EU spends over $306 mln to curb Indonesia’s carbon emissions

The European Union has spent 250 million euros (USD306 million) on environmental projects in Indonesia aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

At the launch of Blue Book 2012 Report on EU-Indonesia Development Co-operation the head of the EU delegation to Indonesia, Julian Wilson, told the press that: “Actually, half of the 500 million euro (USD612. million) grant that came from European Union member states in 2010 has been used for environmental purposes. So, it is quite a big area of co-operation between EU and Indonesia.”  

In 2010, eight European countries (France, Germany, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Finland) and the EU allocated over 291 million euros for co-operation programs aimed at supporting environmental issues in Indonesia.

A year later the EU and Indonesia negotiated environmental issues by creating the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. The agreement is aimed at contributing to sustainable forest management by addressing issues such as illegal logging and enabling the access of legally harvested timber products to European markets.

According to Antara, Wilson responded to comments that expenditure on environment provided no returns, by saying low carbon investment would benefit Indonesia in the long run. “With the best timber resources in the world, Indonesia can reap benefits in many ways,” he said.

Earlier this week Indonesia launched a new Timber Legality Information System designed as a more efficient and effective mechanism for assuraning on the legality of timber exports.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to cut carbon emissions in by 26 per cent by 2020 compared to "business as usual levels", with the possibility of further reducing emissions by up to 41 per cent if the country received international support, prompting the EU to engage in a joint commitment with Indonesia.

Indonesia is considered to be the world's fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, primarily as a result of forrestry activities and "land-use change" (i.e. forest fires).