Equilibrium Becomes Government’s Concept

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Coal supply for the Sintang Steam Power Plant (PLTU) in Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan, Monday (11/10/2021). Some industrial sectors still use coal as a primary energy source.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS—Climate commitments should be effective, and can only be so if they are pursued in line with advancements in society and development. The various commitments should thus be carried out in contextual, fair and sustainable schemes. This concept of equilibrium is the stance of the Indonesian government.

“This conforms to our development strategy and is in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. There is no conflict (between development and the environment). If they come into conflict, failure is imminent, not only in developing countries but also in developed countries,” Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mahendra Siregar said in Jakarta on Thursday (4/11/2021).

Indonesia is currently the sixth largest carbon contributor emissions in the world. Some 60 percent of the country’s carbon emissions come from forestry and other land use (FOLU). Another 30 percent is contributed by the energy sector. The remainder comes from industries, household waste and other sources.

Also read:

> Indonesia, the World and the Earth

> Indonesias Ambivalent Response to Deforestation

Carbon emissions are the main cause of global warming that has triggered climate change. If the average global temperature rises above 1.5 degrees Celsius from the levels before the Industrial Revolution of the 1830s, various disasters are expected to occur.

For this reason, all countries in the world have a responsibility and are bound by a joint commitment to reduce emissions. All countries at the Climate Change Conference (COP26), on 31 Oct. to 12 Nov. 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland, are expected to renew their previous commitments so they are more progressive and realistic.

Indonesia pledged its commitment to balanced forest and land use at the COP26 World Leaders Summit “Action on Forests and Land Use” in Glasgow.

Forest use

The Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, according to Mahendra, emphasizes forest use in a balanced fashion. This means that Indonesia and the 104 other signatory countries of the declaration may still use forests in a sustainable way in accordance with their designations. This concept is different from ending deforestation, which complete bans the use of forests.

Mahendra was clarifying the claim of United Kingdom Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith, who stated that deforestation was targeted to end in 2030.

BPMI SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo conveyed the policies and commitments of the Indonesian government in rehabilitating forests while integrating them with economic and social aspects. This was conveyed at the World Leaders Summit on Forest and Land Use at the Scotish Event Campus, Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday (2/11/2021).

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on her social media account that Indonesia was committed to controlling emissions from forest and land use. The country had targeted 2030 as its deadline for absorbing a greater amount of emissions than that produced by the forestry sector.

According to Siti, the country would proceed with its development plans because halting development in the name of deforestation was contrary to the constitutional mandate. Indonesia must continue to use its forests. In Kalimantan and Sumatra, many roads must pass forest areas. If forests could not be used, tens of thousands of villages would be isolated.

Coal

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government originally set 2056 as its target to end the use of fossil energy to fuel electricity power plants. However, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the British parliament last week that President Joko Widodo planned to move forward the target to 2040.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that fulfilling a 2040 target would depend on financial assistance from multilateral agencies, the private sector and developed countries. “This is the core issue now and as finance minister, I’m determining what it means to retire coal [plants] earlier, how much cost we will bear,” she said.

In Sri Mulyani’s view, the country needs international support to ensure access to power when it transitions to renewable energy. Provisional calculations indicate that funding of US$10 billion to $23 billion would be needed as subsidies for renewable power plant projects until 2030.

“If all [renewable plants] are to be financed with money from our taxpayers, it won’t work. So the question now is what the world can do in order to support Indonesia,” she said.

Also read:

> G20 Summit Not Satisfactory Climate Issues Burden at Cop 26

> Vaccine Access and Climate Mitigation Prioritized

Tata Mustasya, regional climate and energy campaign strategist at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, expressed her hope that the Indonesian government would incorporate its coal energy transition plan in various policies for implementing with a clear road map. “The announcement [to move forward the target from 2056 to 2040] will have no meaning if the various policies clash at the implementation level,” he said.

According to Tata, the earlier deadline for the closure of coal-fired power plants must be followed by actual transition towards clean and renewable energy.

“This initiative may not offer a quasi-solution to the Indonesian people, such as gas energy, which could even delay the transition,” he added.

(RAZ/AIK/RAM/AIN)

This article was translated by Aris Prawira