BALI - "For the future of mother earth and
the human race, this December, the United Nations
Conference on Climate Change will unite the world
in Bali, a magical island in Indonesia, the lungs
of the earth," the narrator says over shots of
cascading waterfalls, leaping dolphins, terraced
rice fields and devout Balinese in procession at
sunset. "For our green and clean future, Indonesia
welcomes the world to Bali."
"Let's save
our planet," adds Indonesia's President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono says. "Together we can," he adds
in unison
with a
rainbow ensemble of youngsters surrounding him.
The United National Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference now underway
in Bali allows Indonesia to show the world that
it's part of the solution to global warming. But
whatever it says in TV spots or at the high level
meetings this week, Indonesia is a major, growing
part of the problem. Largely thanks to the rapid
cutting and burning of its forests, Indonesia is
now the world's third largest emitter of
greenhouse gases. But among the international
organizations in attendance, facts like that
appear to count for far less than good manners and
a well-turned phrase.
World Resources
Institute climate change senior associate Hilary
McMahon calls Denmark and Poland, hosts of UNFCCC
for 2008 and 2009, "honest brokers". In contrast,
Indonesia is a key player with an agenda, for both
domestic and international audiences. As host of
the conference, Indonesia is the nominal chair of
its sessions and has sway over the tone and
outlook of the conference.
"Each COP
[Conference of Parties, the formal term for the UN
meeting] has been heavily influenced by the host
country," says Haresh Bhojwani of Columbia
University's International Research Institute for
Climate and Society. "In Nairobi in 2006, there
was a lot of discussion about poverty, African
development, the vulnerability of the poor to
climate issues. In Indonesia in 2007, the focus is
on cities, on rapidly developing economies that
are more carbon intensive, and forestry. Rotating
the meetings between regions gives more parts of
the world a chance to get heard," Bhojwani adds.
The host's voice, backed by a chorus of
swaying palms and swaying hips of the Balinese
Legong dance, is thus unlikely to be contradicted.
Among the most controversial issues facing climate
negotiations is developing country emissions,
currently exempt from controls under the Kyoto
Protocol. There's logic to that.
There's
also the reality that China and Indonesia, numbers
one and three on the emissions parade, are not
saddled with restrictions, and the United States,
number two, says it won't sign an agreement that
doesn't include controls on all major emissions
sources. "Mandatory limits for developing
countries are not off the table," UNFCCC executive
secretary Ivo de Boer said at the end of week one,
"but they're moving toward the edge."
There will be a compromise on this issue
or no meaningful agreement. But with a host
country that insiders say is not aiming to pull
developing countries toward a compromise and
participants hopped up on North versus South world
rhetoric, the UNFCCC won't tackle this tough
question in Bali.
REDD
zone The
compromise most likely to emerge in the coming
years will involve offsetting measures for
developing countries rather than emissions limits.
Forests are an asset that Indonesia can use for
offsets, and a proposal known as REDD - Reducing
Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation -
will bring payments in exchange for preserving
"the lungs of the earth".
"If the world
wants to be healthy, it needs to help the
forests," Indonesia's Environment Minister and
Bali COP president Rachmat Witoelar. He admits
that Indonesia is "maybe five years" away from the
capability to protect its forests from illegal
logging and fires. In international organization
speak, that's not a reason to oppose the program
but to offer Indonesia "capacity building". WRI's
McMahon calls Indonesia's promotion of REDD at
Bali "a coup de etat that will give huge
financial transfer to developing countries".
The host country has been pushing REDD as
an alternative to other programs, such as CCS -
Carbon Capture and Storage - championed by desert
nations to put carbon back in the ground, or CDM -
Clean Development Mechanism - "too complicated",
according to Witoelar. One CDM complication is its
focus on the private sector and communities with
limited government involvement. REDD, on the other
hand, is likely to provide direct payments to
governments.
Those TV commercials and the
red carpet in Bali are part of the campaign to
convince the world that Indonesia's government can
be trusted, even though it ranks nearly as high in
the global corruption tables as the carbon tables.
Approaching a decade since the end of Suharto's
authoritarian New Order, Indonesia has the
trappings of democracy, but corruption and
unaccountable government remain the rule.
"As a government, we are mainstreaming
climate change issues," chief of the Indonesian
delegation to Bali Emil Salim says. "A year ago,
two years, ago, no one was talking about climate
change. Now you have to talk about it if you want
to be part of the in group."
The
77-year-old economist, part of ex-president
Suharto's so-called "Berkley mafia" brain trust
and his environment minister during 15 years of
intensive deforestation, Salim doesn't shy from
talk about corruption. He uses the analogy of the
government as a soccer team, with the climate
change foes on the right wing and corruption the
left.
"We have the ball on the right and
we want to advance it. All we can do is make sure
we don't let the left wing kick the ball into our
own goal," Salim says. "Let's have a division on
labor: some of us deal with climate change, some
of us deal with corruption."
"Indonesia is
saying we are a government that's committed to
solving this problem," WRI's McMahon says and Bali
participants appear to believe it. "Indonesia is
willing and ready to accept international
support," Oxfam senior policy advisor on climate
change Antonio Hill says.
One
constituency, however, remains skeptical:
Indonesian environmental activists. In Bali and
beyond, they usually talk about opposition to REDD
in terms of retaining community control or
preventing a sell-out to foreigners. Strip away
the rhetoric, and their message is clear: "We are
not opposing REDD," Friends of the Earth-Indonesia
(known by the Indonesian acronym WALHI) climate
campaign coordinator Torry Kuswardo says. "We are
against REDD if it involves the Indonesian
government.
"After Bali, Indonesia may
look like part of the solution. It's put out good
meals, there's a beautiful dining room, but if you
see the kitchen, it's a mess," Kuswardo explains.
"There should be no new programs or initiatives
until there is reform in the government."
"What's important is that Indonesia has
stood up and said 'help us'," McMahon adds of the
host country's new face on display in Bali. But
Bali is famous for its traditional Topeng or mask
dance and the Indonesian government's show at the
conference seems to be more about hiding itself
than helping the planet.
Gary
LaMoshi has worked as a broadcast producer,
print reporter and editor in the US and Asia.
Longtime editor of investor rights advocate
eRaider.com, he's also a contributor to Slate and
Salon.com, and a counselor for Writing Camp
(www.writingcamp.net).
(Copyright 2007
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