijadikan TPS (tempat pembuangan sampah dunia)".Dalam diskusi itu, Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara menyatakan keberatannya terhadap REDD. Mereka khawatir program itu akan merugikan masyarakat adat. "Penyelamatan hutan tidak akan berhasil jika menghilangkan hak-hak masyarakat adat," tandas salah seorang aktivis dari Masyarakat Adat Nusantara.Pemuda Indonesia menyampaikan petisi agar negara maju penghasil emisi menurunkan emisi demi kesetaraan dan keadilan iklim. Negara maju diminta berinisiatif mengurangi emisi dengan mengubah gaya hidup konsumtif. "Negara maju jangan memindahkan tanggungjawabnya pada negara berkembanhg,"kata salah satu akstivis perempuan.Menanggapi kekhawatiran para aktivis itu, Rachmat menegaskan perlunya negara maju membayar utang dan dosa-dosanya telah menghasilkan emisi terbesar sehingga menyebabkan pemanasan global. "Saya akan jaga kekhawatiran anda, untuk itu kita minta dukungan saudara untuk memperjuangkan ini," tandas Rachmat. (iy/iy)
Kamis, 06/12/2007 13:49 WIBKaban: Daerah Dapat yang Terbesar dari REDDArfi Bambani Amri - detikNews
Jakarta - Program dana kompensasi pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi dan degradasi hutan atau Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) merupakan program pemerintah. Namun, Menteri Kehutanan MS Kaban menyatakan, komitmen terbesar justru akan dinikmati daerah."Prinsipnya, pemerintah adalah yang membuat regulasi namun semuanya mendapat kontribusi. Kita berharap pemerintah daerah yang mendapatkan yang terbesar," kata Kaban dalam jumpa pers usai launching REDD di Hotel Ayodya, Nusa Dua, Bali, Kamis (6/12/2007).Kaban menambahkan, daerah berhak mendapat bagian terbesar karena di sanalah hutan itu berada. Masyarakat lokal yang menjaga hutan, melalui pemerintah daerah, tentu yang paling berhak mendapat keuntungan dari REDD.Pemerintah akan memperjuangkan hak Indonesia untuk setiap ton karbon yang dijaga melalui pelestarian hutan. Sejauh ini, beberapa negara seperti Inggris, Australia, Jerman dan Bank Dunia sudah menyepakati program ini."Tapi saat ini kita belum menerima komitmen dari negara-negara yang tergolong annex 1," imbuh Kaban.Program REDD ini diharapkan akan menghasilkan kesepakatan antara 5-10 triliun dolar Amerika Serikat. "Tapi ini nanti akan terbagi antara negara-negara pemilik rain forest," tandasnya.(aba/iy)
Selasa, 11/12/2007 00:09 WIBDelegasi Indonesia Dapat SurpriseFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Jakarta - Delegasi Indonesia mendapat surprise dengan bingkisan yang menguntungkan. Mereka telah berhasil menggulirkan pertemuan paralel menteri keuangan dan perdagangan dalam Konferensi Perubahan Iklim (UNCCC) di Bali.Hal ini disampaikan Presiden Country of Parties (COP) Rachmat Witoelar dalam jumpa pers usai rapat di Hotel Four Season, Jimbaran, Bali, Senin (10/12/2007)."Kita merasa surprise pertemuan paralel menteri keuangan dan perdagangan, yang belum ada dalam COP terdahulu diminati wakil seluruh dunia lebih dari yang diharapkan," kata Rachmat Witoelar.Menurut pria yang menjabat sebagai Menteri Lingkung Hidup ini, dana kompensasi hutan tropis (REDD) pada dasarnya telah diterima semua pihak. Namun masih ada delegasi yang ingin menyampaikan keberatan."Yang keberatan akan menyampaikannya ke presiden COP besok," ujarnya.Dalam kesempatan ini, salah satu pimpinan delegasi Indonesia, Makarim Wibisono, menambahkan dana adaptasi (adaptation fund) juga telah disepakati. Dana itu dibutuhkan oleh negara-negara yang memerlukan bantuan untuk mengatasi perubahan iklim."Sudah disepakati ada adapatation fund untuk membiayai langkah-langkah menghadapi perubahan iklim," imbuhnya.Sementara Jubir Kepresiden Andi Mallarangeng menjelaskan, dalam rapat kabinet terbatas tadi SBY meminta presiden COP dan delegasi Indonesia berkomunikasi dengan segala pihak untuk memastikan hasil nyata dari Bali Road Map."Presiden mengatakan kalau perlu presiden bersedia bertemu dengan pemimpin negara lain untuk memuluskan poin-poin konsensus baru," pungkasnya.(mly/mly)
Selasa, 11/12/2007 16:57 WIBPengelolaan Hutan Lestari Serap C02 Paling Sedikit RisikoAri Saputra - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Banyak solusi untuk menyerap emisi karbon yang terus meningkat. Salah satunya adalah sistem pengelolaan hutan lestari atau sustainable forest management (SFM) . Dengan sistem ini, hutan dipertahankan keberlangsungannya tanpa menghilangkan fungsi ekonominya."Cara itu (sustainable forest management) yang paling relevan. (Misalnya), kami tetap menanam pohon 60.000 hektare pertahunnya. Itu bisa menyerap CO2," kata Direktur Sustainability Riaupulp, Neil Franklin di sela-sela Konferensi Perubahan Iklim (UNCCC) di Nusa Dua, Bali, Selasa (11/12/2007).Dia menegaskan, pihaknya berkomitmen menjaga hutan Indonesia dari kepunahan. Karena itu ia memilih SFM atas alasan yang paling sedikit resiko. Meski dia tetap memperhatikan kritik dari LSM atas solusi tersebut."Kami tetap menghormati pendapat mereka. Tapi, kita berkomitmen untuk itu (SFM). Dengan dukungan pemerintah dan masayarakat, semuanya masih dapat memanfaatkan hutan dengan maksimal," tegasnya.Menurutnya, pilihan terhadap SFM sejalan dengan REDD yang telah dicanangkan Jumat pekan lalu. "REDD telah diluncurkan. Dan itu membuka jalan untuk sustainable solution," pungkasnya.(Ari/iy)
Kamis, 13/12/2007 10:51 WIBNegara Maju Sepakati Dana REDD, Road Map Dibuat 2008Ari Saputra - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Semua negara maju, kecuali Amerika Serikat (AS) telah sepakat memberikan kompensasi dalam program Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). Untuk realisasinya akan dibuat rencana jalan besar (Road Map) tahun depan yang melibatkan lembaga riset, tidak hanya pemerintah dan non-pemerintah (NGOs).Demikian disampaikan Menteri Luar Negeri (Menlu) Hasan Wirayuda usai Sarapan Bersama dengan 32 negara untuk mengorganisir penyelamatan hutan troopik, di BICC Nusa Dua bali, Kamis (13/12/2007).Pertemuan pagi ini merupakan kelanjutan pertemuan negara F-11 dan negara-negara maju hari kemarin. Pertemuan yang digagas Indonesia ini diikuti oleh 32 negara. Dalam pertemuan ini, gagasan Indonesia untuk mengorganisir negara-negara maju dan negara pemilik hutan tropis mendapat sambutan.Dari negara maju ada Jerman, Norwegia, AS, Inggris, Portugis, Uni Eropa. Sementara Negara pemilik hutan tropis seperti dari Brazil, Papua Nugini, dan Bagon. Negara-negara ini sepakat bahwa hutan sebagai upaya mencegah perubahan iklim. Semua negara sudah satu visi bahwa harus ada solusi untuk mengatasi degradasi