Work on saving the Earth to save mankind

If Earth had a birthday, it would be a moment when everyone is reminded that the planet is getting older, yet cradling more humans than ever. It will also a reminder that she may not provide as many resources as she used to or recover as fast, and that it takes every country and each individual to make a concerted effort to keep her strong for future generations. 

A United Nations-led effort to cope with climate change is among the biggest moves to protect the planet and also perhaps the most complicated one, as countries have yet to realise any of the commitments two decades ago when the first summit was held in 1995. 

Ahead of the climate conference in Paris later this year, countries are preparing their emission-cut targets as part of their commitment after 2015.

 Indonesia has been known to be an enthusiast of this global pledge, with then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono setting in 2011 a commitment to reduce emissions by 26 per cent below the current level by 2020 and even by 41 per cent with sufficient international support. 

Climate Action Tracker, a Berlin-based organisation that has been reviewing country commitments, rated the pledge as “medium” – which is viewed as better than Russia and Japan that are recently rated as “inadequate” for refusing to make more aggressive cuts. 

Japan, though still unofficial, revealed a reduction target of 20 per cent below 2013 levels by 2030, while Russia, under its commitment, may instead increase its emission levels of 30 to 38 per cent from a 2012 benchmark. 

According to the group, Indonesia’s existing commitment falls in the same bracket as China, the US and India, the three largest emitters in the world. Similar medium commitments have also been stated by high-income nations like Norway, South Korea, Singapore and Switzerland. 

In a Lima conference last year, countries agreed to drop two traditional groups of developed and developing nations used in the Kyoto Protocol and rather put more vague criteria of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in light of different national circumstances” to define countries’ responsibility. 

This makes it acceptable, at least until the Paris negotiation, for countries to make commitments regardless of their income status as long as they can argue their case. 

While it didn’t hurt for Indonesia to look ambitious in the past, it is also worth noting that the country is still facing poor infrastructure and has to do more to eradicate poverty. 

The government is still failing to regulate the forestry and plantation sector to curb forest fires and deforestation, the most significant source of the country’s carbon emissions. 

A transition from coal and fossil fuels to cleaner gas-fired power may seem achievable with the country’s sufficient stock of natural gas, but stronger demand to provide cheap energy from industries and households may hold back the process. 

It is not that the government hasn’t made efforts toward more sustainable and renewable energy. The fact is that investing in geothermal plants or solar panels, although the potential is abundant, remains very costly, using funding which could save more mothers and children if it was spent on infrastructure and health facilities in disadvantaged areas.

As pressing as global warming, the government should put people as the focus of its climate policy. By focusing on people, it doesn’t mean that the government can’t implement energy efficiency, but it can rather apply more sensible programmes that bring people and economic development together. 

Moreover, in terms of carbon emission per person, Indonesia is lower compared to other large emitters. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recorded that Indonesia’s carbon per capita in 2011 stood at 1.83 metric tonnes, far lower than China’s 6.08, the United States’ 17.60 and that of high-income countries.

The logic, of course, is not that it is okay to emit more, but what should an Indonesian citizen do to reach a lower level of carbon emission with his or her own efforts?

Pushing companies and farmers in the agro-forestry and plantation sectors to adopt sustainability values, such as ceasing fire-clearing methods, is one of the ways. It conserves the country’s natural reserves, while keeping the economy working for the people. 

If the Paris forum agrees to support funding for the cause, Indonesia may do much better, but only if the conditional terms of the funding do not restrict the country’s development programmes. 

President Joko Jokowi Widodo’s administration is currently reviewing the emission targets set by its predecessor. It should really look into the country’s economic and welfare conditions before officially submitting the commitment for Paris. 

After all, the emission commitment is not a competition or an image contest, but rather a pledge of what countries can still do together amid their current circumstances. 

The government may not be able to save the earth, but it can still save its own people.

A transition from coal and fossil fuels to cleaner gas-fired power may seem achievable with the country’s sufficient stock of natural gas.