Notes

Climate change is marked by the shifting of climate's defining indicators, such as global temperature, rainfall, and weather pattern. It caused by human activity that increase the production of greenhouse gases (GHG) far above their normal amount in the atmosphere [1]. Over the geological eons, climate always change. The graph below shows temperature change in the nothern hemisphere from year 1000 to 2000. Climate scientist Michael E. Mann saw the change forms 'hockey stick' graph and we are heading upward in the end of the hockey stick [2]. That rapid change in the system that keeps Earth decent to house living being leaves a huge challenge for human and other organism to adapt.

Climate change has lead to the increase in global average temperature, sea levels rise, and altered weather pattern which in turn trigger wider change in the society, as human lives never fully independent from their environment. It directly threats human health with risk of heart attack from extreme heat, widening virus spread, dengue fever, and malaria. Indirectly, climate change caused water scarcity, crop failure, famine, and millions of refugees from rising sea level and desertification in their homelands. Extinction of plants and animals is a loss for biodiversity and can caused environment instability. Countries with small outer islands may suffer from boundary change as their islands sink. Expert predicted that climate change can create social unrest, war for water and energy, and security threat from rising number of refugees [3]. Diagram below explains the correlation between climate change and wider social consequences. Hence, climate change is more than an aloog environmental crisis but greatly affect individuals, governments, as well businesses.

A global commitment to cut carbon and other GHG emissions is needed to overcame this multidimension issue. Continously from Earth Summit in 1992 to Paris Agreement in 2015 which limit global warming to 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels and annual Conference of Parties (COP) efforts to build the desired global commitment have been begun [4]. Indonesia sits as the world's biggest thermal coal exporter and the 4th major carbon emitter, mainly from deforestation and land change (65,5%) rather than from energy use (22,6%) and industrial processes (1,4%) which are small but growing rapidly [5]. Indonesia pledged for 29% carbon reduction target (41% with international support) as national desired contribution (NDC). That target put Indonesia in the "unsufficient pledge" category by UNFCC. While Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) executive director Nur Hidayati stated the government was running "business as usual" effort in spite of the severing climate crisis, Environment and Forestry deputy minister Alue Dohong contradicted that the 29% commitment has been really ambitious [6]. This essay will identify the challenges and opportunities for Indonesia in enforcing GHG emissions reduction.

With 80,000 kilometres of coastline (second longest in the world) and more than 17,000 islands Indonesia is in high risk of climate change. As much as 42 millions people living in low-lying lands are vulnerable to sea levels rise [7]. Its position in the tropics also put Indonesia as the victim of 'positive feedback' law which leads warmer and drier environment [8]. The warmer temperature threatens Indonesia's high biodiversity, most notably the coral reef bleaching. Bappenas in National Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation listed 7 risks of climate change in Indonesia: diminishing fresh water stock, floods, seawater flooding, drought, dengue fever, malaria, and diarrhea spreading, decrease in rice production, and forest fire [9].

The workfield climate change control mainly divided into mitigation (assessing and preventing impact) and adaptation (reducing the GHG impact) [10].
In 2015, Directorate General Of Climate Change was formed under Ministry Of Environment And Forestry in order to formulate and implement policies in the field of climate change. With support from international body, it worked on conservation and restoration of forests and peatlands, developing geospatial technology to track climate change impacts, and knowledge center [11]. In 2017, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry launched Climate-Village Program (Program Kampung Iklim/Proklim) with target of 10,000 Proklims by 2030 to support conversion to renewable energy.

The top countries in net zero emission rate are either EU developed countries or archipelago countries prone to climate change (see below). They have much smaller land area, lesser population, and relatively more homogenous demography and geomorphology than Indonesia. Thus, the management for carbon-free policy is less complicated. Moreover, the developed countries already owns the technology and skills to support it. Climate fund is often unreachable by developing countries due to their unqualification to the standards given. Ratification of multiple climate convention has not been followed by sufficient law to implement it. Another research also pointed out aside from the lacking of law instrument, there are corruption in fund management that caused in failed climate change control effort due to lack of support [13].

The GHG reduction strategy has not been supported by the rest of government's policies. The latest initiation of omnibus law will loose the Environmental Impact Analysis (Analisis Mengenai Dampak Lingkungan/AMDAL) to give way for investment [14]. Despite of the clean energy convertion did by hundred of Proklim villages, Medium-Term Development Plan (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah/RPJMN) dictates the development of numerous coal plants to supply electricity power outside Java [15]. Government response to 2019 fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan is very slow. While El Niño was playing as a considerable factor, wide man-made deforestation done by palm oil companies should be investigated and punished properly. The dualism of government's policies is subject of critism [16].

Land forests, peatlands, and coastal ecosystems hold big potential for carbon storage.

[1] Kementerian PPN/Bappenas. 2013. "Rencana Aksi Nasional Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim (RAN-API): Perubahan Iklim dan Dampaknya di Indonesia". Online. Diakses pada tanggal 20 Januari 2020 dari

[2] Michael Mann. "Climate Change: The Science and Global Impact". edX Course. Ending by September 1, 2019.

[3] Abbott, Chriss. "An Uncertain Future: Law Enforcement, National Security, and Climate Change". Online. Oxford Research Group. Diakses pada tanggal 20 Januari 2020 dari

[4] Ezgi Ediboglu. " Effectiveness Analysis of the United Nations Climate Change Regime". Blog. School of Law University of Aberdeen. Diakses pada 19 Januari 2020 dari https://www.abdn.ac.uk/law/blog/effectiveness-analysis-of-the-united-nations-climate-change-regime/.

[5] Climate Links. "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Factsheet: Indonesia". Online. Diakses pada tanggal 20 Januari 2020 dari https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/greenhouse-gas-emissions-factsheet-indonesia.

[6] Kharishar Kahfi. "Indonesia Fails to Step Up Its Game on Climate Crisis". Jakarta Post. Diakses pada 19 Januari 2020 dari https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/12/26/indonesia-fails-to-step-up-its-game-on-climate-crisis.html.

[7] World Wildlife Fund. "Indonesia At Risk: Climate Change Threatens People And Nature." Online. ScienceDaily. Diakses pada 19 Januari 2020 dari www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130170615.htm.

[8] "Tropics Feel the Heat of Climate Change". Online. Scientific American. Diakses pada 20 Januari 2020 dari https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tropics-feel-the-heat-of-climate-change/.

[9] Kementerian PPN/Bappenas. 2013. "Rencana Aksi Nasional Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim (RAN-API): Perubahan Iklim dan Dampaknya di Indonesia". Online. Diakses pada 18 Januari 2020 dari

[10] Direktur Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim Ditjen Pengendalian Perubahan Iklim, KLHK.
"Arah Kebijakan dan Sasaran Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim di Indonesia". Online. Diakses pada 19 Januari 2020 dari

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