hutan untuk berkontribusi mengurangi emisi karbon."Disepakati akan membuat rencana jalan besar (Road Map) tahun depan yang melibatkan lembaga riset, tidak hanya pemerintah dan non-pemerintah (NGOs). Kita tidak perlu menunggu sampai komitmen Protokol Kyoto berakhir 2012, tapi komitmen kehutanan bisa dimulai dari sekarang," kata Hassan.US$ 500 Juta Per TahunDituturkan Hassan, salah satu komitmen negara maju dari Norwegia akan memberikan insentif US$ 500 Juta pertahun untuk kerjasama di bidang kehutanan.Indonesia sendiri berpotensi untuk menyerap kompensasi dan mengelola hutan secara nasional lewat Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)".Hal senada juga disampaikan Menhut MS Kaban. Menurut Kaban, semua negara telah sepakat terhadap upaya pencegahan deforestasi. Deforestasi ini untuk semua jenis hutan,tidak hanya hutan konservasi melainkan hutan lindung dan produksi. "Ketika memulihkan hutan semua dapat kompensasi. Semua dapat "keseluruhan. Ini didukung oleh Jerman, Jepang dan Perancis," kata Kaban. Inggris telah memberikan penilaian positif, bahwa usaha penilaian usaha perbaikan hutan di Inonesia sudah maju. Degradai hutan dari 2,8 juta ha/ tahun menjadi 1,08 juta ha pertahun.APBD seluruh daerah meningkat 800 persen menjadi US$ 1 M pertahun."Ini perubahan sangat drastis. Pertemuan lanjutan untuk mencegah degradasi akan dilanjutkan tahun depan," tandas Kaban.Namun sayangnya meski semua negara maju telah sepakat terhadap REDD, Amerika Serikat tetap dengan pendiriannya. "Dia belum berubah," kata Kaban.(iy/iy)
Kamis, 13/12/2007 15:26 WIBUNCCC Terancam DeadlockAri Saputra - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Meski konferensi perubahan iklim (UNCCC) tinggal sehari, gelagat dead lock kembali mengemuka. Persoalan transfer teknologi dan investasi menjadi batu sandungan antara negara maju dengan negara berkembang."Nggak harus diselesaikan di sini (di konferensi Bali). Bisa tahun depan (Denmark), ataupun di Polandia (2009), "kata Ketua Delegasi Indonesia Emil Salim di sela-sela perundingan UNCCC di BICC, Nusa Dua Bali, Kamis (13/12/2007).Saking alotnya perundingan tersebut, negosiasi berjalan hingga dinihari. Negara maju masih menimbang-nimbang mekanisme transfer teknologi karena terkait dengan hak cipta dan kemampuan SDM negara-negara miskin. "Tapi, minimal sudah ada peta jalan (road map) perubahan iklim yang akan dilanjutkan," imbuhnya.Namun, sejauh ini perundingan telah menghasilkan beberapa kesepakatan. Misalnya soal mitigasi, REDD dan deforestasi."Tinggal masalah redaksional yang masih perlu dirumuskan,"pungkasnya.Lantas Emil kembali bergegas ke arena sidang. Ia terlihat terburu-buru dan tegang, agak berbeda dari hari-hari sebelumnya yang santai dan ramah. (Ari/iy)
Jumat, 14/12/2007 09:16 WIBSBY Panggil 7 Gubernur Pemilik HutanFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Jimbaran - Presiden SBY memanggil sejumlah gubernur dari Sumatera, Kalimantan, Papua dan Bali. SBY meminta sang gubernur berperan aktif menjaga hutan.Gubernur yang dipanggil adalah Gubernur Bali Made Beratha, Gubernur NAD Irwandi Yusuf, Gubernur Sumatera Utara Rudolf Pardede, Gubernur Riau HM Rusli Zainal, Gubernur Kalimantan Selatan Teras Narang, Gubernur Papua Barnabas Suebu, Gubernur Papua Barat Abraham Octovianus Atururi.Selanjutnya, Wakil Gubernur Sumatera Selatan, Wakil Gubernur Kalimantan Barat, Wakil Gubernur Kalimantan Tengah, Kepala Dinas Kehutanan Kalimantan Timur.Pertemuan berlangsung di tempat SBY menginap di Hotel Four Seasons, Jimbaran, Bali, Jumat (14/12/2007) pukul 09.45 Wita. SBY didampingi Mendagri Mardiyanto, Menhut MS Kaban, Menko Kesra Aburizal Bakrie, dan Kapolri Jenderal Pol Sutanto."Saya meminta para gubernur ikut ambil bagian dari proses UNCCC dan tidak sekadar hadir di sini," kata SBY saat membuka pertemuan itu.Jika Indonesia hendak menjalankan program dana kompensasi hutan hujan (REDD) para gubernur dari provinsi yang memiliki hutan akan sangat berperan penting demi suksesnya program tersebut.Dana kompensasi REDD akan diutamakan untuk memberikan keuntungan maksimal kepada daerah.Hingga pukul 10.00 Wita, pertemuan tertutup masih berlangsung
Jumat, 14/12/2007 12:07 WIBSBY Minta Gubernur Jaga Hutan & Cegah Perubahan IklimFitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Jimbaran - Presiden SBY meminta para gubernur aktif mencegah pemanasan global. Caranya, dengan memelihara hutan di provinsi mereka."Presiden ingin para gubernur, bupati, dan walikota mengetahui langsung kepedulian pemerintah dan masyarakat tentang konferensi perubahan iklim," kata Jubir Kepresidan Andi Mallarangeng usai pertemuan para gubernur, di Hotel Four Seasons di Jimbaran, Bali, Jumat (14/12/2007).Menurut Andi, Presiden tidak hanya menjadi tuan rumah tapi juga aktif menjadi fasilitator untuk melahirkan Bali Roadmap. Dan SBY ingin kepedulian ini mengalir sampai kepada pemerintahan daerah."Sampai jajaran ke bawah mengerti betul apa yang harus dilakukan untuk mengurangi emisi dan menyerap karbon," ujarnya.Andi mengatakan, gubernur bisa memerintahkan jajarannya mencegah kerusakan hutan, kebakaran hutan, dan menanam pohon di mana saja. Selain itu, pemerintah berharap UNCCC dan secara khusus dana kompensasi REDD dapat disepakati "Kita harap hari ini selesai dan hasilnya betul-betul bermakna untuk negara kepulauan seperti kita," pungkasnya.Beberapa gubernur yang dipanggil adalah Gubernur Bali Made Beratha, Gubernur NAD Irwandi Yusuf, Gubernur Sumatera Utara Rudolf Pardede, Gubernur Riau HM Rusli Zainal, Gubernur Kalimantan Selatan Teras Narang, Gubernur Papua Barnabas Suebu, Gubernur Papua Barat Abraham Octovianus Atururi. (mly/nrl)
