Climate Scorecard’s 2024 Government Climate Leadership Award is presented to a country official who has done the most to reduce emissions in their country’s government over the past year. Below is a copy of the letter sent to each nominee and why they were chosen to receive this award.
Indonesia 2024 Climate Scorecard Award:
Dr. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister for Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia
Dear Hon’ble Dr. Siti Nurbaya Bakar,
My name is Netra Naik. I am the Country Manager for Indonesia for Climate Scorecard, a 9-year-old non-profit organization whose mission is to report on and advocate for efforts to reduce emissions in leading greenhouse gas-emitting countries and the EU.
Your active role in addressing climate change issues through the implementation of climate policies in Indonesia is inspiring. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s several strategies, including increasing reforestation and forest rehabilitation, reducing deforestation, and promoting sustainable peatland management, have set a global leadership example of climate action.
The Ministry’s dedication towards social forestry programs is noteworthy, with 500,00 hectares of social forestry undertaken in 2014, which has expanded to a staggering 5 million hectares in 2023. These statistics prove that Indonesia is committed to a greener and sustainable future. It is also promising to see that the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) sets an even more ambitious target of undertaking over 12 million hectares of social forestry. These initiatives are essential because carbon dioxide is absorbed by healthy forests and lands, which lessens the consequences of climate change and benefits both the environment and the human population.
In recognition of the Ministry’s efforts, we would like to present your department with our ClimateScorecard Climate Award.
However, according to the latest news, a third of the 2023 deforestation, 10,787 hectares (26,655 acres), took place on peatlands, a carbon-rich terrain that, when destroyed and drained, becomes particularly prone to fire. These can burn for weeks on end, fed by flammable peat soil and emitting massive amounts of greenhouse gasses in the process.
Therefore, we would like to suggest and request the Ministry to incorporate the following actions to increase vigilance over illegal logging and reduce the instances of forest fires and corresponding greenhouse emissions.
- To strengthen Law Enforcement: Enforce current laws against illicit logging, land cutting, and burning. This involves strengthening patrols in high-risk areas and enforcing severe penalties on perpetrators.
- To increase investment in fire prevention and management: Improve early warning systems to detect and respond to forest fires quickly. This includes investing in technology like satellite monitoring, drones, and firefighting equipment and providing firefighters with training and capacity building.
I hope you will incorporate these suggestions in your upcoming plan for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s activities. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Sincerely,
Netra Naik Ron Israel
Indonesia Country Manager Climate Scorecard Co-Founder