To produce without sacrificing forests is no longer an illusion, said Bustar Maitar, the head of Greenpeace’s forest campaign, with optimistic on the event Forests Asia Summit at Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta, Tuesday (6/5).
The statement is referring to the reality that Indonesia’s economy is growing up, although forest moratorium policy already imposed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) since 2011. “Indonesia’s economy heading into world number 10 during the moratorium policy,” said Bustar.
He also appreciates the zero deforestation policy which currently have been conducted by at least 40 global companies. Some of Indonesia’s giant companies that have been committed with this are Golden Agri Resources and Asia Pulp and Paper.
It is certainly not finished yet. “Before he stepped down, SBY Government should ratify the Peat Protection Law because drying peat by Corporation becomes a major trigger of land fires,” Bustar hopes.
Climate Change Continues Becomes The Spotlight
“1983-2012 period was the warmest period of the earth over the past 400 years. If we don’t do something, in the middle of this century the Arctic ice will be destroyed,” reviews Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-IPCC, Rajendra K. Pachauri in his speech. He mentions, this change has an impact on melting ice at the poles, the ocean warms up to depth of 700 meters, also the rising of sea level that threatens the existence of the coastal areas and islands.
Pachauri insisted that mitigation is easier and cheaper than fixing the risk that occurs later. The cost of mitigation required for nothing more than 0.06% global GDP to hit its target of emission reductions that proclaimed. By taking this step the Earth populations will at least feel the positive effects of energy security, low levels of pollution, as well as protected ecosystem.
Similar to this, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who delivered speech, invites all the ASEAN leaders to continue to commit on sustainable land use and investment practices that isn’t sacrifice natural resources. Proudly, he delivered some achievement of environmental protection, reached in his reign, such a moratorium policy, planting four billion trees and others.
Meanwhile, the head of BP REDD, Heru Prasetyo stressed the importance of a particular approach as a climate change mitigation measures. “Landscape approach is the beginning of a sustained development, especially after paying attention to the impact of climate change,” he said.
According to Heru, this is actually started to be discussed since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 which later led to the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), the UNCBD (United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity), and the UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), the United Nations Convention related to climate change, biodiversity and the spread of desert on earth.
The Directorate General of CIFOR Peter Holmgren also argued that Southeast Asia should ideally be vanguard of the battle in balancing the various needs of a population that continues to grow, the economy that continued to grow and environmental protection. He hopes these stakeholders meeting, from government, civil society, academician and the private sector can provide a solution that is inclusive and equal to the harder challenges in the future. Azhari Fauzi.