Sabtu, 15/12/2007 17:48 WIBUNCCC Usai, RI Sukses Terima Dana Kompensasi REDD Fitraya Ramadhanny - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Indonesia berhasil melakukan kerja sama dana kompensasi kehutanan melalui Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). Inggris misalnya siap mengucurkan dana untuk Indonesia."REDD mendapat dukungan penuh. Kita mengajak negara hutan tropis bersatu dan dapat kompensasi yang adil," kata Presiden SBY dalam jumpa pers menjelang berakhirnya Konferensi Perubahan Iklim (UNCCC) 2007 di Bali International Convention Center (BICC), Nusa Dua, Bali, Sabtu (15/12/2007). Dengan REDD, lanjut SBY, terjadi mekanisme yang adil. Negara hutan tropis menjaga hutannya untuk menyerap emisi karbon dari negara maju, sebaliknya negara maju memberikan bantuan dana kepada negara hutan tropis. "Ada hitungan ekonominya, transfer teknologi. Kita mendapat untung dari pengaturan reforestasi ini," kata SBY yang terlihat gembira, meski tampak lelah. Menurut SBY, negara Inggris menjadikan Indonesia sebagai kandidat kuat mendapatkan US$ 30 juta melalui Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). Inggris juga telah menyiapkan US$ 1,6 miliar melalui Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) untuk mendukung mitigasi dan adaptasi perubahan iklim di negara-negara berkembang. Sedangkan Inggris pada 2007 telah memberikan US$ 500.000 untuk mendukung kerja Indonesia Forest Climate Alliance dan memberikan komitmen US$ 10 juta untuk mendukung multistakeholder forestry program. Dengan suksesnya REDD, pemerintah akan menjalankan manajemen pengolahan hutan dengan lebih baik. "Hutan tanahamn industri (HTI) tetap ada, namun konservasi tetap dilakukan. Para gubernur telah melaporkan kepada saya konsep untuk menjaga hutan. Hutan tidak dirusak, tapi tetap bisa digunakan," jelas SBY. Konferensi Perubahan Iklim masih menggelar pertemuan hingga pukul 18.45 Wita. Pertemuan hanya menyusun redaksi deklarasi Bali Road Map. Konferensi akan ditutup secara resmi malam ini. (asy/asy)
Sabtu, 15/12/2007 19:38 WIBPenurunan Emisi Dibahas 2009Gede Suardana - detikNews
Nusa Dua - Bali Road Map dipastikan tidak menetapkan angka penurunan emisi karbon 25-40 persen. Penurunan emisi itu dibahas dalam pertemuan di Kopenhagen tahun 2009 nanti."Di Bali (Road Map) tidak ada pematokan range (25-40 persen) itu karena memang tidak diusahakan. Kita jaga agar itu menjadi porsi pada tahun 2009," ungkap Presiden COP 13 Rachmat Witoelar dalam jumpa pers di auditorium BICC, Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali, Sabtu (15/12/2007).Bali Road Map hanya berisi jalur-jalur menuju perundingan yang berikutnya. Target penurunan emisi, menurut Rachmat, perlu waktu untuk menghitungnya. "Tidak bisa dalam waktu singkat kita menghitung penurunan emisi. Diperlukan waktu tahunan. Untuk menghitungnya pun perlu niat dan kesepakatan," kata Menneg Lingkungan Hidup itu.Bagi Indonesia, Road Map ini memiliki 4 poin. Road Map memberikan arahan untuk pelaksanaan reducing emission from deforestation and degradation (REDD), transfer teknologi, keuangan dan adaptation plan."Kita punya Bali Road Map dan National Action Plan. Intinya menggalang kekuatan negara maju untuk mendukung kerjasama dengan negara berkembang untuk menjaga alam akibat perubahan iklim," pungkas Rachmat. (aba/aba)
Sabtu, 15/12/2007 22:06 WIBPoin-poin Bali Road MapArfi Bambani Amri - detikNews
Jakarta - The United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) 2007 berhasil melahirkan Bali Road Map. Road Map ini menghasilkan kesepakatan aksi adaptasi, jalan pengurangan emisi gas rumah kaca, transfer teknologi dan keuangan yang meliputi adaptasi dan mitigasi.Berikut poin-poin Bali Road Map, seperti disampaikan juru bicara the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) John Hay dalam pernyataan tertulis yang diterima detikcom, Sabtu (15/12/2007).
AdaptasiNegara peserta konferensi sepakat membiayai proyek adaptasi di negara-negara berkembang, yang ditanggung melalui clean development mechanism (CDM) yang ditetapkan Protokol Kyoto. Proyek ini dilaksanakan oleh Global Environment Facility (GEF).Kesepakatan ini memastikan dana adaptasi akan operasional pada tahap awal periode komitmen pertama Protokol Kyoto (2008-2012). Dananya sekitar 37 juta euro. Mengingat jumlah proyek CDM, angka ini akan bertambah mencapai sekitar US$ 80-300 juta dalam periode 2008-2012.
Namun negara-negara peserta belum sepakat mengenai pelaksanaan praktis adaptasi, misalnya bagaimana cara menyatukan dalam kebijakan nasional. Isu ini diagendakan untuk dibahas di pertemuan selanjutnya yang disebut Badan Tambahan untuk Saran Ilmiah dan Teknis di Bonn (Jerman) pada tahun 2008.TeknologiPeserta konferensi sepakat untuk memulai program strategis untuk alih teknologi mitigasi dan adaptasi yang dibutuhkan negara-negara berkembang. Tujuan program ini adalah memberikan contoh proyek yang konkret, menciptakan lingkungan investasi yang menarik, termasuk memberikan insentif untuk sektor swasta untuk melakukan alih teknologi. GEF akan menyusun program ini bersama dengan lembaga keuangan internasional dan perwakilan-perwakilan dari sektor keuangan swasta. Peserta juga sepakat memperpanjang mandat Grup Ahli Alih Teknologi selama 5 tahun. Grup ini diminta memberikan perhatian khusus pada kesenjangan dan hambatan pada penggunaan dan pengaksesan lembaga-lembaga keuangan.REDDReducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries (REDD) merupakan isu utama di Bali.
Para peserta UNCCC sepakat untuk mengadopsi program dengan menurunkan pada tahapan metodologi.REDD akan fokus pada penilaian perubahan cakupan hutan dan kaitannya dengan emisi gas rumah kaca, metode pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi, dan perkiraan jumlah pengurangan emisi dari deforestasi. Deforestasi dianggap sebagai komponen penting dalam perubahan iklim sampai 2012.IPCCPeserta sepakat untuk mengakui Laporan Assessment Keempat dari the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sebagai assessment yang paling komprehensif dan otoritatif.CDMPeserta sepakat untuk menggandakan batas ukuran proyek penghutanan kembali menjadi 16 kiloton CO2 per tahun. Peningkatan ini akan mengembangkan angka dan jangkauan wilayah negara CDM ke negara yang sebelumnya tak bisa ikut mekanisme ini.Negara MiskinPeserta sepakat memperpanjang mandat Grup Ahli Negara Miskin atau the Least Developed Countries(LDCs) Expert Group. Grup ini menyediakan saran kritis untuk negara miskin dalam menentukan kebutuhan adaptasi. UNCCC sepakat negara-negara miskin harus didukung karean kapasitas adaptasinya yang rendah. (aba/aba)
Kamis, 24/07/2008 16:17 WIBPesimis Skema Perubahan Iklim Yansen - suaraPembaca
Jakarta - Perubahan iklim sudah menjadi isu utama lingkungan saat ini. Setelah lebih satu dekade lahirnya Konvensi PBB tentang Perubahan Iklim masalah ini menjadi isu politik hangat. Tapi, setelah Conference of Parties (CoP) 13 di Bali Desember lalu agenda baru menghadapi perubahan iklim masih belum jelas akan ke mana. Pertemuan di Kopenhagen tahun depan diprediksi akan menjadi krusial karena Protokol Kyoto akan berakhir 2012 dan akan dibicarakan kelanjutannya. Ada satu hal yang layak dicatat dari Konferensi Para Pihak 13 di Bali tahun kemarin. Yakni diluncurkannya mekanisme REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). Skema ini memandang pencegahan deforestasi dan degradasi hutan merupakan bagian vital dari usaha melawan pemanasan global.Namun, banyak pesimisme yang muncul.
