POLICY
JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Days before the kick-off of COP26, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya announced today (Oct 29) the signing by President Joko Widodo of a presidential regulation on the arrangements of the economic value of carbon, prioritizing the fulfilment of the country's Nationally-Determined Contribution (NDC) and control of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of national development.
“The President signed the presidential regulation today before he departed for Rome to attend the G20 Summit (Oct 29), where he will proudly accept the G20 Presidency marking the first time in history that Indonesia will hold the Presidency. The President will then head to Glasgow for the COP26 event where we will join up to deliver our agenda,” said Minister Nurbaya.
She pointed out that the presidential regulation’s emphasis on carbon rights as being legally controlled by the state underlines the Indonesian government's key priority of meeting its NDC target, adding that the newly-signed regulation also serves as a legal guideline to this end.
“Climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, including the strategies, measures and actions involved in addressing it, are prioritized in achieving our NDC target and form part of global efforts to keep a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celcius within reach," she asserted.
Minister Nurbaya added that the presidential regulation requires Indonesia to achieve its NDC target through a roadmap, strategy and implementation guaranteed to take the country towards low GHG emissions development and climate resilience by 2050.
"In essence, this presidential regulation aims to regulate the reduction of GHG emissions, increase climate resilience, and boost the economic value of carbon, bearing in mind that the implementation of the Paris Agreement which we have ratified forms part of the mandate of our constitution," she stressed.
In accordance with Indonesia's commitments, the presidential regulation also details the level of GHG emission reduction targets from the country by 2030, either using its own resources with reductions of 29% or through international cooperation with reductions of 41%, as seen in the two charts below depicting 2030 baseline GHG emissions.
Minister Nurbaya said that the level of GHG emission reductions in the range of 29%-41%, as shown in the charts above, remains within the framework corridor of transparency and improved good governance and involves monitoring and evaluation, as also mandated by the presidential regulation.
"Indonesia also continues to carry out policy exercises, especially in the energy and the blue carbon sectors, as well as with below ground mangrove carbon, for even more ambitious mitigation calculations of reducing emissions by 45% to 50%. The government will continue to watch and work over the next year to realize these plans and ambitions. In this way, we can certainly further enhance our NDC,” she explained.
As previously reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Jul 27), Indonesia has expressed concerns about enhanced climate finance from developed countries to developing countries, given that the USD100 billion promised annually in climate finance more than a decade ago has still yet to materialize.
FOLU net carbon sink 2030
Minister Nurbaya added that in an effort to ensure Indonesia achieves its NDC target and heads towards low GHG emissions development and climate resilience by 2050, the presidential regulation also stipulates that net carbon sink from the Forestry and Other Land Use sector (FOLU) be met by 2030.
"The presidential regulation also requires us to achieve FoLU net carbon sink by 2030 as part of achieving our NDC target," she explained.
One of our great strengths in reaching this target is the country's permanent moratorium map on primary forest and peatland conversions which covers over 66 million hectares, equivalent to more than the total area of the UK and Norway combined.
The following chart demonstrating the FOLU net carbon sink 2030 target was also presented by Minister Nurbaya, as previously reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Jun 22).
Carbon trading, law enforcement
Minister Nurbaya explained that carbon trading, which forms part of the implementation of the economic value of carbon, is regulated to a large extent in the presidential regulation, the provisions of which are based on good governance practices in carbon trading backed by clear law enforcement measures.
"I need to reemphasize that carbon trading especially that involving international mechanisms, cannot compromise the achievement of Indonesia's 2030 NDC target. Monitoring and evaluation are in place for this, complemented of course by law enforcement efforts," she said.
"We have been carrying out intensive actions to avoid self-declared carbon projects, and any such projects have been given sanctions and warning letters, or are subject to other law enforcement measures, to ensure they remain in legal compliance and there is no double-counting when it comes to our NDC target," she added.
The implementing regulations of the low-carbon economy for Indonesia, she continued, will include various mechanisms, considering the heterogeneity of stakeholders as well as their activities. As such, it is necessary to accommodate cap and trade mechanisms, results-based payments and carbon taxes which are regulated in such a way as to take into account existing and already developed conditions.
"The important thing is that these arrangements and implementations are carried out in a systematic and orderly manner, and there should be no hidden carbon trading mechanisms, given the benchmarks and measures provided by the global market to prevent any double counting," said Minister Nurbaya.
Fire emissions
In contrast to countries such as the US, Canada and Russia, as well as some European countries, which have been major contributors to 2021’s record global fire emissions, Indonesia's contribution has been close to 0%, as reported last month by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Sep 27).
Similarly, in 2020 Indonesia was also not a major contributor to global fire emissions, while other countries such as the US and Australia, along with several European countries, were hit by serious wildfires, as President Widodo touched on in his speech at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate (Apr 22) hosted by US President Joe Biden.
Furthermore, as also recently reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Oct 21), Indonesia has not had a substantial level of haze-causing fires for two consecutive years - over both years of the ongoing global pandemic (2020-2021).
In fact, Indonesia’s success in averting the much predicted double-disaster - of substantial haze-causing fires in parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic – is a remarkable achievement worthy of praise.
