Jakarta, September 29, 2022. A civil society coalition consisting of the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, Kemitraan, WALHI, the PIKUL Foundation, and IESR welcomed the Indonesian Government's decision to increase its 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target from 29% to 31.89% through its own efforts and from 41% to 43.2% with international assistance. This target increase demonstrates the Indonesian Government's seriousness in addressing global climate change. This strengthening should be accompanied by a meaningful and inclusive public participation mechanism that takes into account various sectors so that the choice of climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in Indonesia is truly effective and does not have a worse impact on vulnerable groups.

The crisis facing Indonesian society due to climate change is increasingly apparent. Various climate change adaptation and mitigation options have in fact actually worsened the adaptive capacity of ecosystems and communities, and when implemented indiscriminately, they often neglect the social and environmental impacts.

In Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), for example, the construction of wave-retaining infrastructure as a climate change response option ignores the needs of traditional fishermen. In Malaka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), flood-prevention infrastructure actually increases the community's vulnerability to flooding. In Pekalongan, Central Java, embankments built to hold back seawater actually impede the flow of nutrients, preventing mangroves from growing properly.

Obi Island, North Maluku, with an area of ​​only 2,500 square kilometers, has been granted 19 nickel mining permits, some of which are earmarked for electric vehicles. Mining and smelting operations still rely on coal-fired power plants (PLTUs), which produce significant emissions.

"The primary subjects of climate change mitigation are humans and ecosystems, which are inseparable. Climate change interventions must be balanced, and in the Indonesian context, adaptation should receive an equal or greater share than mitigation. Furthermore, both central and regional governments must engage with community participation and identify needs that must be met when selecting climate change mitigation and adaptation actions," said Dewi Rizki, Director of the Partnership Program.

The Climate Justice Coalition highlights Indonesia's strengthening climate ambitions in the forestry and land (FOLU) and energy sectors, which are currently the main contributors to emissions reductions in the Enhanced National Development Plan (NDC).

"This increased emission reduction target is commendable, especially given the significant funding and multi-stakeholder collaboration required to achieve it," said Nadia Hadad. "However, this ambition could be even more ambitious, given that Indonesia's target in the 2030 FOLU Net Sink is much larger. This target should be adopted in the next NDC," added Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation.

In the Enhanced NDC, the total deforestation rate for the 2020-2030 period under the "own efforts" scenario actually increased to 359,000 hectares per year, exceeding the total deforestation rate in Indonesia's First NDC 2016 and Updated NDC 2021 of 325,000 hectares. This despite Indonesia having successfully reduced its deforestation rate for four consecutive years.

In the energy sector, the Coalition commends the higher emission reductions achieved by the energy sector, amounting to 44 MtCO2e, a 14% increase over the target in the Updated NDC. However, unfortunately, this increase is still not aligned with the efforts needed to ensure the global target of keeping temperature rise below 2°C/1.5°C is met.

"Emission reductions from the energy sector can be further enhanced if the renewable energy mix target is increased to 42% by 2030," said Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR. "Further emission reductions can also be achieved by incorporating early retirement of coal-fired power plants (PLTU), accelerating the use of electric vehicles, and implementing energy efficiency in buildings and industry, areas not currently included in the NDC emission reduction calculations."

With regard to adaptation, adaptation actions should be in line with the development agenda and should not cause something worse or maladaptation.

"Although the NDC has mentioned cross-sectoral integration, at the national level, coordination and collaboration between sectors remain a major question, given that climate- and non-climate-focused development actions still clash with each other and negatively impact the safety of citizens," said Torry Kuswardono, Executive Director of the PIKUL Foundation.

The coalition highlighted the lack of public consultation and participation, particularly among civil society and indigenous peoples, in the development of the Enhanced National Development Plan (NDC). This is despite the fact that communities are the frontline and most directly impacted by climate change. Furthermore, the Paris Agreement affirms the importance of public participation, public access to information, and the involvement of all actors in the entire climate change management process, including the development of NDCs. The development and implementation of NDCs should be based on the principle of "leaving no one behind" in addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development goals. Strengthening consultation mechanisms and meaningful engagement for all parties in the development and implementation of NDCs is essential.

"Only by having a meaningful public participation mechanism can Indonesia truly declare that the actions in the NDC are capable of saving the Indonesian people from the climate crisis that has already occurred and will be increasingly felt," concluded Hadi Jatmiko, Head of the National Campaign Division of Walhi.

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Contact Person:

1. Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, HP. 0811 132 081

2. Hadi Jatmiko, Head of the National Walhi Campaign Division, HP 0813 1006 8838

3. Fabby Tumiwa, Executive Director of IESR, HP 0811-949-759

4. Torry Kuswardono, Executive Director of PIKUL Foundation, HP 0811 383 270

5. Dewi Rizki, Director of the Sustainable Governance Strategic Program, HP 0811-8453-112

Notes to editors:

1. In the Enhanced NDC, the emission reduction target in the Forestry and Land Sector (FOLU) to be achieved independently increased by 0.6% from the Updated NDC, or by 3 MtonCO2e, from 497 MtonCO2e to 500 MtonCO2e. Meanwhile, the emission reduction target with international support increased by 5.35%, or 37 MtonCO2e, to 729 MtonCO2e from the previous 692 MtonCO2e.

2. According to a 2022 study by the IESR and the University of Maryland, to align emissions reductions with the 1.5°C pathway, 9.2 GW of coal-fired power plants must be retired by 2030. Unfortunately, the NDC does not yet include the early retirement of coal-fired power plants in the emissions reduction calculations.

3. The coalition recommends several things that the government needs to pay attention to:

   1. Protecting secondary natural forests that are still in good condition and not yet protected in the Indicative Map for Cessation of New Permits

   2. Limiting Forest Utilization Business Permits in natural forests to only restorative activities such as environmental services and ecosystem restoration.

   3. Accelerate the realization of Social Forestry targets – especially customary forests – and strengthen community support so that they can contribute to reducing emissions, protecting essential ecosystems and increasing community resilience to the impacts of climate change.

   4. Emphasizing the existence of cofiring in the Enhanced NDC mitigation action is only a short-term emission reduction strategy while waiting for the coal-fired power plant to be retired, or even earlier.

   5. Biomass co-firing requires consideration of several factors, such as the economics of biomass fuel costs and the sustainability of biomass fuel supply, to avoid increasing emissions in the land-use sector. Biomass co-firing should also not be used as a justification for extending the lifespan of a coal-fired power plant beyond its current lifespan.

   6. Prioritize adaptation actions in every climate change intervention.

   7. Distribute the Climate Resilient Development Plan (PBI) to the regions so that it can be implemented through the RPJMD and funded by the APBD.

   8. Ensuring public participation in the preparation of the Regional Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation or RAD-API to encourage participatory adaptation actions and fulfill the aspect of justice in handling the impacts that arise.

4. Further information regarding examples of maladaptation and the selection of mitigation actions that have social and environmental impacts:

   1. Kupang City, NTT: https://pikul.id/maladaptasi-dan-adaptasi-efektif-di-ntt/

   2. Malaka Regency, NTT: see Herman Seran's report, "Rivers Are Friends, Floods Are a Blessing: Findings of an Ethnographic Survey Study of the Benenai Wesiku-Wehali Floodplain," 2021.

   3. Pekalongan, Central Java: https://www.kemitraan.or.id/program-tiap-provinsi/adaptation-fund-project-pekalongan

   4. Obi Island, North Maluku: https://www.walhi.or.id/berebut-ruang-dengan-investasi