REDD sekali lagi dianggap sebagai politik setengah hati negara-negara maju dalam melawan pemanasan global. Hal ini bahkan lebih lanjut dianggap sebagai exit strategy negara maju mengurangi tekanan terhadap mereka untuk mengurangi laju emisi gas rumah kaca. Negara berkembang terutama yang memiliki hutan tropis dijadikan tameng menyelamatkan fossil-fuel driven ekonomi mereka. Benarkah demikian?Negara-negara maju sangat menyadari dampak dari target penurunan emisi pada ekonomi mereka. Amerika Serikat juga berdalih tidak jelasnya target bagi negara-negara berkembang. Padahal Cina dan India merupakan negara berkembang yang tigkat emisinya sudah meningkat sedemikian cepat. Cina bahkan sudah melampaui tingkat keluaran karbon Jepang. Tanpa keterlibatan negara-negara pengemisi gas rumah kaca terbesar pencegahan pemanasan global hanyalah mimpi. Masalahnya tidak ada perjanjian mengikat dalam target pengurangan emisi karbon. Walaupun dalam Conference of Parties sebelumnya negara-negara maju yang masuk dalam Annex A diminta menurunkan emisi gas buangan tapi masih bersifat aksi sukarela. PBB belum mampu memaksakan target ini sebagai sesuatu yang mengikat atau menetapkan sangsi jika tidak mengikutinya. Karenanya, Nicholas Stern, mantan ekonom kepala Bank Dunia, dalam laporan iklimnya April lalu menyerukan pemotongan signifikan emisi negara maju sampai tahun 2020.
Pemotongan ini harus bisa mencapai 80 persen pada 2050 dan bersifat mengikat, tegasnya lagi. Namun, negara-negara berkembang juga harus mengurangi keluaran gas rumah kaca dalam level yang manageable.Australia juga mengalami dilema serupa. Tak banyak berbeda dengan dengan Amerika ekonomi negara ini sangat ditunjang oleh energi yang menimbulkan polusi besar. Terutama batu bara. Bahkan, batu bara merupakan salah satu ekspor terbesar negara ini. Mencapai 20 persen dari total ekspor. Penelitian oleh Dr Michael Raupach dari CSIRO, lembaga riset Australia, menunjukkan Australia yang memiliki penduduk 0,32 persen dari total penduduk dunia memproduksi sekitar 1,43 persen dari total emisi karbon dunia. Makanya tak heran jika beberapa pihak meragukan inisiatif Australia untuk bekerja sama dengan Indonesia dalam hal manajemen hutan dan perdagangan karbon yang baru lalu. Inisiatif ini dipandang sebagai strategi murah biaya mengalihkan tanggung jawab penurunan emisi dalam negeri.
kepentingan politis negara maju dalam skema REDD adalah hal yang lumrah. Tapi, jika hal ini membuat kita tak bergerak maju ke depan adalah hal yang sangat disayangkan. Sebagai negara yang mengalami banyak masalah akibat deforestasi Indonesia dapat memanfaatkan skema ini sebaik-baiknya. Kompensasi yang mungkin didapat dari pencegahan deforestasi dapat diinvestasikan untuk pengentasan kemiskinan masyarakat sekitar hutan yang selama ini dianggap sebagai aktor utama deforestasi. Keuntungan dari karbon kredit juga bisa membuat kita menolak proposal pengubahan status hutan menjadi peruntukan lain karena alasan ekonomis, pertambangan misalnya. Peluang-peluang penyelamatan hutan tropis Indonesia harus dimanfaatkan secara baik. Tanpa harus mematikan kemungkinan keuntungan ekonomis.Namun, langkah ini harus dipandang sebagai tindakan awal. Strategi jangka panjang harus disiapkan. Jangan mengandalkan skema yang melibatkan negara maju selamanya. Langkah pemerintah untuk membentuk Dewan Perubahan Iklim yang terdiri dari lembaga kabinet sudah merupakan awal yang baik. Penanganan masalah perubahan iklim memang harus lintas sektoral. Pengaturan mekanisme kompensasi, pembangunan infrastruktur domestik, dan rencana alokasi keuntungan karbon kredit harus disiapkan dengan baik. Disamping itu, Indonesia harus mulai merencanakan target penurunan emisi dalam negeri. Terutama dari sektor industri dan transportasi.Hal penting lainnya yang harus dilakukan adalah mengeksplorasi alternatif energi. Potensi panas bumi dan tenaga matahari harus dimanfaatkan. Keuntungan dari karbon kredit bisa diinvestasikan untuk mengembangkan energi alternatif ini. Ada saatnya hutan kita tidak laku lagi di pasar karbon global di masa depan.Negara-negara maju telah mendesain target pengurangan emisi mereka sendiri. Salah satunya dengan berinvestasi pada pengembangan energi alternatif. Australia, misalnya, sangat gencar mengembangkan teknologi tenaga matahari dan panas bumi.Gurun di tengah benua ini merupakan potensi besar. Karenanya banyak pihak di Australia yakin jika negara mereka bisa menurunkan emisi karbon hingga 80 persen pada tahun 2050. Energi ramah lingkungan ini bahkan ditargetkan bisa diekspor. Kalau tak siap kita akan kembali jadi pembeli.Yansen 2/84 Cambridge St. GulliverTownsville, Queenslandyansen_for@yahoo.com(61) (7) 47284956
Rabu, 01 Juli 2009
Selasa, 30 Juni 2009
REDD Regulation in Indonesia
Mohamad Rayan. Clipping.
RI ready for REDD application to cut carbon
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Fri, 05/22/2009 1:22 PM Headlines
Indonesia is set to benefit from forest carbon trade as the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) scheme will likely be included in the post-Kyoto Protocol regime.
After becoming the first country to issue regulation on REDD, Indonesia, the world's third-largest forest country, with about 120 million hectares of rainforest, is ready to invite the international community to take part in the country's forest carbon trading.
A ministerial decree signed by Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban states indigenous people, local authorities, private organizations and businesspeople both local and foreign are allowed to run REDD projects in the country's forests.
"We are the first country with regulation on the REDD mechanism," Nur Masripatin, a senior Forestry Ministry official dealing with the REDD, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The decree says permits for REDD projects will be given to people or groups that have ownership certificates in managing forests.
Project developers are required to submit proposals to the Forestry Ministry for approval.
Nur said the ministry would set up a REDD commission to assess all project proposals within 14 days before the minister could approve or reject the projects.
"Project developers who secure licenses should start the REDD project within 90 days at the latest after the approval," she said.
Delegates from all over the world will gather in Copenhagen this December to decide whether the REDD should be included in a new climate pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Once agreed upon, forest nations, including Indonesia, could raise billions of dollars by trading the carbon sink in forests to developed nations to help them meeting emissions cut targets.
Estimates vary but annual revenue from REDD credits could reach between US$5 billion and $20 billion, the UN says.
Yvo de Boer, head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, said the REDD would very likely be included in the Copenhagen climate pact.
"It's very likely we'll see REDD included in the Copenhagen agreement," he said as quoted by Reuters.
Debate still rages over whether a REDD scheme, once all the measuring, monitoring and verification systems have been agreed upon, should be funded entirely by the market, only by public funds or a mixture of both.
