[Jakarta, 14 December 2023] The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates ended (13/12) without a firm mandate to end fossil fuels. The Government of Indonesia is being urged to strengthen its domestic climate commitments and to speak more firmly in pressing developed countries to fulfill their obligations. The future of climate negotiations must be led by developing countries, poor countries, and countries most affected by the climate crisis.
COP-28 Dubai was an important moment where countries received a “bad report card” for their collective achievements in addressing the climate crisis that threatens the fate of future generations. The COP28 decision also appears contradictory and unbalanced; claiming to be aligned with science, yet without setting sufficiently ambitious targets.
The results of the global assessment or Global Stocktake (GST) found that the implementation of policies within the climate commitments (NDCs) of countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement will only reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. In fact, to ensure that global temperature rise does not exceed the safe limit of 1.5°C by the end of this century, global GHG emissions must decrease by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
“The world is very disappointed because COP28 did not produce a firm mandate to phase out fossil fuels, namely coal, oil, and natural gas. Although there is a call to transition away from fossil energy to achieve net zero around 2050, there are many compromises such as the use of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), transitional fuels with unclear definitions, and even the inclusion of nuclear as a solution,” said Uli Arta Siagian, Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager of WALHI National.
If truly referring to science, the world must reduce coal use by 95%, oil by 60%, and natural gas by 45% by 2050.
The slow pace of climate action has left communities increasingly squeezed in facing various impacts of the climate crisis, such as extreme heat, floods, high waves, drought, the spread of diseases, and even the loss of homes, livelihoods, and cultural sites. The worst impacts are felt by vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, children, women — including adolescent girls — indigenous and local communities, traditional farmers and fishers, and workers. Based on BNPB data, over the past 10 years more than 90% of disasters that occurred were climate-related disasters and have affected more than 32 million people.
Meanwhile, in the Global Goals on Adaptation agenda, COP28 only succeeded in formulating the scope of adaptation goals without clear targets. Even though there is recognition of local knowledge in adaptation and indigenous leadership in adaptation, there is no mention of tenure protection as a prerequisite for adaptation based on local knowledge and tradition.
To ensure fair and sustainable climate solutions, all parties including local governments and vulnerable communities must be meaningfully involved. However, the state must not step back from resolving the climate crisis situation.
“The most fundamental question is who should adapt to today’s crisis situation? They are governments and corporations, because the policies, programs, and political decisions they produce have in fact destroyed people’s adaptive capacity, and the mitigation actions they have carried out so far,” continued Uli Arta Siagian, Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager of WALHI National.
The planning and implementation of mitigation actions must also be integrated with adaptation actions so as not to further weaken communities’ ability to defend themselves against climate crisis impacts. The reality is the opposite, such as cases of massive destruction in meeting electrification needs that threaten small islands in Eastern Indonesia as well as infrastructure development that actually creates quite high cases of maladaptation in Indonesia.
“Although COP-28 produced one important decision related to the impacts of the climate crisis that have already occurred and cannot be restored, namely the operationalization of funding to address Loss and Damage. However, the process has not provided certainty for those who have experienced Loss and Damage. This shows that the road toward climate justice remains steep,” said Torry Kuswardono, Executive Director of Yayasan PIKUL.
Returning from Dubai, countries have homework to strengthen their climate commitments to align with the 1.5°C target.
“Indonesia’s claim of successfully reducing emissions by 42% should make Indonesia braver and firmer in addressing the climate crisis, including by increasing national contribution ambition in the Second NDC in line with the 1.5°C target,” said Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of Yayasan MADANI Berkelanjutan.
Abimanyu Sasongko Aji, Climate Change Funding Program Manager of Kemitraan, added, “planning and implementation of climate action must be made more transparent, accountable, inclusive, and participatory, especially toward vulnerable groups. So far, the inclusive and participatory aspects are often forgotten.”
As a country with the second largest tropical forest in the world, Indonesia makes the Forestry and Land Use (FOLU) sector the backbone of Greenhouse Gas emission reduction. On the other hand, as an archipelagic country, Indonesia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, especially with rising sea levels that can submerge small islands and increase the risk of losing homes.
“The Indonesian delegation returning from negotiations in Dubai must open their eyes to realities on the ground. Natural forests continue to disappear, small islands are threatened, unjust energy transition damages the environment and seizes people’s rights, destruction of coasts, waters, coral reefs, and mangroves continues, causing local economies to collapse,” concluded Torry Kuswardono, Executive Director of Yayasan PIKUL. “Not only that, communities fighting for the right to a clean and healthy environment continue to face intimidation and criminalization,” added Torry.
Civil society recorded that during 2001-2022 there has been a loss of 6.5 million hectares of natural forest cover, including mangroves. Of that amount, 176 thousand hectares were lost in the last three years (Mapbiomas, 2023). In addition, there were at least 26 legal cases faced by environmental defenders in 2021, an increase of 10 cases compared to the previous year (Environmentaldefender, 2021).
