Climate change team yet to be formed

Adianto P. Simamora,

The Jakarta Post - April 18, 2008

Original URL

The government is unlikely to meet its deadline for establishing a special climate change commission because of cautiousness and tough negotiations.

"We are still in the process (of setting up the commission)," State Minister for the Environment Rahmat Witoelar told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"We are now harmonizing the plan across all sectors to make sure the commission will not be rejected after it is established."

The commission was originally scheduled to be set up by the end of April.

The responsibilities of the planned powerful commission will include monitoring the national action plan for fighting climate change and teaching people to adapt to frequent changes in the weather.

The commission will also manage all funds earmarked for dealing with climate change, including the billions of dollars in grants expected from wealthy countries to help Indonesia reduce emissions.

The action plan was launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono while he was attending the climate change conference in Bali last December.

The action plan consists of steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy, agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors.

The government said the establishment of the climate change commission would be a follow-up to the Bali conference.

A source at the ministry said a draft of the presidential regulation on the planned commission was now at the State Secretary's office, pending the President's approval.

"The most intensive talks revolve around how to manage a commission whose members all work full time," the source said.

According to the source, Rachmat's office has proposed Agus Purnomo, special assistant to the minister on international environmental issues, as leader of the commission.

Agus was formerly the national head of the Bali conference on climate change.

The Coordinating Ministry for the People's Welfare has two candidates for the position: Mahendra Siregar, deputy minister for international economic and financial cooperation, and Rizal Malarangeng, special adviser to the minister.

Mahendra is currently a member of the United Nations Adaptation Board. Rizal is the host of MetroTV's Save Our Nation program.

The State Secretary's office has proposed Armi Susandi, a climate change expert from the Bandung Institute of Technology. Armi is currently the project manager for the second National Communication, which will calculate the country's total emissions.

Armi previously released a study showing parts of the capital, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, will become submerged due to rising sea levels caused by climate change.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla has warned of the severe impact of climate change on the country's agricultural sectors.

He said the country would be able to export rice if there were no extreme weather changes this year.

Kalla said last week he was not aware of the government's plan to set up the commission.

Read more... Sphere: Related Content