"If REDD is to be brought under a market-based approach, then questions of volume and what that volume would do to price are also an issue," de Boer said.
WWF-Indonesia hailed the new REDD regulation as positive action in dealing with climate change.
"It's a good starting point, but the decree has yet to answer crucial issues like the total greenhouse gas emissions that could be slashed through REDD projects," WWF-Indonesia climate change program director Fitrian Ardiansyah told the Post.
Senior Finance Ministry research officer Noeroso L. Wahyudi said the government had not yet decided whether the carbon credit revenue would be taxed as income or as a commodity.
RI ready for REDD application to cut carbon
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Fri, 05/22/2009 1:22 PM Headlines
Indonesia is set to benefit from forest carbon trade as the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) scheme will likely be included in the post-Kyoto Protocol regime.
After becoming the first country to issue regulation on REDD, Indonesia, the world's third-largest forest country, with about 120 million hectares of rainforest, is ready to invite the international community to take part in the country's forest carbon trading.
A ministerial decree signed by Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban states indigenous people, local authorities, private organizations and businesspeople both local and foreign are allowed to run REDD projects in the country's forests.
"We are the first country with regulation on the REDD mechanism," Nur Masripatin, a senior Forestry Ministry official dealing with the REDD, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The decree says permits for REDD projects will be given to people or groups that have ownership certificates in managing forests.
Project developers are required to submit proposals to the Forestry Ministry for approval.
Nur said the ministry would set up a REDD commission to assess all project proposals within 14 days before the minister could approve or reject the projects.
"Project developers who secure licenses should start the REDD project within 90 days at the latest after the approval," she said.
Delegates from all over the world will gather in Copenhagen this December to decide whether the REDD should be included in a new climate pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Once agreed upon, forest nations, including Indonesia, could raise billions of dollars by trading the carbon sink in forests to developed nations to help them meeting emissions cut targets.
Estimates vary but annual revenue from REDD credits could reach between US$5 billion and $20 billion, the UN says.
Yvo de Boer, head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, said the REDD would very likely be included in the Copenhagen climate pact.
"It's very likely we'll see REDD included in the Copenhagen agreement," he said as quoted by Reuters.
Debate still rages over whether a REDD scheme, once all the measuring, monitoring and verification systems have been agreed upon, should be funded entirely by the market, only by public funds or a mixture of both.
"If REDD is to be brought under a market-based approach, then questions of volume and what that volume would do to price are also an issue," de Boer said.
WWF-Indonesia hailed the new REDD regulation as positive action in dealing with climate change.
"It's a good starting point, but the decree has yet to answer crucial issues like the total greenhouse gas emissions that could be slashed through REDD projects," WWF-Indonesia climate change program director Fitrian Ardiansyah told the Post.
Senior Finance Ministry research officer Noeroso L. Wahyudi said the government had not yet decided whether the carbon credit revenue would be taxed as income or as a commodity.
Selasa, 23 Juni 2009
Carbon and ocean
RI advocates ocean issues at Bonn talks
Mohamad Rayan Clipper
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 06/04/2009 12:51 PM National
Indonesian delegates attended the Bonn climate conference in Germany this week with a clear agenda of ensuring ocean issues are incorporated into climate talks to help save millions of coastal people from the brunt of global warming.
State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said delegates would officially table the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) at the Bonn climate conference, hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"Our goal is to put ocean issues on the negotiation table at the Bonn climate conference," Minister Rachmat told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"For us, the Bonn conference is "the right door" to enable ocean issues to be included on the official agenda of the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference."
The MOD requiring countries to promote sustainable ocean management and ocean conservation was an output of the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado in May.
The ocean conference was initiated by Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, which has about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.
According to Minister Rachmat, once ocean issues are adopted as part of the UNFCCC agenda, the chances for ocean nations to get financial incentives for adaptation and technology will be wide open.
Coastal communities, mainly in small island states, are deemed as being the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mainly due to rising sea levels.
The countries have repeatedly called on rich nations for financial and technological assistance to stem climate change.
Three-thousand delegates from 190 countries will gather in Bonn between June 1 and June 12 to prepare a new agreement on reducing carbon emissions after 2012 by setting targets for developed nations.
The new climate-change pact will succeed the first phase of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which requires 37 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
After the Bonn meeting three further climate-change meetings are scheduled for this year, ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, where Kyoto's replacement is to be formally adopted. Aside from the UNFCCC meeting, Indonesia is expected to promote ocean issues to UN members as part of an informal consultative process on ocean and laws of the sea (UNICPOLOS) in New York in June and at the UN General Assembly in New York in November.
Earlier, Indonesia and other forest countries promoted the forest as an alternative mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
After 10 years of intensive negotiations, the international community adopted a policy on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) at the Bali climate conference in 2007.
The REDD is being pushed as a key element for a new global agreement to fight climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, paving the way for forest nations to receive financial incentives to avoid deforestation.
"We hope carbon mechanisms such as those regulating forests can be applied to ocean issues," Minister Rachmat said.
He said that ocean countries still need to run scientific research to learn the ocean's ability to mitigate climate change.
Mohamad Rayan Clipper
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 06/04/2009 12:51 PM National
Indonesian delegates attended the Bonn climate conference in Germany this week with a clear agenda of ensuring ocean issues are incorporated into climate talks to help save millions of coastal people from the brunt of global warming.
State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said delegates would officially table the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) at the Bonn climate conference, hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"Our goal is to put ocean issues on the negotiation table at the Bonn climate conference," Minister Rachmat told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"For us, the Bonn conference is "the right door" to enable ocean issues to be included on the official agenda of the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference."
The MOD requiring countries to promote sustainable ocean management and ocean conservation was an output of the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado in May.
The ocean conference was initiated by Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, which has about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.
According to Minister Rachmat, once ocean issues are adopted as part of the UNFCCC agenda, the chances for ocean nations to get financial incentives for adaptation and technology will be wide open.
Coastal communities, mainly in small island states, are deemed as being the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mainly due to rising sea levels.
The countries have repeatedly called on rich nations for financial and technological assistance to stem climate change.
Three-thousand delegates from 190 countries will gather in Bonn between June 1 and June 12 to prepare a new agreement on reducing carbon emissions after 2012 by setting targets for developed nations.
The new climate-change pact will succeed the first phase of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which requires 37 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
After the Bonn meeting three further climate-change meetings are scheduled for this year, ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, where Kyoto's replacement is to be formally adopted. Aside from the UNFCCC meeting, Indonesia is expected to promote ocean issues to UN members as part of an informal consultative process on ocean and laws of the sea (UNICPOLOS) in New York in June and at the UN General Assembly in New York in November.
Earlier, Indonesia and other forest countries promoted the forest as an alternative mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
After 10 years of intensive negotiations, the international community adopted a policy on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) at the Bali climate conference in 2007.
The REDD is being pushed as a key element for a new global agreement to fight climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, paving the way for forest nations to receive financial incentives to avoid deforestation.
"We hope carbon mechanisms such as those regulating forests can be applied to ocean issues," Minister Rachmat said.
He said that ocean countries still need to run scientific research to learn the ocean's ability to mitigate climate change.
Carbon and ocean
RI advocates ocean issues at Bonn talks
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 06/04/2009 12:51 PM National
Indonesian delegates attended the Bonn climate conference in Germany this week with a clear agenda of ensuring ocean issues are incorporated into climate talks to help save millions of coastal people from the brunt of global warming.
State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said delegates would officially table the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) at the Bonn climate conference, hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"Our goal is to put ocean issues on the negotiation table at the Bonn climate conference," Minister Rachmat told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"For us, the Bonn conference is "the right door" to enable ocean issues to be included on the official agenda of the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference."
