Stories From Indonesia

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Op-Ed: Indonesia’s Version of Trading in the Climate Crisis

“..cast the country as self-serving in the collective fight against climate change..”

Editor
3–4 minutes
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trading in Climate Crisis Hashim Style, Tempo Magazine, Nov 15, 2024

Brother of Indonesia’s newly sworn in President Prabowo Subianto, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, presents green projects and carbon trading at COP29, sparking concerns over the credibility of Indonesia’s climate policy.

For the first time, Indonesia’s delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference is being headed by a businessman. And not just any businessman. Hashim Djojohadikusumo, the younger brother of President Prabowo Subianto, is heading the Indonesian delegation at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan this week.

As in previous COPs, this year’s summit, being held from November 11 to 22, brings together representatives from 197 countries to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. The key goal: to prevent the planet’s temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Achieving this target requires countries to cut global emissions by 45% from the current annual output of 53 billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent.

Indonesia has put forward a proposal to reduce emissions by 31.89% independently, and 43.2% with international assistance—a target unchanged since COP27 in Egypt two years ago. These goals are based on the country’s projected 2010 baseline emissions of 2.87 billion metric tons of CO₂ equivalent by 2030.

But emissions reduction wasn’t the centerpiece of Indonesia’s agenda at COP29. Traditionally, countries have progressively raised their emissions reduction targets at each COP. Indonesia’s previous target of a 26% reduction, set during COP22 in 2016, has been gradually increased. This year, however, the focus shifted under Hashim’s leadership to promoting green projects designed to attract grants and funding from wealthy nations and international institutions.

In his speech at the opening of the Indonesian Pavilion, Hashim highlighted initiatives such as energy transition projects, carbon capture technologies, and Indonesia’s forest carbon reserves. His rhetoric resembled that of a salesman, portraying climate crisis mitigation programs as lucrative commodities.

Hashim, for instance, pointed to carbon capture storage technology with a potential capacity of 500 million metric tons and Indonesia’s forest carbon stock of 577 million metric tons. He also touted renewable energy projects totaling 100 gigawatts in capacity. These are all components of Indonesia’s vision for participating in the global carbon trading market.

However, scientific studies have repeatedly shown that carbon trading schemes yield only minimal emissions reductions. Such schemes often facilitate “greenwashing,” allowing wealthy countries and industries to continue polluting while offsetting emissions through carbon absorption projects in developing nations like Indonesia.

In essence, Hashim’s approach frames the climate crisis as an economic opportunity, prioritizing carbon trading over substantive mitigation strategies. Instead of focusing on initiatives to curb deforestation, advance energy transitions, or implement environmentally friendly programs that directly reduce emissions, Hashim has positioned Indonesia as a haven for greenwashing.

Notably absent from Hashim’s presentation were discussions on controversial food estate projects, which have driven deforestation by clearing forested areas, or downstream processing initiatives that exacerbate deforestation through extractive industries. This selective narrative risks undermining Indonesia’s climate credibility on the global stage, casting the nation as a profit-driven actor cloaked in a veneer of green projects.

Carbon trading, while potentially lucrative, should be a supplementary mechanism, not the centerpiece of climate mitigation. Prioritizing trading over measures like deforestation reduction or energy transitions diminishes Indonesia’s ability to negotiate favorable green funding terms and carbon pricing that align with its rich biodiversity and tropical ecosystems.

Compounding these concerns is the glaring conflict of interest posed by Hashim’s leadership. As a businessman operating in the forestry and energy sectors, Hashim could potentially benefit from the very projects he promotes, raising ethical questions about his role at COP29.

During the tenure of recently-retired President Joko Widodo (President from 2014 to 2024), carbon trading policies were carefully withheld to prevent abuses and mitigate greenwashing risks. However, under Hashim’s influence, the safeguards appear at risk of unraveling, leaving Indonesia vulnerable to hasty implementation of carbon trading schemes.

Rather than elevating Indonesia’s stature, Hashim’s approach has cast the country as self-serving in the collective fight against climate change. His speech at COP29 reinforces fears that the conference is becoming less about serious climate action, and more about economic posturing and crisis profiteering.

This article is based on https://www.tempo.co/kolom/mitigasi-krisis-iklim-indonesia-cop29-1168400.

In related news:

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Trending

Discover more with Stories From Indonesia

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue Reading