"Failing to limit global temperature rise to below +1.5°C is a moral failure and a fatal act of negligence," said Guterres.
JAKARTA, November 7, 2025 – The Indonesian government must make fundamental changes so that indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups can experience the benefits of just climate financing. Country Director of Greenpeace Indonesia, Leonard Simanjuntak, stated that one such fundamental change is to stop giving a pass to extractive industries and no longer perpetuate planned deforestation.
Leonard referenced two key statements by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres at the COP30 World Leaders Summit held in Belém, Brazil, on November 6–7, 2025: "This is not simply about temperature. It is about the survival of humanity, forests, and the future."
During the COP30 Leaders Summit, Guterres acknowledged the failure of nations to maintain their commitment to keeping global temperature rise below 1.5°C. According to him, the world requires a paradigm shift to limit the magnitude and duration of the Earth's temperature spike and to bring it down immediately.
He urged a climate finance commitment of US$ 1.3 trillion annually for developing nations by 2035, as agreed upon at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Guterres stressed that developed nations must lead by providing US$ 300 billion annually in climate funding. "All providers must demonstrate that they will contribute to meeting the US$ 300 billion and US$ 1.3 trillion milestones. Now is no longer the time for negotiations," Guterres said.
Executive Director of CELIOS, Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, assessed that the current scale of climate financing remains far too small, signaling that developed nations are not serious about paying their climate debt to developing countries. Conversely, nature-based colonialism and destructive extractive industries are being awarded far larger financial backing. "If these practices are perpetuated, developing countries like Indonesia will miss out on a golden opportunity to grow sustainably," Bhima said.
He noted that Indonesia is well within its rights to demand developed countries settle their climate debt while simultaneously driving domestic funding sources toward a restorative economy. He pointed out that national budget (APBN) policies and domestic banks have not yet prioritized a transition from extractive models to a restorative economy—a shift that could generate up to Rp2,208 trillion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the next 25 years. Bhima also urged the Indonesian government not merely to occupy a seat at COP30, but to actively advocate for reforms in international financial institutions—including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and New Development Bank—to halt loans to environmentally destructive corporations.
The Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) initiative, spearheaded by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could serve as a viable model for Indonesia, according to Bhima. The US$ 125 billion fund features a results-based payment framework for tropical forest nations that succeed in lowering deforestation rates, with 20 percent of the funding dedicated directly to indigenous peoples and local communities.
Beyond its positive impact on forest conservation, Bhima sees the TFFF as a mechanism capable of driving substantial carbon emission reductions while fueling the economies of indigenous guardians of the forest. "This outcome can only materialise through meaningful inclusion of indigenous peoples, rather than decisions restricted to government elites and international partners," he said.
In reality, many indigenous communities continue to lose their forests, living spaces, food security, and cultural identities to destructive industries across Indonesia. In light of this, Executive Director of Yayasan MADANI Berkelanjutan, Nadia Hadad, urged the government to ensure globally advocated climate funds reach the communities actively protecting forests and ecosystems. "Rather than being funneled exclusively into mega-projects prone to greenwashing," she remarked.
The plenary session of world leaders at the opening of COP30 on November 6, 2025, in Belém, Brazil. (Photo: Hermes Caruzo/COP30)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attends the opening of the General Plenary Session of Leaders during the COP30 United Nations Climate Change Conference. (Photo: Hermes Caruzo/COP30)