The MOD requiring countries to promote sustainable ocean management and ocean conservation was an output of the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado in May.
The ocean conference was initiated by Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, which has about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.
According to Minister Rachmat, once ocean issues are adopted as part of the UNFCCC agenda, the chances for ocean nations to get financial incentives for adaptation and technology will be wide open.
Coastal communities, mainly in small island states, are deemed as being the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mainly due to rising sea levels.
The countries have repeatedly called on rich nations for financial and technological assistance to stem climate change.
Three-thousand delegates from 190 countries will gather in Bonn between June 1 and June 12 to prepare a new agreement on reducing carbon emissions after 2012 by setting targets for developed nations.
The new climate-change pact will succeed the first phase of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which requires 37 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
After the Bonn meeting three further climate-change meetings are scheduled for this year, ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, where Kyoto's replacement is to be formally adopted. Aside from the UNFCCC meeting, Indonesia is expected to promote ocean issues to UN members as part of an informal consultative process on ocean and laws of the sea (UNICPOLOS) in New York in June and at the UN General Assembly in New York in November.
Earlier, Indonesia and other forest countries promoted the forest as an alternative mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
After 10 years of intensive negotiations, the international community adopted a policy on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) at the Bali climate conference in 2007.
The REDD is being pushed as a key element for a new global agreement to fight climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, paving the way for forest nations to receive financial incentives to avoid deforestation.
"We hope carbon mechanisms such as those regulating forests can be applied to ocean issues," Minister Rachmat said.
He said that ocean countries still need to run scientific research to learn the ocean's ability to mitigate climate change.
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 06/04/2009 12:51 PM National
Indonesian delegates attended the Bonn climate conference in Germany this week with a clear agenda of ensuring ocean issues are incorporated into climate talks to help save millions of coastal people from the brunt of global warming.
State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said delegates would officially table the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD) at the Bonn climate conference, hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"Our goal is to put ocean issues on the negotiation table at the Bonn climate conference," Minister Rachmat told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"For us, the Bonn conference is "the right door" to enable ocean issues to be included on the official agenda of the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference."
The MOD requiring countries to promote sustainable ocean management and ocean conservation was an output of the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado in May.
The ocean conference was initiated by Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, which has about 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.
According to Minister Rachmat, once ocean issues are adopted as part of the UNFCCC agenda, the chances for ocean nations to get financial incentives for adaptation and technology will be wide open.
Coastal communities, mainly in small island states, are deemed as being the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mainly due to rising sea levels.
The countries have repeatedly called on rich nations for financial and technological assistance to stem climate change.
Three-thousand delegates from 190 countries will gather in Bonn between June 1 and June 12 to prepare a new agreement on reducing carbon emissions after 2012 by setting targets for developed nations.
The new climate-change pact will succeed the first phase of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which requires 37 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
After the Bonn meeting three further climate-change meetings are scheduled for this year, ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, where Kyoto's replacement is to be formally adopted. Aside from the UNFCCC meeting, Indonesia is expected to promote ocean issues to UN members as part of an informal consultative process on ocean and laws of the sea (UNICPOLOS) in New York in June and at the UN General Assembly in New York in November.
Earlier, Indonesia and other forest countries promoted the forest as an alternative mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
After 10 years of intensive negotiations, the international community adopted a policy on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) at the Bali climate conference in 2007.
The REDD is being pushed as a key element for a new global agreement to fight climate change after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, paving the way for forest nations to receive financial incentives to avoid deforestation.
"We hope carbon mechanisms such as those regulating forests can be applied to ocean issues," Minister Rachmat said.
He said that ocean countries still need to run scientific research to learn the ocean's ability to mitigate climate change.
REDD and Finance
Indonesia needs $4b to avert deforestation
Mohamad rayan-Clipper
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Wed, 06/03/2009 9:31 AM National
The government is upbeat that Indonesian deforestation could be averted if international communities grant US$4 billion until 2012 to finance the livelihood of local people and stop forest conversions.
The Forestry Ministry said the money would be used to address the main causes of deforestation prior to the implementation of the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism.
“We need an investment of $4 billion to address the causes of deforestation. The fund should be from world communities as deforestation has become a global problem, especially concerning climate change,” Nur Masripatin, secretary for the ministry’s forestry research and development agency told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“Tackling deforestation is not merely about law enforcement, money talks here, including on how to finance the livelihood of local communities around the forests or how to deal with the expansion of plantations.”
She said the government only had a limited budget to handle deforestation. She did not elaborate the exact amount.
“Deforestation in developing counties will continue to increase if there is no policy intervention that enables the countries to reduce emissions from forests without sacrificing their national development.”
The world countries have long eyed Indonesia’s forests as one of the lungs to “clean” the atmosphere from rising greenhouse gas emissions.
Many have criticized the Indonesian government for its failure to combat high rates of deforestation, which have risen to over one million hectares per year.
Indonesia has about 120 million hectares of rainforest – the third-largest on the planet after Brazil and Congo.
Deforestation contributes about 20 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, with about 75 percent from developing countries.
Seeing the impact of the deforestation, the world countries have adopted the use of the REDD mechanism to help protect the forests by providing financial incentives to forest nations.
The government hoped the upcoming REDD mechanism would also cut the country’s illegal logging.Forestry Minister Malam Samat Kaban said illegal logging cases, which also caused deforestation, had declined sharply over the last four years with only hundreds of cases currently compared to about 9,600 in Soeharto’s era.
Executive Director of Greenomics Indonesia Elfian Effendi said the illegal logging practices remained rampant in the country due to the government’s poor monitoring.
“Yes, there is a decline in term of illegal logging cases but such practices remain rampant in places,” he said.
“The fact is that illegal logging and illegal trade along the borders of Kalimantan-Malaysia, Riau-Malaysia-Singapore and in Papua remains unresolved.”
He said illegal logging could also be seen from the expansion of oil palm estates in protected areas and conservation forests in the country.
Even worse, he said the local administrations still awarded licenses for forest conversion, including for plantations.
Mohamad rayan-Clipper
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Wed, 06/03/2009 9:31 AM National
The government is upbeat that Indonesian deforestation could be averted if international communities grant US$4 billion until 2012 to finance the livelihood of local people and stop forest conversions.
The Forestry Ministry said the money would be used to address the main causes of deforestation prior to the implementation of the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism.
“We need an investment of $4 billion to address the causes of deforestation. The fund should be from world communities as deforestation has become a global problem, especially concerning climate change,” Nur Masripatin, secretary for the ministry’s forestry research and development agency told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“Tackling deforestation is not merely about law enforcement, money talks here, including on how to finance the livelihood of local communities around the forests or how to deal with the expansion of plantations.”
She said the government only had a limited budget to handle deforestation. She did not elaborate the exact amount.
“Deforestation in developing counties will continue to increase if there is no policy intervention that enables the countries to reduce emissions from forests without sacrificing their national development.”
The world countries have long eyed Indonesia’s forests as one of the lungs to “clean” the atmosphere from rising greenhouse gas emissions.
Many have criticized the Indonesian government for its failure to combat high rates of deforestation, which have risen to over one million hectares per year.
Indonesia has about 120 million hectares of rainforest – the third-largest on the planet after Brazil and Congo.
Deforestation contributes about 20 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, with about 75 percent from developing countries.
Seeing the impact of the deforestation, the world countries have adopted the use of the REDD mechanism to help protect the forests by providing financial incentives to forest nations.
