Latest Reported Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels: 542 Metric Tons in 2018; an Increase of 313.47% From 1990 Levels (IEA) In 2018, Indonesia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions levels were at 542 Metric Tons, an increase of 313.47% from 1990 levels. While future projections of the country’s emissions have been made, few sources released precise numbers of...
Category: Indonesia News Brief and Action Alert
COVID-19 Sets Back Indonesia’s Progress on Climate Change Mitigation Goals
COVID-19 has been the focus of a majority of countries around the world this year and rightfully so. The virus has already claimed over a million lives worldwide and infected over 34 million people. In Indonesia, there have been over 300,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths. A majority of the world went into lockdown in...
Indonesia’s Center for International Forestry Research and World Resources Institute
The two most pressing mitigation areas in Indonesia are agriculture, especially palm oil cultivation, and forest management. Several research organizations bolster Indonesia’s technical ability to address forestry management and agriculture. Apart from public research organizations that actively collaborate with the Indonesian government, there is also a strong presence of independent organizations that produce climate research...
Indonesia Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy Includes Environmental Deregulations
The draft omnibus law should ‘green’ Indonesia’s infrastructure and agriculture production Indonesia has lost 3 million jobs because of the pandemic, bringing the unemployed figured to 10 million. Social assistance claims have skyrocketed; in West Java alone, 38 million of 50 million applied. Before the pandemic, there were 9 million claims in West Java. President...
In the 1960s, 80% of Indonesia’s Land-Cover Was Rainforest; Now It Is 50%
Indonesia is an equatorial country with significant tropical forest. These forests are the largest of their kind in Asia. Indonesia has the third largest endowment of tropical forests in the world after the Amazon and Congo rainforests. These Indonesian forests contain 10 to 15% of the earth’s plant and animal species. Indonesia has 480 types...
Indonesia Ignores Climate Considerations in Its Initial COVID-19 Economic Recovery Policies
Indonesia declared a state of public health emergency on March 2, 2020. The president created Government Regulation No. 21/2020 on large-scale social distancing as an implementation regulation of the 2018 Health Quarantine Law to restrict economic and social activity on March 31st. The regulation includes home, hospital, and regional quarantining. Regional quarantine involves border restrictions...
Indonesia’s Efforts at Energy Sector Do Not Go Far Enough
The most major change to Indonesia’s energy policy was Government Regulation #49 setting targets for the energy mix by 2030. These energy mix targets are: 30% coal, 22% oil, 23% renewables and 25% natural gas. By 2050, the targets are 25% coal, 20% oil, 31% renewables and 20% natural gas. The current target for 2025...
Indonesia Focuses on Mechanisms that Support Sustainable Land Use and Forestation Projects
Indonesia does not have a carbon tax, has not put a price on carbon, nor has an emission trading system. However, there are several sources that finance projects to reduce emissions, especially from land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF). In October 2019, the most recent financing mechanism was announced. The Environmental Fund Agency,...
Increased Flooding Threatens Indonesia’s Capital
Flood events in Indonesia are becoming increasingly intense and frequent. Two UNESCO biosphere reserve islands, recognized for their natural beauty and biodiversity, were subsumed by the ocean. Betet and Gundul islands are now between 1 and 3 meters below sea level. Four other nearby islands are on the verge of disappearing. The loss of coastline...