Rachmat Witoelar

Presidents Special Envoy for Climate Change, Indonesia

Challenges in Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement:

Some Reflections
Notes for Public Lecture
School of International and Public Affairs
Columbia University in the City of New York
April 19, 2016
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Prof. Glenn Denning, Prof. Shiv Someshwar
Esteemed members of the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Columbia University
My fellow Indonesians
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity to speak to you today. On this
occasion, let me congratulate the School of International and Public Affairs, which
between January 2016 and April 2017 is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a series of
events highlighting SIPAs contributions to global public policy.
The celebration is timely as last year we all witnessed how almost all countries agreed to
address global issues that threaten humankind. As many as 193 Member States of the
United Nations unanimously adopted a global agenda, 17 Sustainable Development Goals,
to end poverty by 2030 and pursue a sustainable future. Whereas, 196 Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted a landmark
deal, the Paris Agreement, to combat climate change, and unleash actions and investment
towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future.
INTRODUCTION
On this occasion, at the request of Prof. Shiv Someshwar as stated in his letter, I am going
to present some notes and insights on COP21 UNFCCC held last December and what I
consider important as a follow up and further implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Consequently, I would like to comment on the significant issues that policy makers and
elected officials would need to confront in the implementation of this accord.

At the outset, it is very important, to realize that the Paris Agreement is linked with the
Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a dual
relationship between sustainable development and climate change. On the one hand,
climate change influences key natural and human living conditions and thereby also the
basis for social and economic development, while on the other hand, societys priorities
on sustainable development influence both the Greenhouse Gas emissions that are
causing climate change and the vulnerability.
Janos Pasztor, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change, mentioned There are
12 goals, out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, that have very specific climate related
targets on energy, on forests, on food security, on education things that will feed into
successfully implementing the climate agreement.
What then would be the significant issues that policy makers and elected officials
would need to confront in the implementation of the Paris Agreement?
I would like to explore the answers with you by exploring three points for discussions:
First, what are the main challenges facing climate change?
Second, what are the main ingredients of the Paris Agreement?
Third, has the Paris Agreement developed new potentials in the fight against climate
change?
CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES
While sustainability is important, jobs and poverty alleviation are also critical. It is in this
context that development policy on sustainable growth with equity must also include
the development of all sectors of that promote the poverty alleviation efforts.
Significant challenges remain in addressing climate change, especially in development
sectors emitting considerable green house gas emissions: energy, industrial, forestry,
agricultural, water, coastal and marine sectors.
In the fight against climate change, policy makers and elected officials are facing general
challenges, identified by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
as follows:
1. Diverse sector of government (e.g. agriculture, finance, transport, energy, forestry)
2. Different levels of governance (e.g. national, sub-national, local, village level,
indigineous peoples)
3. Multitude of concerned stakeholders (e.g. private sector, research, academicians, civil
society)
4. Complex Issues (e.g. population dynamics, disease patterns, justice)
Climate solutions, mostly find roots and occur at local levels, more often than not
anonymously and spontaneously, and develop into the so-called local wisdoms.

The capacity of local stakeholders in developing low carbon development strategies and
adaptation to climate change should then be strengthened, including through awareness
raising activities directed not only for government agencies but also for private sectors
that have the potential to participate in the actions.
As a case in point, the Indonesian case could represent the problems facing developing
countries. The problems (and solutions) outlined would be worth inspecting as
representative cases.
Indonesia has long been an active member nation in the UNFCCC negotiating halls. We
were one of the first developing countries to declare a commitment to reducing
greenhouse gases. (Emission cut of 26% commitment in 2009 at the G-20 meeting in
Pittsburgh and later adopted at COP15 UNFCCC in Copenhagen).
Our country fully recognizes the importance of a multilateral outcome. We are committed
to working together to shape a global climate agreement that is legally binding and
applicable to all based on common but differentiated responsibilities and respective
capabilities.
The energy sector of Indonesia generates government revenues from sales of natural
resources to domestic and exports markets royalties and various taxes. The primary energy
used includes coal, natural gas, crude oil, diesel oil, hydropower and geothermal. It is
significant to note that it is increasing the percentage of renewables in its energy mix up to
23% in 2030.
The important industrial sub-sectors are mining and manufacturing, which together
account for about 78% of the industrial sector GDP.
A particular element of Indonesia is its forests that support the livelihood of 48.8 million
people, of which 60% is directly dependent on shifting cultivation, fishing, hunting,
gathering, logging, and selling wood and non-wood forest product
To note, Indonesia is a country of 2 million square km or 200 million hectares. 136 million
hectares are forests and wooded land. Its palm oil plantation is 9 million hectares, only 5%
of total land area and 7% of total forested and wooded land.
Rapid increase in agricultural plantation areas was mainly due to the high growth of palm
oil plantation, which increased exponentially over the last decade because of increasing
demands of domestic and international markets, including demand for biodiesel. This has
spurred protests and criticism by various organizations and has yielded accelerated
safeguards and new technologies to achieve a win-win format in handling the associated
problems.
In response, Indonesia has implemented a ban on palm oil plantation expansion, whilst
banning new permits. It issued a moratorium on deforestration as well as on peatland
exploitation. On the other hand it encourages increased commitments on landscape based
ecosystem restoration.