Civil society demands that Indonesia establish priority agendas in addressing the climate crisis. First, accelerate coal retirement including captive coal power plants for downstreaming purposes. Second, stop deforestation and restore and protect all remaining natural ecosystems while respecting and recognizing the rights of indigenous and local communities. Third, prepare to face increasingly frequent climate disasters through effective and just adaptation, and avoid maladaptation. Fourth, distribute climate funding that is directly accessible to affected communities at the local level. Fifth, the government must guarantee and protect the right of every citizen to obtain a clean and healthy environment by stopping all forms of threats and intimidation against environmental and human rights defenders.
The outcome of the negotiations in Dubai reinforces evidence that developed countries failed to show leadership in addressing the global climate crisis. “Therefore, it is time for developing, poor, and affected countries to seize leadership in climate negotiations and speak more firmly in demanding that developed countries fulfill their obligations in reducing GHG emissions, assisting developing countries in adaptation, and addressing Loss and Damage caused by the climate crisis,” concluded Nadia.
Call to the Delegation of the Republic of Indonesia Returning from Dubai
Return to the field: natural forests continue to disappear, small islands are threatened, unjust energy transition damages the environment and seizes community rights, destruction of coasts, waters, coral reefs, and mangroves continues causing local economies to collapse. Civil society data records that during 2001-2022 there has been a loss of 6.5 million hectares of natural forest cover, including mangroves. Of that amount, 176 thousand hectares were lost in the last three years (Mapbiomas, 2023).
Follow up and incorporate GST evaluation considerations to strengthen Indonesia’s Second NDC ambition in accordance with the 1.5°C pathway with more transparent, accountable, inclusive, and participatory implementation. The Second NDC drafting process must involve vulnerable and most affected groups, civil society, and regional stakeholders. The Second NDC must also emphasize mitigation and adaptation obligations along with funding for those who contribute most to the crisis.
Align all development plans, policies, and projects with efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and enhance climate resilience in a just manner, including fundamental correction of high-carbon economic systems and models. Stop development projects that contradict efforts to address the climate crisis such as National Strategic Projects for expansion of land-based and forest product businesses, including Food Estate, road and dam infrastructure, new economic industrial zones and mining, as well as policy facilities supporting PSN that reduce community adaptive capacity, increase GHG emissions, and violate human rights.
Adaptation and mitigation must not be carried out separately, but always together so that mitigation does not reduce adaptive capacity and adaptation can contribute to emission reduction with balanced resource allocation.
Implement a just and inclusive energy transition, from upstream to downstream ecosystems, funding, technological breakthroughs, human resource development, participation, enabling conditions, and access to resources, and support locally and community-determined energy transition efforts. Energy transition must incorporate elements of eliminating existing injustices and leave exploitative energy management systems. The importance of energy transition should not focus solely on return on investment but also consider social return of investment values.
Protect and restore natural ecosystems not limited to forests, peatlands, coastal ecosystems, and oceans but including biodiversity within them by stopping land-use change that reduces community adaptive capacity, triggers rapid wildlife extinction, and contradicts GHG emission reduction efforts.
Prepare and anticipate increasingly frequent climate disasters by encouraging locally led and context-specific adaptation and preparing Loss and Damage funding mechanisms that reach the local level. Focus must be given to vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, the elderly, children, women including adolescent girls, indigenous peoples, farmers, fishers, workers (formal and informal).
Recognize and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, farmers, and local communities (MAPKL) including land rights, and the rights of vulnerable groups as prerequisites for effective adaptation and mitigation. Adaptation and mitigation actions based on local wisdom values and traditional knowledge must be recognized and accommodated.
Protect the rights of all citizens through human rights due diligence in mitigation and adaptation activities, including rights to decent work and livelihood, especially for those affected by energy transition including informal sectors. Labor law reform including the Job Creation Law toward stronger worker protection is necessary.
Stop all forms of threats and intimidation against any citizen fighting for the right to a clean and healthy environment for present and future generations.
Redirect funding flows from emission-intensive sectors to sectors focused on environmental restoration and recovery. Provide climate funding that is not only fair but also easily accessible to affected communities and youth networks. Avoid debt traps in climate financing.
The new government must be firmer in anticipating climate disaster risks and prepare more ambitious and measurable climate action plans until 2030.
Ensure every proposed solution has real impact on emission reduction and limiting temperature rise. Leaving solutions solely to market mechanisms and interests is a setback.
Media Contacts:
● Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of Yayasan MADANI Berkelanjutan,
nadia@madaniberkelanjutan.id
● Torry Kuswardono, Executive Director of Yayasan PIKUL,
t.kuswardono@gmail.com
● Abimanyu Sasongko Aji, Climate Change Funding Program Manager of Kemitraan,
abimanyu.aji@kemitraan.or.id
● Uli Arta Siagian, Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager of WALHI National,
ulisiagian@walhi.or.id