The government hoped the upcoming REDD mechanism would also cut the country’s illegal logging.Forestry Minister Malam Samat Kaban said illegal logging cases, which also caused deforestation, had declined sharply over the last four years with only hundreds of cases currently compared to about 9,600 in Soeharto’s era.
Executive Director of Greenomics Indonesia Elfian Effendi said the illegal logging practices remained rampant in the country due to the government’s poor monitoring.
“Yes, there is a decline in term of illegal logging cases but such practices remain rampant in places,” he said.
“The fact is that illegal logging and illegal trade along the borders of Kalimantan-Malaysia, Riau-Malaysia-Singapore and in Papua remains unresolved.”
He said illegal logging could also be seen from the expansion of oil palm estates in protected areas and conservation forests in the country.
Even worse, he said the local administrations still awarded licenses for forest conversion, including for plantations.
redd and forestry
Carbon conservation in forests could preserve endangered species: Study
Mohamad Rayan-clipper
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Fri, 06/05/2009 1:23 PM National
A report revealed that paying to conserve billions of tons of carbon stored in tropical forests could also protect orangutans, pygmy elephants and other wildlife at risk of extinction.
The study examined the potential role of carbon payments in protecting 3.3 million hectares of tropical forest in Kalimantan.It said if CO2 credits could be sold for US$10 to $33 per ton, conserving the forest would be more profitable than clearing the land for oil palm plantations. In addition, forest conservation would prevent 2.1 billion tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere and preserve the habitat of some of the world’s most threatened mammal species living in these forests. “Our study clearly demonstrates that payments made to reduce carbon emissions from forests could also be an efficient and effective way to protect biodiversity,” Oscar Venter, a biologist at the University of Queensland in Australia and the study’s lead author said in a statement.
The study, jointly done by researchers from the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the University of Queensland, The Nature Conservancy and the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Conservation Letters.They compared the revenues that could be derived from protecting the forest and thus avoiding a large amount of carbon emissions, to the revenue that would be derived from converting the forest to oil palm plantations.
The study determined that 40 of Kalimantan’s 46 threatened mammals live within areas slated for oil palm development. It said that planned oil palm plantations in peat forest areas, where carbon is most abundant, contain almost twice the mammal species density as more expensive areas. “Reducing Emissions Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) offers important win-win opportunities for climate and biodiversity protection,” said Frances Seymour, Director General of CIFOR. “Ultimately, our goal is to help fashion an agreement in Copenhagen that will allow tropical forests to become a part of a more comprehensive climate agreement – one that will reduce emissions, as well as produce cobenefits. “There is already a good case to be made for ending the exclusion of existing forests in the next climate pact. This new evidence shows just one of the many benefits that a REDD accord could have.”
Mohamad Rayan-clipper
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Fri, 06/05/2009 1:23 PM National
A report revealed that paying to conserve billions of tons of carbon stored in tropical forests could also protect orangutans, pygmy elephants and other wildlife at risk of extinction.
The study examined the potential role of carbon payments in protecting 3.3 million hectares of tropical forest in Kalimantan.It said if CO2 credits could be sold for US$10 to $33 per ton, conserving the forest would be more profitable than clearing the land for oil palm plantations. In addition, forest conservation would prevent 2.1 billion tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere and preserve the habitat of some of the world’s most threatened mammal species living in these forests. “Our study clearly demonstrates that payments made to reduce carbon emissions from forests could also be an efficient and effective way to protect biodiversity,” Oscar Venter, a biologist at the University of Queensland in Australia and the study’s lead author said in a statement.
The study, jointly done by researchers from the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the University of Queensland, The Nature Conservancy and the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Conservation Letters.They compared the revenues that could be derived from protecting the forest and thus avoiding a large amount of carbon emissions, to the revenue that would be derived from converting the forest to oil palm plantations.
The study determined that 40 of Kalimantan’s 46 threatened mammals live within areas slated for oil palm development. It said that planned oil palm plantations in peat forest areas, where carbon is most abundant, contain almost twice the mammal species density as more expensive areas. “Reducing Emissions Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) offers important win-win opportunities for climate and biodiversity protection,” said Frances Seymour, Director General of CIFOR. “Ultimately, our goal is to help fashion an agreement in Copenhagen that will allow tropical forests to become a part of a more comprehensive climate agreement – one that will reduce emissions, as well as produce cobenefits. “There is already a good case to be made for ending the exclusion of existing forests in the next climate pact. This new evidence shows just one of the many benefits that a REDD accord could have.”
Redd and Indonesia
Time to reflect and act
Mohamad Rayan-Clipper
Sudibyo M. Wiradji , THE JAKARTAPOST , JAKARTA Fri, 06/05/2009 1:40 PM Supplement
This year's World Environment Day (WED) carries the theme "*Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change".
The theme is definitely relevant to Indonesia, which has the world's second largest tropical rainforest after Brazil.
This means it is important to look into Indonesia's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, its role in reducing the emissions and in coping with environmental issues.
Dealing with environmental issues, especially tackling climate change, remains a tough challenge. Indonesia is a large archipelagic country in which economic growth is highly emphasized and often prioritized at the expense of the environment. The concept of sustainable development, now more popularly called green or ecological development, is only good at the policy level. Under the sustainable development concept, economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects are equally important. In other words, the concept has yet to be implemented accordingly. This may explain the increasing environmental degradation suffered by different regions in the country, with deforestation and ecologically imbalanced cities in urban areas calling for attention.
It is no secret that excessive exploitation of forest resources and uncontrollable logging, forest fires and the destruction of peatland between the 1980s and 1990s led to forest degradation and deforestation. During these periods, between 0.8 billion tons and 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) were emitted to the atmosphere and turned into greenhouse gasses that contributed to climate change. Globally, greenhouse gas emissions related to forestry account for about 20 percent of the total. The World Bank ranks Indonesia as the world's third largest greenhouse gas emitter due to deforestation, land clearing and forest fires. Around 61 million hectares or around half of the country's total forest area of 120 million hectares has been cleared.
But as far as forestry is concerned, there is hope that the state of our forests will improve.
Even though the UN Reducing Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) initiative won't be endorsed until the UN Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009, several countries - including Australia, Norway, Germany and the UK - have provided financial assistance under the program. The UN-REDD, launched at the Bali Climate Conference in 2007, is a global initiative that aims to provide compensation through the global carbon market for countries that reduce their national emissions by stopping and reversing deforestation and land degradation.
A pilot project covering 100 hectares of land is now under way in several regions, including Central, East and West Kalimantan and Palembang in South Sumatra. A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is studying the possibility of applying the REDD to different levels, including regency, site and even several production units such as crude palm oil (CPO). Under the REDD concept, an effort is under way to utilize non-forest land for oil palm plantations to replace plantations that occupy forest land with high conservation value.
If everything goes as planned, under UN-REDD initiative, Indonesia will receive US$3.7 billion or more than Rp 33.7 trillion per year. With the funds, there should be no reason for Indonesia not to act to protect its forests and rehabilitate those that have been deforested. However, the central and regional governments, organizations, agencies, NGOs and stakeholders involved in the projects under REDD mechanism should assure international communities that the funds will not be embezzled, misused or misappropriated but will be used in an accountable manner. The positive side of the forest rehabilitation initiative is that it will provide job opportunities for people living around forests, including migrants whose livelihoods rely heavily on forest products, provided that the initiative can meet the real need of the local people. According to data, about 20 million people live in or around forests across Indonesia. Therefore, it is advisable to engage local communities in this regard. By participating in the REDD program, Indonesia will do its part in the global fight against climate change.
