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The Indonesian government claims to have prepared skilled delegates and negotiators for the climate talks at the UNFCCC COP 26 in Glasgow this November. In a press release published on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) website, LHK Minister Siti Nurbaya emphasized that the Indonesian delegation to COP 26 must demonstrate to the international community that Indonesia is serious about addressing climate change through a planned and solid, inter-sectoral approach.

The fundamental question is, has the government been serious about controlling climate change? The answer to this question is crucial if the government wants to strengthen its bargaining position at COP 26. Conversely, if the government has not been serious about controlling the climate crisis, the delegates' bargaining position in the negotiations will be more difficult, as they will have to weave a narrative to build an image that the government is serious about controlling the climate crisis.

One indication of the government's commitment to addressing the climate crisis is by controlling the rate of deforestation. Forests have the potential to absorb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to the climate crisis. The more forests destroyed, the more GHG emissions are released into the atmosphere. If that happens, ecological disasters caused by the climate crisis will become more frequent.

One of Indonesia's remaining forest areas is Papua. Unfortunately, deforestation rates in Papua have also skyrocketed. Deforestation data from 1992 to 2019 from the Auriga Nusantara Foundation, as reported by merdeka.com, revealed that the area of ​​natural forest lost between 2015 and 2019 reached 2.81 million hectares. This deforestation rate is the highest since 1992.

As reported by CNN Indonesia, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) acknowledged that during President Jokowi's administration, 17 Decrees (SK) on Forest Area Release (PKH) were issued between 2015 and 2019, covering a total area of ​​269,132 hectares. However, the KLHK revealed that nearly 100 percent of the deforestation that occurred in 2015 originated outside the areas covered by the 17 PKH Decrees issued by President Jokowi's administration during the 2015-2019 period.

The debate between environmental organizations and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) regarding deforestation in Papua cannot erase the fact that massive forest destruction has occurred in Papua, regardless of whether it occurred due to concessions issued during the eras of Presidents SBY and Jokowi. The government's responsibility should be to prevent the destruction of Papua's remaining natural forests as much as possible.

The government's lack of seriousness in addressing the deforestation issue is also evident in the government's frequent "killing" of those who criticize forest management by labeling them un-nationalist. The nationalist narrative is built on the pretext that palm oil plantations, which often destroy forests, are foreign exchange earners, making the climate change campaign nothing more than an attempt to destroy Indonesia's economic sovereignty. Those campaigning for climate change are also labeled as foreign agents.

Controlling GHG emissions is not limited to the forestry sector but also to the energy sector. Indonesia is a net exporter of fossil fuels, particularly coal, a contributing factor to the climate crisis. According to data from the 2019 Indonesian Energy Outlook (OEI), in 2018, total primary energy production, consisting of oil, natural gas, coal, and renewable energy, reached 411.6 million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE). Of this total production, 64%, or 261.4 MTOE, was exported, primarily coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Although the value of Indonesian coal exports fluctuates, overall, coal exports remain dominant. According to the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in its 2013-2020 export commodity analysis publication, coal mining exports dominated the mining sector's export value (83.40%).

Yet, GHG emissions from coal are accelerating the climate crisis. Burning coal produces more carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced than any other fossil fuel. Compared to gas, coal releases 66% more CO2 per unit of energy produced. Furthermore, coal mining releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane is twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide as a GHG, contributing to the climate crisis.

As reported by commitmentiklim.id, ahead of COP 26, Indonesia's carbon-neutral plans were deemed unclear. This lack of clarity was evident when PLN (State Electricity Company) launched a roadmap to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2060. This step was a departure from its previous announcement of carbon neutrality by 2050.

The commitment to addressing the climate crisis related to the use of dirty coal energy is also evident in the dominance of state-owned banks that continue to fund coal projects. A report by Germany-based Urgewald revealed that state-owned banks such as Bank Mandiri, BNI, BRI, BCA, and BTN were among four of the six banks in Indonesia that continued to fund dirty coal energy projects between October 2018 and October 2020.

The lack of commitment from state-owned banks to stop funding coal projects further demonstrates that the Indonesian government is not yet serious about controlling greenhouse gas emissions that cause the climate crisis. The government's lack of seriousness in controlling greenhouse gas emissions will complicate the position of the Indonesian delegation in negotiations at COP 26. With the Indonesian delegation's difficult position, it seems there is nothing new regarding controlling the climate crisis at COP 26. This lack of new things is not the fault of the Indonesian delegation, but the government's fault, which has so far been less serious about controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

By: Firdaus Cahyadi

Environmental Observer