Nature Alert: RI doing little to reduce carbon gas emission : Greenpeace

Thursday 10 September 2009

RI doing little to reduce carbon gas emission : Greenpeace

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Southeast Asia Greenpeace is of the opinion that Indonesia government efforts to reduce carbon gas emission are still insignificant.

"The efforts of the Indonesian government to reduce the impact of climate change are not significant," Southeast Asian Greenpeace Forest Campaigner Bustar Maitar told ANTARA News here on Thursday.

Bustar explained that some of the Indonesian government`s policies contradicted its commitment to minimize the impact of climate change.

The government policies concerned were among others permits to open more access for tree felling and peat land exploitation for oil palm plantations as well as paper and pulp industries.

He pointed out that Forestry Minister MS Kaban had ever issued Annual Action Plan (RKT), permitted 14 companies in Riau to cut more than 100,000 hectares of forest for the interest of paper and pulp industries.

"In reality, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ever made a commitment at G-8 meeting in Japan that Indonesia would reduce green house gas emission by 50 percent in 2009 and 75 percent in 2012," Bustar said.

But he added that up to the present Yudhoyono`s commitment was not realized.
Therefore, Bustar said Greenpeace would ask the Indonesian government to keep its commitment to reducing the impact of climate change by halting forest cutting activity and halting permission to open peat land for oil palm plantations.

He said the Indonesian government was also asked to promote carbon markets which were focused on clean technology development that could be renewed in key industrial sectors.

Bustar added that according to Greenpeace, the negative impact of climate change such as the rise of sea level, drought, flood, harvest failure had occurred in Indonesia.

To make Greenpeace program of forest conservation in Indonesia a success, the Greenpeace office in Jakarta has been training six youths across the country for three months in a bid to enable them to become effective environmentally-related campaigners.(*)

http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1252587167/ri-doing-little-to-reduce-carbon-gas-emission-greenpeace

Hall of Shame for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Palm Oil Industry.

Nothing can prepare one for the sight of the systematic extermination of orangutans by the government of Indonesia.

Look at the photos and news articles on these pages in the context of a statement the President made to the media on 10th December 2007.

“In the last 35 years about 50,000 orangutans are estimated to have been lost as their habitats shrank. If this continues, this majestic creature will likely face extinction by 2050,” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the launch of an orangutan conservation plan at the climate talks in Bali.

“The fate of the orangutan is a subject that goes to the heart of sustainable forests … To save the orangutan we have to save the forest.”

Statements like these are most welcome, but unless backed up by action, such words fall on deaf ears within the Ministry of Forestry....who are busy granting licences to cut down the very forests the President says they should protect!

When you think you are to busy to help, please could you reflect for a moment on .........

The following extract refers to environmental problems in general. I just hope you find it as thought provoking and relevant to orangutans as I have.

"This is such a shocking and unpalatable fact that most people deny it, or they just don't want to think about it. They believe as individuals, they can do little about it, so push it to the back of their minds. But I can't do that.

When something has to be done, we need to do it. It doesn't matter how big the challenge is or how hard the solution; if I know something is wrong, and I am in a position to help, I will do my best to make it right." Duncan Bannatyne, successful British businessman.