Another challenge, which is the toughest one, is how to deal with the greedy individuals (businesspeople and investors) who exploit Indonesia's weak law enforcement. It is no secret that greed on the part of individuals plays a big role in causing damage to forests in Indonesia, especially those who think nothing of generating short-term profit by taking advantage of forest resources for their own interest at an uncontrolled rate at the expense of the environment. Hectares of forest land in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi have been cleared to make way for plantations, including ones growing oil palms.
The question to be raised then is whether local governments can ensure an absence of greedy individuals who desire to expand oil palm plantations in protected forests with high conservation value.
Misappropriation of funds under the REDD scheme and the government's inability to curb uncontrolled forest clearance may undermine international confidence and tarnish Indonesia's image, and thus the budding hope to see Indonesia's tropical forests with their rich biodiversity well conserved may go up in smoke.
Like forests, environmentally unfriendly cities also produce greenhouse gasses, mostly from buildings and communities. And as part of efforts to mitigate global warming and keep natural resources sustainable, green building initiatives have been adopted in several countries.
Efforts are under way to introduce green initiatives, including green building practices, as a response to the growing global call to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the adoption of green building principles, which among other things, involves conserving energy and water. According to one report, globally, cities and communities cause 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
The population explosion coupled with the uncontrolled number of vehicles in big cities on Java island, especially in Jakarta, has deteriorated urban ecosystems. In Jakarta, for instance, green areas have shrunk dramatically over the last several decades.
Out of the ideal 30 percent of Jakarta's 650 square kilometers being dedicated to open green space, only 10 percent or around 65 square kilometers have been. Twenty percent of former green space has been turned into commercial buildings. Consequently, the limited trees in Jakarta's parks are insufficient to absorb CO2 emitted by the millions of vehicles using the city's roads daily. If the situation is left as it is, with no concrete action taken to control the size of the population and number of vehicles, imagine what will happen to Jakarta in the next 10 or 20 years! Cars in Jakarta may get stuck to the point of growing roots themselves!
Despite greater attention being paid by the global community to tropical forests, part of which belongs to Indonesia, this does not necessarily mean that urban ecosystems are neglected as cities also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, campaigns to raise environmental awareness must continue.
Mohamad Rayan-Clipper
Sudibyo M. Wiradji , THE JAKARTAPOST , JAKARTA Fri, 06/05/2009 1:40 PM Supplement
This year's World Environment Day (WED) carries the theme "*Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change".
The theme is definitely relevant to Indonesia, which has the world's second largest tropical rainforest after Brazil.
This means it is important to look into Indonesia's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, its role in reducing the emissions and in coping with environmental issues.
Dealing with environmental issues, especially tackling climate change, remains a tough challenge. Indonesia is a large archipelagic country in which economic growth is highly emphasized and often prioritized at the expense of the environment. The concept of sustainable development, now more popularly called green or ecological development, is only good at the policy level. Under the sustainable development concept, economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects are equally important. In other words, the concept has yet to be implemented accordingly. This may explain the increasing environmental degradation suffered by different regions in the country, with deforestation and ecologically imbalanced cities in urban areas calling for attention.
It is no secret that excessive exploitation of forest resources and uncontrollable logging, forest fires and the destruction of peatland between the 1980s and 1990s led to forest degradation and deforestation. During these periods, between 0.8 billion tons and 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) were emitted to the atmosphere and turned into greenhouse gasses that contributed to climate change. Globally, greenhouse gas emissions related to forestry account for about 20 percent of the total. The World Bank ranks Indonesia as the world's third largest greenhouse gas emitter due to deforestation, land clearing and forest fires. Around 61 million hectares or around half of the country's total forest area of 120 million hectares has been cleared.
But as far as forestry is concerned, there is hope that the state of our forests will improve.
Even though the UN Reducing Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) initiative won't be endorsed until the UN Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009, several countries - including Australia, Norway, Germany and the UK - have provided financial assistance under the program. The UN-REDD, launched at the Bali Climate Conference in 2007, is a global initiative that aims to provide compensation through the global carbon market for countries that reduce their national emissions by stopping and reversing deforestation and land degradation.
A pilot project covering 100 hectares of land is now under way in several regions, including Central, East and West Kalimantan and Palembang in South Sumatra. A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is studying the possibility of applying the REDD to different levels, including regency, site and even several production units such as crude palm oil (CPO). Under the REDD concept, an effort is under way to utilize non-forest land for oil palm plantations to replace plantations that occupy forest land with high conservation value.
If everything goes as planned, under UN-REDD initiative, Indonesia will receive US$3.7 billion or more than Rp 33.7 trillion per year. With the funds, there should be no reason for Indonesia not to act to protect its forests and rehabilitate those that have been deforested. However, the central and regional governments, organizations, agencies, NGOs and stakeholders involved in the projects under REDD mechanism should assure international communities that the funds will not be embezzled, misused or misappropriated but will be used in an accountable manner. The positive side of the forest rehabilitation initiative is that it will provide job opportunities for people living around forests, including migrants whose livelihoods rely heavily on forest products, provided that the initiative can meet the real need of the local people. According to data, about 20 million people live in or around forests across Indonesia. Therefore, it is advisable to engage local communities in this regard. By participating in the REDD program, Indonesia will do its part in the global fight against climate change.
Another challenge, which is the toughest one, is how to deal with the greedy individuals (businesspeople and investors) who exploit Indonesia's weak law enforcement. It is no secret that greed on the part of individuals plays a big role in causing damage to forests in Indonesia, especially those who think nothing of generating short-term profit by taking advantage of forest resources for their own interest at an uncontrolled rate at the expense of the environment. Hectares of forest land in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi have been cleared to make way for plantations, including ones growing oil palms.
The question to be raised then is whether local governments can ensure an absence of greedy individuals who desire to expand oil palm plantations in protected forests with high conservation value.
Misappropriation of funds under the REDD scheme and the government's inability to curb uncontrolled forest clearance may undermine international confidence and tarnish Indonesia's image, and thus the budding hope to see Indonesia's tropical forests with their rich biodiversity well conserved may go up in smoke.
Like forests, environmentally unfriendly cities also produce greenhouse gasses, mostly from buildings and communities. And as part of efforts to mitigate global warming and keep natural resources sustainable, green building initiatives have been adopted in several countries.
Efforts are under way to introduce green initiatives, including green building practices, as a response to the growing global call to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the adoption of green building principles, which among other things, involves conserving energy and water. According to one report, globally, cities and communities cause 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
The population explosion coupled with the uncontrolled number of vehicles in big cities on Java island, especially in Jakarta, has deteriorated urban ecosystems. In Jakarta, for instance, green areas have shrunk dramatically over the last several decades.
Out of the ideal 30 percent of Jakarta's 650 square kilometers being dedicated to open green space, only 10 percent or around 65 square kilometers have been. Twenty percent of former green space has been turned into commercial buildings. Consequently, the limited trees in Jakarta's parks are insufficient to absorb CO2 emitted by the millions of vehicles using the city's roads daily. If the situation is left as it is, with no concrete action taken to control the size of the population and number of vehicles, imagine what will happen to Jakarta in the next 10 or 20 years! Cars in Jakarta may get stuck to the point of growing roots themselves!
Despite greater attention being paid by the global community to tropical forests, part of which belongs to Indonesia, this does not necessarily mean that urban ecosystems are neglected as cities also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, campaigns to raise environmental awareness must continue.
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