POLICY

Indonesian fire emissions below average, Minister and CAMS data aligned
November 15, 2023

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JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has confirmed that the nation's fire emissions resulting from this year's El Niño impact remain below the average levels observed during the El Niño events of 2015 and 2019.

Minister Nurbaya made this assertion while on a fieldwork trip to Central Kalimantan (Nov 8) and South Sumatra (Nov 12), where she witnessed in person the progress being made in tackling forest and land fires in the respective provinces.

The Minister pointed out that only 16% of this year's forest and land fires have occurred in peatlands. This is a significantly lower figure than the corresponding figures for peat fires recorded in 2015 and 2019, of 34% and 30% respectively.

“Given that our fire emissions are still below average this El Niño year, we are growing ever more confident of reaching the legally-binding climate targets set out in our FOLU Net Sink 2030 operational plan," Minister Nurbaya enthused.

"It is crucial to emphasize that not only do Indonesian fire emissions remain below average but also, notably, this year’s El Niño has not resulted in transboundary haze. This is also supported by regional haze situation monitoring datasets from the Singapore-based ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC)," added the Minister.

"Indonesia's below-average fire emissions stand out as a key highlight in our country's on-the-ground climate actions, which we will present at the upcoming COP28 event," Minister Nurbaya continued.

Through her official report, Minister Nurbaya has already provided a technical explanation to President Joko Widodo of why Indonesia's fire emissions this year are below those of 2015 and 2019.

In stark contrast, Canadian wildfires this season, for example, burned 18.4 million hectares, approximately 32 times the area of Bali, resulting in transboundary haze extending from the US to Europe.

In front of the Manggala Agni (forest fire brigade) teams in Central Kalimantan (Nov 8) and South Sumatra (Nov 12), Minister Nurbaya reiterated the importance of remaining vigilant in the coming months due to the ongoing influence of El Niño, while also urging them to keep working tirelessly on the ground despite the many challenges.


CAMS Monitoring

Meanwhile, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the European Union's Earth observation program, has revealed its monitoring results for the wildfire season in tropical regions, including Indonesia.

According to CAMS, Indonesia has experienced years of comparatively calm fire seasons between August and October (2020-2022). However, influenced by El Niño, this year the country is facing its driest weather since 2019.

Referring to the charts from CAMS below, it is evident that Indonesia's fire emissions this year (data as of October 2023) are below the country's fire emissions in 2015 and 2019, aligning with Minister Nurbaya's datasets.

During the recent global pandemic, Indonesia - unlike various other countries - successfully averted the anticipated double disaster scenario, whereby a surge in COVID-19 cases would coincide with a significant rise in haze-causing fires.

A CAMS dataset release amid the pandemic (Sep 2021) demonstrated clearly that Indonesia was not among the primary contributors to global fire emissions which reached record levels in the months of July and August 2021.

Notably, the dataset revealed that the United States and Canada were among the major contributors to global fire carbon emissions, while Indonesia only contributed an extremely minor amount to the record levels of such emissions in the period.

TAGS: FOLU NET SINK 2030 , FIRE EMISIIONS , PEAT FIRES

RELATED STORIES


POLICY

Indonesian fire emissions below average, Minister and CAMS data aligned
November 15, 2023

facebookfinal.png wafinal.png twitterfinal.png emailfinal.png

JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has confirmed that the nation's fire emissions resulting from this year's El Niño impact remain below the average levels observed during the El Niño events of 2015 and 2019.

Minister Nurbaya made this assertion while on a fieldwork trip to Central Kalimantan (Nov 8) and South Sumatra (Nov 12), where she witnessed in person the progress being made in tackling forest and land fires in the respective provinces.

The Minister pointed out that only 16% of this year's forest and land fires have occurred in peatlands. This is a significantly lower figure than the corresponding figures for peat fires recorded in 2015 and 2019, of 34% and 30% respectively.

“Given that our fire emissions are still below average this El Niño year, we are growing ever more confident of reaching the legally-binding climate targets set out in our FOLU Net Sink 2030 operational plan," Minister Nurbaya enthused.

"It is crucial to emphasize that not only do Indonesian fire emissions remain below average but also, notably, this year’s El Niño has not resulted in transboundary haze. This is also supported by regional haze situation monitoring datasets from the Singapore-based ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC)," added the Minister.

"Indonesia's below-average fire emissions stand out as a key highlight in our country's on-the-ground climate actions, which we will present at the upcoming COP28 event," Minister Nurbaya continued.

Through her official report, Minister Nurbaya has already provided a technical explanation to President Joko Widodo of why Indonesia's fire emissions this year are below those of 2015 and 2019.

In stark contrast, Canadian wildfires this season, for example, burned 18.4 million hectares, approximately 32 times the area of Bali, resulting in transboundary haze extending from the US to Europe.

In front of the Manggala Agni (forest fire brigade) teams in Central Kalimantan (Nov 8) and South Sumatra (Nov 12), Minister Nurbaya reiterated the importance of remaining vigilant in the coming months due to the ongoing influence of El Niño, while also urging them to keep working tirelessly on the ground despite the many challenges.


CAMS Monitoring

Meanwhile, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the European Union's Earth observation program, has revealed its monitoring results for the wildfire season in tropical regions, including Indonesia.

According to CAMS, Indonesia has experienced years of comparatively calm fire seasons between August and October (2020-2022). However, influenced by El Niño, this year the country is facing its driest weather since 2019.

Referring to the charts from CAMS below, it is evident that Indonesia's fire emissions this year (data as of October 2023) are below the country's fire emissions in 2015 and 2019, aligning with Minister Nurbaya's datasets.

During the recent global pandemic, Indonesia - unlike various other countries - successfully averted the anticipated double disaster scenario, whereby a surge in COVID-19 cases would coincide with a significant rise in haze-causing fires.

A CAMS dataset release amid the pandemic (Sep 2021) demonstrated clearly that Indonesia was not among the primary contributors to global fire emissions which reached record levels in the months of July and August 2021.

Notably, the dataset revealed that the United States and Canada were among the major contributors to global fire carbon emissions, while Indonesia only contributed an extremely minor amount to the record levels of such emissions in the period.

TAGS: FOLU NET SINK 2030 , FIRE EMISIIONS , PEAT FIRES

RELATED STORIES