INGREDIENTS OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT

In December 2015, at the COP21, a long awaited agreement was decided. World leaders
representing around 196 parties came to agree to a set of goals to fight Climate Change
and conceive ways and means for a low carbon development strategies in the efforts to
fight and adapt to Climate Change.
This historic event was marked by the support and active participation of the private
sector, academia and NGOs as the rallying point of lay citizens.
This is the major improvement of the execution of the conference, namely the
inclusion of the so-called non-state actors in the preparations and subsequent
negotiations. This also serves as an effective strategy to increase ownership of the
subsequent decisions and galvanizing the Call for Action.
The decisions can be identified into different aspects:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

The legal aspects,

The mitigation actions,
The adaptation actions,
The means of implementations,
The reporting and transparency,
The role of non-state actors, and
The global lobby.

PARIS AGREEMENT AND ITS NEW POTENTIALS

The Paris Agreement is the ultimate realization and the manifestation of the dynamics of
climate change solutions; it is an awesome product but it is still not enough to address
constructively the mounting challenges of climate change as we speak.
We all realize that countries are in different stages of capacity building efforts.
That is why involvement of those who have been long involved in addressing climate
change such as Prof. Sachs and other distinguished scholars, myself, and many others in
this room is absolutely essential.
I invite you to explore the issues further through more collaboration between Columbia
University and Indonesian stakeholders.
In the legal aspects, Indonesia will sign the Paris Agreement on 22 April 2016 at the UN
Headquarters in New York.
A ratification process is to be followed as an umbrella for the development of other
regulations, and it is important to note that members as well as the leadership of the
relevant Parliamentary Commissions are already involved having been included in the
National Delegation for COP21 last December.
In the immediate future, a climate change law is necessary for Indonesia to ensure the
sustainable implementation of long-term climate change actions.

CONCLUSION
In this respect, we can conclude that the question posed in Prof. Sameshwars letter
has a threefold answer:
1. Increase peoples awareness and concern on the dangers of climate change and
instrumental to this is creating massive dissemination programs
2. Insist that policymakers and Govenments realize their pledges at the COPs in
particular the implementation of their INDCs
3. Realize that we have been trapped in a lose-lose position because of ultranationalistic sentiments and proceed immediately to instruct our negotiators to
be more flexible
Subsequently, the major strategy that we have to adopt is to accelerate and consolidate
all efforts to introduce and put into law Climate Friendly regulations in overcoming the
impasse amongst negotiating parties as members of the convention.
Furthermore, it should be realized that developed countries should be more progressive
in implementing their intended actions (NDCs) because the developing nations are
understandibly still preoccupied with poverty alleviation.
If the recent developments show that China, Indonesia, and India can be considered
proponents of a new situation being more progressive then the developed nations
should do more compared to the stipulations in the Paris Agreement.
There is a reason to all these, because at long last China and Indonesia (and other
developing nations) realize that poverty alleviation can be implemented simultaneously
(in a de-linked position) with climate change mitigation.
As for Indonesia, the situation is still consistent with its previous efforts in poverty
alleviation although it is facing a steep uphill road in its efforts to overcome the basic
needs such as food, water and energy. The biggest handicap is the lack of infrastructure
and the sheer weight of its large population, dispersed throughout 17,000 islands and
geography the length and width of Europe.
Indonesia urgently needs a breakthrough in these elements with or without international
assistance. Because once it can overcome these basic needs and benefit from its resource
potentials such as abundant but yet untapped supply of renewable energy and food
diversity, then the country can unleash its potentials in addressing climate change.
At the same time, the role and active participation of Indonesia in various international
negotiations continues receiving high expectation by the various parties since chairing the
COP13 (2007) in Bali. As such, Indonesia is obliged to prepare and establish basic positions
that puts forward its national interests, while continuing to contribute to the fight against
climate change.
Indonesia should also inform the international communities about the efforts that have been
or will be made in addressing climate change.
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It would be ideal if all developing Nations replicate these measures, and in turn push the
Developed Nations to do more and to take the lead.
In closing, The Paris Agreement is not the end of a global process as post-Paris talks will
focus on the details of the rules, procedures, mechanisms and modalities to ensure
effective implementation.
Perhaps, here at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia
University, Where the World Connects, with your help, we can retrace and revive back
the sentiments of our founding fathers that Indonesia is a sleeping giant and fulfill its part
in fighting Climate Change.
Thank you for your attention.

