Commitment to Climate Targets

Indonesia must take an active role in curbing the rise in the surface temperature of the Earth by increasing the environmental focus of development.

KOMPAS/AHMAD ARIF

Thousands of people, dominated by adolescents from various countries, stage a rally in Madrid on Friday (6/12/2019) evening, demanding that world leaders taking part in the COP25 climate talks in the city take real action against climate change. The rally was also joined, among others, by youth activist Greta Thunberg from Sweden. The gap between targets and the reality of reducing emissions has triggered anxiety and social movements in many countries.

The 25th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) in Madrid, Spain, agreed earlier this week that the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions was not high enough to prevent an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius in global temperatures from before the Industrial Revolution by 2100.

The emissions target for greenhouse gases, mainly carbon emissions, was set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Indonesia committed to reducing 26 percent of its emissions on its own and 41 percent with foreign assistance by 2020, compared to its non-intervention scenario. The government says that it is on track in its emissions target.

On the other hand, our development choices have not been in line with our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia\'s biggest carbon emissions come from activities related to land and forest management (47.8 percent) and fossil energy use (34.9 percent). (Kompas, 9/12/2019)

In addition to forest fires, the use of coal in power plants contributes to carbon emissions. Coal-fired power plants will continue to supply 54 percent of the nation’s electricity until 2025. The situation means that Indonesia is rated “highly insufficient” in its emissions target.

KOMPAS/AHMAD ARIF

Thousands of people, dominated by adolescents from various countries, stage a rally in Madrid on Friday (6/12/2019) evening, demanding that world leaders taking part in the COP25 climate talks in the city take real action against climate change.

Various scientific reports, including a UN expert panel, prove an increase in Earth’s temperature. This temperature rise has caused drastic changes to all living things. The melting polar ice, increasing frequency of storms and typhoons and changing climate patterns are some of the impacts of Earth’s rising temperature.

As an archipelagic nation, Indonesia directly feels the effects of climate change. The melting polar ice will raise the sea level and submerge its coastal areas and the people who live there. The rising temperature of the sea’s surface also affects coral health and impacts the marine biota, including reef fish, which are sources of income for coastal fishermen.

The rising global temperature will lead to a decline in welfare, especially among the poor, because of an increased inability to mitigate and adapt to the new conditions.

We only have one Earth.

Indonesia can do much to prevent the rise in global temperature by ensuring that no more forest fires occur and by replacing coal with renewable energy sources, among other means.

Indonesia has many sources of renewable energy to generate electricity, from geothermals to run-of-the-river hydropower, and from solar to wind. What is needed is encouraging businesses and state-owned enterprises to develop green power plants.

We only have one Earth; we must solve the problem of the Earth’s rising temperature or face the threat of humanity’s extinction.