Greenbelt nations carbon.

Greenbelt nations to play key role in Bali COP 13

Kliping: Mohamad Rayan

Opinion and Editorial - September 22, 2007 The Jakarta Post

Laode M. Kamaluddin, Jakarta

It is invigorating to learn that Indonesia has initiated a meeting of eight greenbelt countries, which will begin in New York on Sept. 24 (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 1, 2007). The meeting is an ideal precursor to the Bali Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 13) in December.

Indonesia's pivotal role in the Bali COP 13 is reminiscent of the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955, when leaders of the two continents gathered to reshape global politics marked by rivalry between the western and eastern blocs.

The success of the Asia-Africa conference may be repeated in the upcoming Bali COP 13, which will see an alliance of Asian, African and Latin American nations.

There is a historical opportunity for Indonesia to lead a globe-wide move to save the world from global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report 2007 indicates that threats are much worse than originally thought, and there are no more doubts regarding the role of human activities in global climatic change. The Stern Report of 2006 points to significant economic losses associated with climate change, in the range of 2-20 percent of the global economy.

Despite the importance of tropical forests in climate change, conservation is not part of the Kyoto Protocol. Tropical deforestation accounts for approximately 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In Indonesia, tropical deforestation accounts for 63 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the role of greenbelt countries is crucial in the global attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Guyana could be added to the eight-strong greenbelt group. Forests in the nine countries will account for more than 80 percent of the world's tropical rain forests.

Global warming is a threat to the future existence of humankind on this beautiful earth. At the same time, it is an opportunity for the Forestry Nine to mend flaws in the Kyoto Protocol and in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to mitigate global warming. CDM is tied to the Kyoto Protocol.

It is refreshing to hear that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono admits tropical countries play a strategic role in managing global warming.

Indonesia is on the verge of securing US$39 billion annually through carbon credit by avoiding deforestation and preventing the release of 1 to 2 tons of carbon per year. Even by pessimistic calculations, Indonesia could earn up to $10 billion annually through this scheme.

Carbon credit can be accessed through the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), which is different to the CDM. The CDM has several flaws and involves a long bureaucratic process, while the VCM is voluntary, flexible, includes the conservation of tropical rain forests and is open to all organizations.

The Bali COP would be the first historical transaction on the VCM involving conservation of forests in greenbelt nations. It is the role of Indonesia in leading this movement to achieve the goal of the first transaction. Indonesia must do it and Indonesia can do it.

The transaction could be in the form of a private public partnership. The core five nations could be Indonesia, Brazil, Congo, Malaysia and Guyana. Indonesia could involve Malinau district in Borneo. Brazil could involve Amazon. Congo could be the prime mover for Africa and Malaysia could involve Sabah.

Since Indonesia started the initiative it should be the leader of this global shift. This movement is a fight against the biggest terror threat of the 21st century called global warming.