Government must ratify Kyoto Protocol: Experts<\/p>\n
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia must ratify the Kyoto Protocol as soon as possible to
\nbenefit from its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) even though
\nits application is pending Russia's ratification, experts on the
\nenvironment say.<\/p>\n
\"Our president has yet to sign the document to initiate
\ndiscussion on ratification in the House of Representatives.
\nWithout the ratification, none of our efforts will have maximum
\nbenefit,\" the secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, Arief
\nYuwono, said on Thursday during the opening of a two-day workshop
\non the mechanism that provides financial benefit from
\nindustrialized nations for developing countries willing to curb
\ncarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.<\/p>\n
Organized by non-governmental organization Pelangi, in
\ncooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the ASEAN
\nSecretariat, the workshop was attended by over 100 people from at
\nleast five members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\n(ASEAN).<\/p>\n
The workshop mainly aims at creating standards for carbon
\ntrading in the CDM among ASEAN members to prevent backstabbing or
\nuncompetitive rates.<\/p>\n
CDM is basically a practice of trading carbon, in which
\nindustrialized countries \"buy\" projects to be built in developing
\nnations that help reduce gas emissions (CO2) to slow down the
\n\"greenhouse\" effect caused by excessive CO2, mostly emitted in
\nindustrialized countries.<\/p>\n
These donating countries will then be granted a reduction of
\ntheir greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
The ongoing efforts being conducted by these experts include
\npreparations to establish a Designated National Authority (DNA)
\nfor hosting CDM projects.<\/p>\n
\"The agency is likely to be established here in April, and
\nwill include experts from several related departments, such as
\nthe environment, energy, forestry, and agriculture ministries, as
\nwell as the National Development Planning Board,\" said executive
\ndirector of Pelangi Agus Sari.<\/p>\n
With CDM, Indonesia is expected to reap close to US$1,260
\nmillion in the period from 2008 to 2012.<\/p>\n
\"We have the potential of up to 300 million tons of CO2 in
\nfive years. If one ton is priced at US$5, calculate how much
\nwe'll get. In addition, we'll also have environmentally friendly
\nprojects that can ease our environmental crisis,\" said Liana
\nBratasida, an expert on Global Environment at the Ministry of
\nEnvironment.<\/p>\n
Projects that can be implemented in the CDM include: the
\nutilization of renewable energy, the replacement of fossil fuels
\nwith renewable sources, the conducting of waste management, and
\nreforestation.<\/p>\n
However, CDM will not go into practice until the Kyoto
\nProtocol comes into force internationally.<\/p>\n
Conceived in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol commits industrialized
\ncountries to reducing their greenhouse gas emission levels to 5.2
\npercent below 1990 levels during the period from 2008 to 2012.<\/p>\n
It has been ratified by 39 industrialized countries, and is
\nawaiting Russia to meet the requirement that 55 percent of
\nindustrial polluters be signed up. Russia accounts for 17.4
\npercent of CO2 emissions, and the remaining 39 countries account
\nfor 44.2 percent.<\/p>\n
Except Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei, other ASEAN members
\nhave ratified the Kyoto Protocol. Only Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nThailand, and Vietnam have established their DNAs.<\/p>",
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