News focus: RI mulling actions, cost to cut gas emissions

Antara News, Fardah, Wednesday, February 3, 2010 15:55 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has started mulling actions and calculating the cost to implement its plan to cut gas emissions by 26 percent in 2020 and by 41 percent with international support.

"In the spirit of thinking outside the box, in September this year Indonesia declared an emission reduction target of 26 percent of `business as usual` by 2020, and this can be increased to 41 percent with enhanced international assistance," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in his speech before participants of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), in Copenhagen in December 2009.

"As a non-Annex 1 country, we are actually not required to do this. But we read the stark scientific warnings of the IPCC. So we have set our new reduction target, because we want to be part of a global solution," the head of state added.

To follow-up the commitment, Indonesia presented an official seven-page report on its emission reduction target by 26 percent from current levels by 2020 to combat climate change, to the UN last January 31, 2010.

The non-binding Copenhagen accord set a Jan. 31 deadline for countries to confirm their participation in a deal brokered by the US in last month`s climate talks in Denmark.

Indonesia is currently preparing a legal umbrella in the form of a presidential decree to achieve the target of greenhouse gas reduction by 26 percent nationwide by 2020.

"The legal umbrella in the form of a presidential decree is still being prepared," the environment minister`s deputy for improvement of natural resource conservation and control of environment destruction, Masnellyarti Hilman, said when accompanying Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta at a press conference in Jakarta, last January.

She said the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) followed up the results of the coordination program in reducing gas emissions by implementing them into the National Action Plan for Dealing with Climate Change (RAN MAPI).

Based on the RAN MAPI six sectors are targeted for emission reduction, namely energy, transportation, processing industry, agriculture, forestry, waste processing and emissions from peat lands.

The forestry sector would become the main target for emissions reduction by the equivalent of 392 mega tons per year, followed by emissions reduction from peat lands by the equivalent of 48 mega tons a year and emissions reduction from waste processing by the equivalent of 48 mega tons a year, she said.

The next sectors are energy by the equivalent of 30 mega tons a year, transportation by the equivalent of eight mega tons a year, agriculture by the equivalent of eight megatons a year and processing industry by the equivalent of one megaton a year.

Masnellyarti said the six sectors had been elaborated in the National Communications II Indonesia report to the UNFCCC.

According to Law Number 32 of 2009 on environment protection and processing, the environment ministry is obliged to make an inventory of national greenhouse gas emissions.

"This will be used as the basis for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of the implementation of the efforts to achieve the target," she said.

As funding for the 26 percent emissions reduction program will come from domestic sources, the MRV is carried out domestically based on methods and procedures set by the environment ministry.

Meanwhile, the government has estimated that it would need around Rp400 trillion to reduce gas emissions by 26 percent until 2020.

"We hope not all of it must come from the government. The figure is dynamic or could still change," the secretary of the state minister for national development planning, Sjahrial Loetan, said recently.

He said at least there were some real programs that the government could do to achieve the goal such as maintaining peatlands and reforestation.

The two programs would be able to reduce emissions by around 22 to 24 percent. There are at least 34 million hectares of peatland under focus, consisting of young and old peatlands.

In addition, he said, there was a program to economize the use of energy which was expected to reduce emissions by around two percent. The government would promote the use of renewable energy sources and the use of gas to replace oil in power plants.

He said due to limited funds the government expected participation from various parties in the effort.

There had been funds available from abroad for supporting the program such as "from Britain totaling one million pounds and another 3.5 million pounds from there which will come in a couple of months. And after that they are committed to extend another 50 million pounds for over five years," he said.

More funds are also expected to come from several other countries such as the Netherlands, Norway and other Scandinavian countries.

"They wish to see our commitment first, if they are not corrupted. So far only Britain that has sent the money but some Scandinavian countries have already expressed their commitment," he said.

He said he hoped private parties particularly companies would participate in the effort through their corporate social responsibility program.

Meanwhile, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, on a separate occasion in Jakarta early January 2010, said the forestry sector would be a net sinker capable of absorbing up to 0.89 giga tons of CO2 by 2020.

The sector`s capability will contribute to efforts to reduce gas emissions by 14 percent out of a total of 26 percent in 2020, he said.

Greenpeace, however, said the government has not yet taken real action to fulfill this emission cut commitment so far.

"In 2010 the Indonesian government must show that they are serious about meeting their emission reduction targets by implementing a moratorium on deforestation and peatland clearance," Greenpeace Southeast Asia said on its website.

The international environmental NGO believed that a moratorium on forest and peatland destruction is the most effective way to meet Indonesia`s gas emission reduction targets.

Another NGO, Oxfam International East Asia Climate, is of the view that it is more important for Indonesia to prepare adaptations and mitigation on the impact of climate change for the poor than targeting emissions reduction.

"As Indonesia is not a country obliged to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Kyoto Protocol, Indonesia could create a pilot project or strategy for adapting to climate change," Oxfam International East Asia Climate campaigner Rully Prayogashe said recently.