APPENDIX:
HIGHLIGHTS OF INDONESIAS CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITMENTS
1. Indonesias Voluntary Commitment to Reduce GHG Emissions
As stipulated in Presidential Decree 61, 2011, Indonesia is one of the first developing
countries to declare a commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by pledging
voluntary commitment of reducing 26% of GHG emission by 2020 and up to 41% with
international assistance. It was announced at the G-20 meeting in Pittsburg in 2009
and later adopted at COP15 in Copenhagen.
The emission reduction derives from various sectors: agriculture, forestry and peat
land, energy and transportation, industry, waste management, and other supporting
sectors. The National Action Plan serves as the basis for the Sub National Level
(Provinces) to develop their Sub National Action Plan for GHG Emission Reduction.
Sectors

Emission Reduction
Plan
(Giga ton CO2e)
26%

Agency

Additional
15%
(total 41%)

Forestry
and Peat

0.672

0,367

Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of

Environment, Ministry of Public Works,
Ministry of Agriculture

Waste

0.048

0.030

Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of

Environment

Agriculture

0.008

0.003

Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of

Environment

Industry

0.001

0.004

Ministry of Industry

Energy and
Transportation

0.038

0.018

Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of

Energy and Mining, Ministry of Public
Works

0.767

0.422

Table 1.

National Action Plan on Greenhouse Gases Emission Reduction

(Presidential Decree No. 61 of 2011)

2. Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC)

In September 2015, Indonesia submitted its INDC to the UNFCCC Secretariat. The
INDC describes unconditional GHG emissions reduction target of 29% and a
conditional 41% reduction by 2030 compared to business-as-usual projected
emissions. It covers emission reduction from various sectors: energy (including
transportation); industrial processes and product use; agriculture; land-use, land-use
change, and forestry; waste management.

3. National Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation

Indonesia is one of the countries that are most vulnerable to the negative impacts of
climate change. Generally, the global climate change model has predicted that
Indonesia will experience an increase in temperature, intensity of rainfall that will
increase the risk of floods and droughts, and extended dry seasons.
The National Agency for Disaster Management suggests that hydro-meteorological
disasters in Indonesia continue to increase from year to year. Floods, droughts, forest
fires and cyclones make up 90 percent of disasters in Indonesia. The disasters are
influenced by the dynamics of climate and weather, as well as being anthropogenic.
Indonesia considers climate mitigation and adaptation efforts as an integrated
concept that is essential for building resilience in safeguarding food, water, and
energy resources.
In 2014, the Government of Indonesia launched a National Action Plan on Climate
Change Adaptation or Rencana Aksi Nasional Adaptasi Perubahan Iklim (RAN-API).
The document consists of adaptation programs that should be mainstreamed in the
current and next Mid Term National Development Plan, which are 2015-2019 and
2020-2025. It is intended to set a course to achieve a resilient economy in Indonesia.
The targets, strategies and cluster of adaptation action plans are grouped into five
categories as follows:
- Economic resilience (food security and energy security)
- Livelihood resilience (health, housing, and infrastructure)
- Resilience of environmental services (ecosystem and biodiversity)
- Resilience of special areas (urban, coastal, and small islands)
- Supporting system (capacity building, information system, research and
development, planning and budgeting, as well as monitoring and evaluation
activities)
4. Biennial Update Report
In March 2016, the Government of Indonesia submitted its Biennial Update Report to
the UNFCCC Secretariat.
The report states that the average national GHG emissions in the period 2000-2012
were about 1,249,325 Gg CO2e (1.249 Gt CO2). The contribution of LUCF (including
peat fire) and energy sector to total emissions over the period of 2000-2012 were
about 51% and 32%, respectively as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Sectoral Emission Contribution to the National Emission 2002-2012

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