Ignoring Climate Justice at the Negotiating Table

Jakarta (25/9) – Climate change is an urgent global problem whose solution requires commitment from industrialised nations. The next important negotiations are the Bangkok Intersessional Meetings on Climate Change which will take place from 28 September to 9 October 2009. Indonesia's Civil Society Forum for Climate Justice (CSF) is concerned about the lack of progress in previous negotiations and fears that this time too, the meeting will be limited to business negotiations between countries emitting pollution and countries buying emissions, rather than focusing on efforts to find a way of addressing the disaster of global warming.

CSF has observed that the commitment of industrialised nations (Annex 1 countries) has weakened from one negotiation to the next. This can be seen from their refusal to take full responsibility – in their efforts to reduce domestic emissions and in their commitment to provide adaptation funds for developing countries. Unfortunately, developing nations are not making very strong demands, implying, and providing the opportunity for Annex 1 countries to avoid their responsibility to reduce emissions in accordance with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility.

On the other hand, the extremely strong focus on a market-based approach is apparent in the documents resulting from the Ad Hoc Working Group on Longterm Cooperative Action (AWG LCA) at the June Climate Change Talks II in Bonn, Germany. CSF found that efforts to mitigate climate change, especially in the LULUCF (Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry) sector, were monopolised by carbon trading, while targets to reduce emissions domestically in Annex 1 countries were forgotten. Sooner or later, this will mean that Indonesia's remaining forests will come under additional pressure, providing more ammunition for the continuing, unresolved conflicts over tenure in forests.

Regrettably, the Indonesian government has not taken a good position on this issue. Its commitment to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is an empty promise in the climate change negotiations. The government has not made many changes or improvements in managing the forestry sector.

Policies that mean further conversion of the remaining natural forests are still being approved, including the plan to develop a Timber Plantation Partnership programme in natural forests and the authorisation of 20 Annual Work Plan licences in natural forests, to supply the pulp industry in Riau. The government still has no intention of giving clear recognition to existence of indigenous peoples rights over forests/land, saying instead that REDD is a form of such recognition.

Meanwhile, the role of National Climate Change Council (DNPI) is a cause for serious concern, as this body has not dared to correct the SBY administration's commitments on climate change. One urgent task is to ensure that action is taken by the government to put in order the various overlapping policies between government departments.

Based on the above, together with other civil society organisations around the world, CSF will continue to monitor the ongoing negotiation process and will continue to demand climate justice for the people living on this planet. CSF is therefore calling on all official government delegations from all countries not to ignore climate justice at the negotiating table and to clearly demand of Annex 1 countries that they fulfil their commitments as soon as possible to reduce their emissions at home by 40% by the year 2020, and that they do this without using any offsetting mechanism. Financial support for adaptation must also be in the form of grants, not loans, and Annex 1 countries also have the obligation to fully support community-based clean energy development programmes (wind, solar cell, microhydro) in developing countries.

Contact:

1. Giorgio Budi Indarto, Coordinator, CSF. (081385770196)
2. Teguh Surya, Head of Advocacy, Walhi (Friends of the Earth). (081371894452)
3. Siti Maimunah, Coordinator, Jatam (0811920462)
4. Riza Damanik, Secretary General, Kiara. (0818773515)
   

1. Climate justice is the right to justice between generations, based on the principles of people's welfare, restoring the sustainability of environmental services and protection of the people's productivity. This means that all generations – both current and future – have the right to be secure from the effects of climate change and are capable of adapting to climate change in a way that is just.
2. After COP 2 in Geneva, the US indicated that it would only accept a UN climate change treaty if it did not threaten its industry. In the run-up to COP 3 in Japan, the US made a further request that market mechanisms were introduced into the Kyoto Protocol. Nevertheless, the US still refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, even though its requests had been accommodated by requiring an emissions reduction of just 5.2% from the 1990 baseline and creating three mechanisms – carbon trading, joint implementation and the clean development mechanism.
3. The Indonesian Civil Society Forum (ICSF) for Climate Justice is a network of 30 civil society organisations concerned about climate justice and environmental sustainability.