My Climate at Risk

Sacrifices That We Made

Written by : Fancy Anastasia

Tangkaluk, a nickname given by Dayak’s tribe for their most sacred animals, Indonesia’s Anaconda. Phyton the King of Kalimantan Rain forest who was one of the endangered animals have to meet a tragic ends when his home got burned. The fascinating animals who can imitate other animal’s voice to attract its prey have to be burned alive with the blazing fire that burned their home. Because of its gigantic size, Tangkaluk cannot save itself. 

Animals and our nature are the one who suffers the most because of our greed. The greed to rather burnt half of the rain forest that was a home to many and beloved to others. They would choose to be ignorant and blatantly denied of the crisis in front of us, rather that acknowledging and trying to make amend.  The incentive that they gained by sacrificing our forest is not to benefit us all, but for the few. If deforestation keeps on happening right under our nose, without us even doing anything about it, how do we answer the future generation?

Deforestation is the clearing or thinning of forest by human. Deforestation symbolize one of the major concerns in global land use. According to WWF, the threats for every forest around the world manifest themselves in the form of deforestation and forest degradation. Its affecting global Deforestation is the warmest environmental issues today (Dewi, 2016). The interdependent relationships that bind climate change, global warming, carbon emission and deforestation are clear. 

Deforestation not only impacting us by the increasing gas emission but also the low quality of our global temperature. Global demand in forest-resources based a taken up a huge sum of the tropical forest area. Each day, every nation are losing more and more biodiversity hotspot. Real cases can be taken from Indonesia recent forests turned to land already increased the diplomatic tension among neighboring country due to gas and carbon emission from the fire just for the sole reason to clear land for farming. 

Indonesia has one of the highest has rapid deforestation rates in the world (Rainforest Action Network, 2019). In 1960, almost 75% percent area in Indonesia were forested, but Indonesia’s forest current state only shows just under half of the original forest remains. Traces of lack prevention and reaction can be seen from how unique species that Indonesia proudly had are currently in the brink of extinct. The scale of forest destruction in Indonesia is so significant that the impact can be felt from global level. It keeps on increasing because government failure in applying stricter rule for corporate control on land and handling illegal logging. 

Following deforestation, In late 2018, based on the data from global forest watch, Omdomesoa os the larhest global contributor to the emissions of a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, spewing 240 to 447 million tons of CO2 anually from agriculture and the conversion of carbon rich forest to plantation and other use. 

Important agreements and social movement have been encouraged through our multination in stopping deforestation and reducing gas emissions. The first major international conference to bring the first ever United Nations Strategic Plan for Forest 2017-2030 on adoption of forest topic in 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Urgent action is still needed for deforestation crisis. Communities and private sector has played an active role on forest management. 

The traces for Indonesia on committing to take control of the environment for the better can be seen with Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the first phase of the project is through how Indonesia had committed to reduce our gas emission by 29% (with our own pace) or 41% (with international intervention) by the year of 2030. In 2017, though Indonesian law UU No.16/2016 about ratification of Paris Agreement, government has stated that the NDC target will be accomplished through forestry sector, energy including transportation, waste, industry, and agriculture. (IESR, 2019).Climate experts has said there is a rapid mobilization from the indonesian government, the private sector, and the global community to shift the country to a new climate-conscious paradigm.

Following the country’s project, Indonesia’s president has made a temporary moratorium on forest clearing permits for plantation on logging (Jong, 2019)). Based on the data acquired from Indonesia’s ministry of environment and forestry, during 7 period where moratorium has been implicated, deforestation rate in areas covered by licensing ban in 2011 to 2018 is down to 38 percent.  But, according to Jong (2019 article, one of the activist stated the moratorium hasn’t helped slow the loss of primary forest, and actually the deforestation rate has increased within the areas that have met the moratorium qualification. 

Indonesia has plenty of regulation towards environment. But they rarely took it seriously and be forthcoming about the real fact of our environment condition. The head of Greenpeace’s Southeast Asia forest campaign begin to doubt that the Indonesia’s forest moratorium just for show or propaganda. The real effect weren’t visible. To depict our current situation, take a look of the emerging fire from Sumatra and Borneo Islands. The illegal blazing to clear the path for land and agriculture plantations has been our annual problems. In Forest Moratorium, Indonesia has clearly prohibited any action for carbon rich primary forest already defined under Indonesian law. But what about the secondary forest? Shouldn’t we be protecting them too?

I would like the future generation can witness so many unique animals not in book of extinct animals, but they can actually see them living, breathing, and safe in their forest. Sumatra’s forest fires has been an annual occurrence in Indonesia, for our lack of ignorance has reached this devastating stage. Due to our geographical situation, the fire not only affected us, but other nations as well. Lets stop being ignorant, lets stop from the urge to look away, this climate catastrophe has been worse enough not only to us but t=for the animals who suffers greatly from the loss of their home. But the government has failed in taking precaution for climate action or even the more important, reaffirming previous commitments that are made. 

Indonesia needs to redirect their focus on activities. In preventing by reaffirming Indonesia commitmentsto fully implement the Paris Agreements. Enhancing Indonesia NDC by 2020 in presenting concrete, realistic plans that are compatible to Indonesia’s current situation. In order to enhance, it should be done by creating Sustainable forest management by achieve a permanent forest-clearing moratorium, protecting what’s left of Indonesia’s rain forest (approximately 660,000 square kilometres). 

Additional Development that shall be added according to IESR, Sustainable forest management supports job creation and income diversification. Conservation, restoration and sustainable management of natural areas could support mental health and well-being. Sustainable forest management will teach local forest users about law regulation and also policy to participate in society while receiving education needed in providing technical skill and knowledge. 

This practices has been applied in various nations such as Costa Rica and Norwegian. Costa Rica has managed to developed strategies in decreasing deforestation while enhancing reforestation. While Norwegian government manage to be committed in achieving zero deforestation. Norwegian decision has impacted on how the country’s signature in New York Declaration on Forest (2030).

The complication of natural disasters, environmental degradation, extension of poverty are making our fights and struggle against climate crisis and deforestation individually impossible. With that being said, a comprehensive and an accountable solution with everyone best interests are needed to overcome these challenges. Lastly, I would like to sincerely offers my effort in increasing awareness and exposure of how we as people needs to fight for our climate safety by urging the government to actually take a stern action and be serious for once in facing the crisis of our climate. 

Bibliography

Coca, N. (2018, December 6). the most important country for the global climate no one is talking about. Retrieved from Vox: Vox.com

Dewi, D. P. (2016). Deforestation of Indonesia: Study of Goverment policy Implementation. Environment Management and Policy, 1-10.

IESR. (2019, August 09). The Ambition Call. Retrieved from Institute for Essential Services Reform: http://iesr.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Indonesia_Ambition_Call.pdf

Global Forest Watch. (n.d.). Indonesia. Retrieved from Global Forest Watch: globalforestwatch.org

Jong, H. N. (2019, August 14). Indonesia Forest-clearing Ban is Made Permanent, but Labeled 'Propaganda'. Retrieved from Mongabay: news.mongabay.com

Rainforest Action Network. (2019). ran.org. Retrieved from Indonesian Rainforest: https://www.ran.org/indonesian-rainforests/