POLICY
JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Ahead of the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27) and the G20 Leaders' Summit in Bali, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Professor Siti Nurbaya has confirmed that Indonesia continues to lead by example and has delivered a clear message by not causing any substantial haze-causing fires this year.
The Minister cited evidence showing that Indonesia, in fact, has not experienced significant haze-causing fires for three years in a row (2020-2022), over the whole period of the global pandemic.
"We are again grateful that President Joko Widodo's order to prevent any substantial haze-causing fires has been successfully demonstrated on the ground level," Minister Nurbaya stated during a commemoration of Hari Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Oath Day) at the ministry's building (Oct 28).
In contrast to Indonesia, the US as well as countries in Europe and the Amazon region are still enduring wildfires, even more so this year when they have reached their highest ever levels, according to an EU-funded CAMS report released in early September, as previously reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Oct 12).
Last year, CAMS also found that Indonesia was not among the highest contributors to global fire emissions, with the US, Canada and the Siberian region of Russia topping the list, as also covered by FORESTHINTS.NEWS in late September 2021.
"Just like in the lead-up to COP26, as we now approach COP27 Indonesia has scientifically proven, thanks to indisputable ground-based evidence, that it is not a significant contributor to global fire emissions," Minister Nurbaya asserted.
"As holder of the G20 Presidency, Indonesia is set to welcome world leaders to the G20 Summit in mid-November with no concerns about haze-causing fires and safe in the knowledge that we are not a major contributor to worldwide fire emissions," she added.
Serious threats next year
Minister Nurbaya cautioned, however, that Indonesia's three consecutive years of success without any substantial haze-causing fires may be threatened by the persistence of the El-Nino climate phenomenon next year.
"We are aiming to prolong the success we have achieved from 2020 to 2022. As such, the threat of El Nino must be addressed by mobilizing all of our resources throughout 2023 to make absolutely sure that there will be no substantial haze-causing fires," the Minister explained.
"We have to anticipate everything, every possible scenario, and deal with these using all our existing potential resources, which are distributed on the ground level," she continued.
Minister Nurbaya also pointed out that Indonesia's ability to meet its Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 climate targets will be determined, among other things, by the extent to which the country is able to tackle the threat of El Nino-induced peat fires.
"We are optimistic and confident that Indonesia will be able to achieve its FOLU Net Sink 2030 climate targets, but it entails us suppressing peat fires brought about by El Nino. We are, of course, dealing with these serious threats,” she affirmed.
The Minister underlined that it is just as essential for Indonesia to avoid missing the targets set out in the FOLU Net Sink 2030 Operational Plan as it is to prevent the spread of El Nino-induced peat fires.
Minister Nurbaya admitted that next year will be a crucial climate action year for Indonesia in terms of ensuring its FOLU Net Sink 2030 targets are achieved, considering the expected prevalence of El Nino and the fact that emissions from peat fires should not exceed the predicted figures so as to stay on track to reach Net Sink in the FOLU sector by 2030.
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POLICY
JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Ahead of the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP27) and the G20 Leaders' Summit in Bali, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Professor Siti Nurbaya has confirmed that Indonesia continues to lead by example and has delivered a clear message by not causing any substantial haze-causing fires this year.
The Minister cited evidence showing that Indonesia, in fact, has not experienced significant haze-causing fires for three years in a row (2020-2022), over the whole period of the global pandemic.
"We are again grateful that President Joko Widodo's order to prevent any substantial haze-causing fires has been successfully demonstrated on the ground level," Minister Nurbaya stated during a commemoration of Hari Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Oath Day) at the ministry's building (Oct 28).
In contrast to Indonesia, the US as well as countries in Europe and the Amazon region are still enduring wildfires, even more so this year when they have reached their highest ever levels, according to an EU-funded CAMS report released in early September, as previously reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Oct 12).
Last year, CAMS also found that Indonesia was not among the highest contributors to global fire emissions, with the US, Canada and the Siberian region of Russia topping the list, as also covered by FORESTHINTS.NEWS in late September 2021.
"Just like in the lead-up to COP26, as we now approach COP27 Indonesia has scientifically proven, thanks to indisputable ground-based evidence, that it is not a significant contributor to global fire emissions," Minister Nurbaya asserted.
"As holder of the G20 Presidency, Indonesia is set to welcome world leaders to the G20 Summit in mid-November with no concerns about haze-causing fires and safe in the knowledge that we are not a major contributor to worldwide fire emissions," she added.
Serious threats next year
Minister Nurbaya cautioned, however, that Indonesia's three consecutive years of success without any substantial haze-causing fires may be threatened by the persistence of the El-Nino climate phenomenon next year.
"We are aiming to prolong the success we have achieved from 2020 to 2022. As such, the threat of El Nino must be addressed by mobilizing all of our resources throughout 2023 to make absolutely sure that there will be no substantial haze-causing fires," the Minister explained.
"We have to anticipate everything, every possible scenario, and deal with these using all our existing potential resources, which are distributed on the ground level," she continued.
Minister Nurbaya also pointed out that Indonesia's ability to meet its Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 climate targets will be determined, among other things, by the extent to which the country is able to tackle the threat of El Nino-induced peat fires.
"We are optimistic and confident that Indonesia will be able to achieve its FOLU Net Sink 2030 climate targets, but it entails us suppressing peat fires brought about by El Nino. We are, of course, dealing with these serious threats,” she affirmed.
The Minister underlined that it is just as essential for Indonesia to avoid missing the targets set out in the FOLU Net Sink 2030 Operational Plan as it is to prevent the spread of El Nino-induced peat fires.
Minister Nurbaya admitted that next year will be a crucial climate action year for Indonesia in terms of ensuring its FOLU Net Sink 2030 targets are achieved, considering the expected prevalence of El Nino and the fact that emissions from peat fires should not exceed the predicted figures so as to stay on track to reach Net Sink in the FOLU sector by 2030.
RELATED STORIES