RI benefits from carbon trade mechanism<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Milan, Italy<\/p>\n
As the summit on climate change here is set to enter the high
\nlevel session on Wednesday, participants are completing
\nmechanisms aiming to regain forest land and clean up the air, and
\nalso to gain money from related projects.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile on Tuesday the Indonesian delegation warned
\nauthorities in the country that they must understand the criteria
\nof forest-related projects and not expect them to be applied on
\nany available forest land.<\/p>\n
Under the so called carbon trade mechanism, developing
\ncountries get access to projects on reforestation and clean
\nenergy projects carried out by developed countries.<\/p>\n
That way countries like Indonesia gain some revenue while
\nindustrialized nations get to meet part of their commitment to
\ncut carbon emission.<\/p>\n
Indonesia alone is estimated to sell 16 million tons of carbon
\nemission reduction per year from forests while from clean energy
\nproducers like geothermal power plants the government hopes to
\nsell 125 million tons to developed countries every year,
\ngenerating some US$500 million in the process.<\/p>\n
\"We have forest potential for carbon sinks that we can use for
\nour advantage,\" said Liana Bratasida, Deputy Minister of
\nEnvironment Preservation.<\/p>\n
However, \"The perception that all forests can be used for such
\nprojects simply to raise money is wrong,\" said Liana, who heads
\nthe Indonesian delegation to the 9th Climate Summit of the
\nConference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention.<\/p>\n
\"The hard fight will be in making decision makers in our own
\ncountry understand the mechanism,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Hopes are high here on putting the Kyoto Protocol, the above
\ntreaty on cutting emission of harmful gases, into effect, despite
\nthe refusal of the United States to ratify and Russia's delay.<\/p>\n
The 1997 Protocol hangs by a thread pending ratification by at
\nleast 55 parties. The treaty rules that carbon dioxide emissions
\nshould be cut by 5 percent from levels in 1990 by 2008 to 2012.<\/p>\n
Liana said that such projects could not be carried out on
\nforest land in national parks, which should be directly protected
\nand managed by the government.<\/p>\n
She said the Indonesian delegation was renegotiating, among
\nother things, the definition of a forestry database line required
\nfor forestry projects under the mechanism.<\/p>\n
Indonesia expects that forestry database from 1999 onwards
\nwould be allowed, since it would be hard to meet the initial
\nrequirement of forestry database from below the year 1990.<\/p>\n
Some groups however fear that the carbon trade idea might lead
\nto abuse to expropriate land and territories, thus violating
\nfundamental rights. Others insist that developing countries
\nshould determine the use of such projects for their own advantage
\nas they would be hosting the projects.<\/p>\n
Moekti H. Soejachmoen of Pelangi, a research body on
\nenvironment issues, earlier raised skepticism of the benefit of
\nsuch forestry projects in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The clean development mechanism alone would not reduce forest
\ndestruction and degradation. Not until there is real
\ninstitutional reform,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Besides, she said, measures such as reforestation were not
\nlikely to survive illegal logging, forest fires or changes in
\nregulations, making investment in forestry projects \"very risky\".<\/p>\n
\"Others, like renewable energy projects, are acceptable in the
\npresent situation, not forestry,\" Moekti said.<\/p>\n
In September in a regional forum Indonesia offered ten
\nprojects, ranging from geothermal, hydro, biomass waste, energy
\nefficiency and the Java-Bali generator project to foreign buyers.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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