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Indonesia to focus on bilateral talks post-Marrakech
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Together we can: UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa (second left) and Morocco's Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar (center) celebrate after the proclamation of Marrakech, at the COP22 climate change conference, in Marrakech, Morocco, on Thursday. Governments meeting for UN climate talks have reiterated their commitment to the Paris Agreement with a proclamation saying climate action is "irreversible," the buzzword at the two-week conference after the uncertainty caused by the US election. (AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
T
he United Nations climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, concluded on Friday in more subdued tones than its Paris edition last year.
As delegates questioned United States commitments under the incoming administration led by president-elect Donald Trump, donor and recipient countries have yet to agree on guidelines for how international climate funding will be channeled and how the progress of emission cuts will be reported.
Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said she would focus on bilateral talks, instead of multilateral forums, to secure support for the country.
"Delegates from donor countries were excited about Indonesia and expressed intentions to initiate cooperation. This is something that we can achieve while waiting for results from the climate forum," she said on Friday.
Siti said while strengthening cooperation with Indonesia's committed donors such as Norway, Germany and the US, she had also begun talks with Canada and Japan about carbon trading and possible environmental projects.
Under the Paris agreement, nations pledged to make collective efforts to cut emissions to mitigate the catastrophic impacts of global warming on the planet.
Indonesia, in aiming to cut emissions by 29 percent by 2030 or 41 percent with international support, has submitted its first nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which elaborate on strategies to reach the goals.
Despite being heavily reliant on coal for energy, the government has also set a target to reduce the use of coal to a maximum of 30 percent by 2025 and 25 percent by 2050. More than half of the country’s energy is currently powered by coal.
The NDCs also include targets to increase renewable energy use to at least 23 percent by 2025 and 31 percent by 2050, from the current 9.9 percent.
The next climate talk in 2017 will be held in Bonn, Germany, under Fiji’s presidency. (hwa)