RELATED STORIES
POLICY
JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Days before the kick-off of COP26, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya announced today (Oct 29) the signing by President Joko Widodo of a presidential regulation on the arrangements of the economic value of carbon, prioritizing the fulfilment of the country's Nationally-Determined Contribution (NDC) and control of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of national development.
“The President signed the presidential regulation today before he departed for Rome to attend the G20 Summit (Oct 29), where he will proudly accept the G20 Presidency marking the first time in history that Indonesia will hold the Presidency. The President will then head to Glasgow for the COP26 event where we will join up to deliver our agenda,” said Minister Nurbaya.
She pointed out that the presidential regulation’s emphasis on carbon rights as being legally controlled by the state underlines the Indonesian government's key priority of meeting its NDC target, adding that the newly-signed regulation also serves as a legal guideline to this end.
“Climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, including the strategies, measures and actions involved in addressing it, are prioritized in achieving our NDC target and form part of global efforts to keep a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celcius within reach," she asserted.
Minister Nurbaya added that the presidential regulation requires Indonesia to achieve its NDC target through a roadmap, strategy and implementation guaranteed to take the country towards low GHG emissions development and climate resilience by 2050.
"In essence, this presidential regulation aims to regulate the reduction of GHG emissions, increase climate resilience, and boost the economic value of carbon, bearing in mind that the implementation of the Paris Agreement which we have ratified forms part of the mandate of our constitution," she stressed.
In accordance with Indonesia's commitments, the presidential regulation also details the level of GHG emission reduction targets from the country by 2030, either using its own resources with reductions of 29% or through international cooperation with reductions of 41%, as seen in the two charts below depicting 2030 baseline GHG emissions.
Minister Nurbaya said that the level of GHG emission reductions in the range of 29%-41%, as shown in the charts above, remains within the framework corridor of transparency and improved good governance and involves monitoring and evaluation, as also mandated by the presidential regulation.
"Indonesia also continues to carry out policy exercises, especially in the energy and the blue carbon sectors, as well as with below ground mangrove carbon, for even more ambitious mitigation calculations of reducing emissions by 45% to 50%. The government will continue to watch and work over the next year to realize these plans and ambitions. In this way, we can certainly further enhance our NDC,” she explained.
As previously reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Jul 27), Indonesia has expressed concerns about enhanced climate finance from developed countries to developing countries, given that the USD100 billion promised annually in climate finance more than a decade ago has still yet to materialize.
FOLU net carbon sink 2030
Minister Nurbaya added that in an effort to ensure Indonesia achieves its NDC target and heads towards low GHG emissions development and climate resilience by 2050, the presidential regulation also stipulates that net carbon sink from the Forestry and Other Land Use sector (FOLU) be met by 2030.
"The presidential regulation also requires us to achieve FOLU net carbon sink by 2030 as part of achieving our NDC target," she explained.
One of our great strengths in reaching this target is the country's permanent moratorium map on primary forest and peatland conversions which covers over 66 million hectares, equivalent to more than the total area of the UK and Norway combined.
The following chart demonstrating the FOLU net carbon sink 2030 target was also presented by Minister Nurbaya, as previously reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Jun 22).
Carbon trading, law enforcement
Minister Nurbaya explained that carbon trading, which forms part of the implementation of the economic value of carbon, is regulated to a large extent in the presidential regulation, the provisions of which are based on good governance practices in carbon trading backed by clear law enforcement measures.
"I need to reemphasize that carbon trading especially that involving international mechanisms, cannot compromise the achievement of Indonesia's 2030 NDC target. Monitoring and evaluation are in place for this, complemented of course by law enforcement efforts," she said.
"We have been carrying out intensive actions to avoid self-declared carbon projects, and any such projects have been given sanctions and warning letters, or are subject to other law enforcement measures, to ensure they remain in legal compliance and there is no double-counting when it comes to our NDC target," she added.
The implementing regulations of the low-carbon economy for Indonesia, she continued, will include various mechanisms, considering the heterogeneity of stakeholders as well as their activities. As such, it is necessary to accommodate cap and trade mechanisms, results-based payments and carbon taxes which are regulated in such a way as to take into account existing and already developed conditions.
"The important thing is that these arrangements and implementations are carried out in a systematic and orderly manner, and there should be no hidden carbon trading mechanisms, given the benchmarks and measures provided by the global market to prevent any double counting," said Minister Nurbaya.
Fire emissions
In contrast to countries such as the US, Canada and Russia, as well as some European countries, which have been major contributors to 2021’s record global fire emissions, Indonesia's contribution has been close to 0%, as reported last month by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Sep 27).
Similarly, in 2020 Indonesia was also not a major contributor to global fire emissions, while other countries such as the US and Australia, along with several European countries, were hit by serious wildfires, as President Widodo touched on in his speech at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate (Apr 22) hosted by US President Joe Biden.
Furthermore, as also recently reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Oct 21), Indonesia has not had a substantial level of haze-causing fires for two consecutive years - over both years of the ongoing global pandemic (2020-2021).
In fact, Indonesia’s success in averting the much predicted double-disaster - of substantial haze-causing fires in parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic – is a remarkable achievement worthy of praise.
RELATED STORIES
