Kyoto: What to expect<\/p>\n
By ratifying the international regime known as the Kyoto
\nProtocol, Indonesia took on Monday a small but nevertheless
\nmeaningful step toward meeting its responsibilities with regard
\nto preserving the earth's environment.<\/p>\n
In addition, the country is certain to gain a number of direct
\nbenefits under the protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, which
\nmakes it possible for industrialized countries to invest in
\nenvironmentally clean development projects in developing
\ncountries and receive credit for the greenhouse gas reductions
\nthus achieved. This allows developing countries to keep their
\ngreenhouse gas emissions low, even as they continue to develop
\ntheir energy sectors and expand their economies.<\/p>\n
Amoseas Indonesia Inc., for example, a subsidiary of U.S.-
\nbased energy giant Chevron Texaco, is reported to have already
\napplied for \"emission credits\" provided for by the protocol to
\nfinance a US$100 million geothermal plant expansion project in
\nWest Java. With only a small percentage of the country's
\npotential -- the equivalent of about 20,000 megawatts of
\nelectricity -- so far tapped, the possibilities that the
\nprovision offers for the future are obviously huge.<\/p>\n
The Kyoto Protocol, a direct progeny of the United Nations
\nFramework Convention on Climate Change that 154 nations signed in
\nRio de Janeiro in 1992, aims, in essence, to strike a balance
\nbetween the accelerating pace of development in the world and
\ngrowing concern about climate change caused by global warming.
\nMany scientists predict that global temperatures will increase by
\n1.5 degrees to 4.5 decrees Celsius by 2100 unless immediate steps
\nare taken to gradually but substantially reduce the emission of
\nwhat is known as greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Obviously, such drastic changes in the earth's climate could
\nhave serious consequences for life in most, if not all, the
\ncountries of the world. This, however, is especially true for
\narchipelagic countries such as Indonesia, which could well see
\nits borders altered if islands on its perimeter were to be
\ninundated by rising sea levels. Indonesia, therefore, has a clear
\nand direct interest in seeing to it that global warming is kept
\nto a minimum, if for no other reason than to keep its national
\nterritory intact.<\/p>\n
The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce the emission of those gases
\nfrom developed industrialized countries by about 5 percent from
\ntheir 1990 levels, by 2008 to 2012. Developing countries such as
\nIndonesia, however, are under no obligation to reduce their
\nemission of greenhouse gases, the argument being that slowing
\ndown the pace of development in these countries would stall their
\ngrowth, with possibly disastrous consequences.<\/p>\n
After Monday's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the House
\nof Representatives, there remains only action by President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri to sign the document into law. In the
\nmeantime, it would be as well for Indonesians to realize that a
\nnumber of hurdles must still be passed before the protocol can
\ncome into force. The Kyoto Protocol will not come into effect
\nuntil at least 55 of all the 154 signatories of the 1992 Rio
\n\"earth summit\" have ratified the document. In addition, those 55
\nmembers must represent the source of at least 55 percent of all
\nthe carbon dioxide emitted in 1990.<\/p>\n
With the U.S., which accounts for about 36 percent of total
\nglobal emissions, saying that it has no intention of ratifying
\nthe protocol and with Russia procrastinating, there is little
\nhope that the protocol will become effective anytime soon. Also,
\nmany scientists hold that the protocol, even if it should come
\ninto effect sooner than expected, will not stop the process of
\nglobal warming, although it may slow down the rate somewhat. No
\nless important, the curbing of greenhouse emissions in the
\nindustrialized countries means a slowing down of their economies
\nthat could bring consequences detrimental to the world economy.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, as some observers have noted, the Kyoto Protocol
\nstands as a mark of progress in the international community's
\nmoral and political thinking about environmental issues, and must
\nfor that reason be welcomed. Alternatives to methods that are
\ndetrimental to the economic growth of the industrialized
\ncountries can and will certainly be found in time. Hopefully, by
\nthen, Indonesia, and the world, will be able to fully take
\nbenefit from the Kyoto Protocol, which it signed on Monday, seven
\nyears after it was conceived.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kyoto-what-to-expect-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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