Edition 25: Brazil, Indonesia and DRC to Form the OPEC of Rainforests
Brazil, Indonesia and DRC to Form the OPEC of Rainforests
Source: Lingchor / Unsplash
During the annual 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Summit (more commonly known as COP27), Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Brazil are in talks to form a strategic alliance to protect a large chunk of the world’s remaining rainforests.
The alliance, which has been hailed by many as the OPEC of rainforests, is based on the campaign promise of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil. Many perceive this to be a response to the outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro’s lax environment policy, that stripped environmental protections leading to mass deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
Deforestation has been an issue facing Borneo, Congo, and the Amazon as excess logging has led to increased carbon emissions and threatens biodiversity. Deforestation in Indonesia has been mostly attributed to the palm oil and mining industry.
The planned alliance will work to pressure rich nations to further contribute towards the protection of rainforests by creating a global market of carbon offsets, which is an accounting mechanism where a polluting company buys carbon credits to make up for the greenhouse gasses it emits.
However, in places like Brazil and Cambodia, carbon offset programs have struggled as pressures to cut down the rainforest overwhelmed the payments being issued to protect it. Many have argued that carbon offsets promote greenwashing, removing companies from liability for their actions.
While the rate of deforestation in Indonesia has hit record lows last year, experts say these figures are attributed to wetter weather and economic issues rather than a concerted effort by the government to decrease deforestation.
The issue of deforestation becomes even more opaque in Indonesia as the government has been on a hostile campaign against academics researching climate effects in Indonesia. Some conservation researchers were even banned for reportedly discrediting the government.
While Indonesia has underscored the need for burden-sharing in the fight against climate change, urging bigger countries to help smaller countries in the fight against climate change, activists have said that the government’s continued dependence on coal has continued to hinder the country’s climate targets.
What Is Up, Indonesia?
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Indonesia to Deport All Foreigners Interfering with G20: Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration is determined to deport any foreign nationals who interfere with the G20 summit in Bali, with many NGOs and foreign nationals barred from protesting the event.
📈 Economics, Business & Technology
GoTo to Layoff 10% of Workforce: Bloomberg cites anonymous sources who say that the biggest tech company in Indonesia is looking to layoff more than 1000 of its staff after months of speculation amidst the large layoffs in the Indonesian tech sector.
Government Posts Fastest Growth in a Year, but Outlook Uncertain: Indonesia's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than a year in the third quarter, underpinned by improved investment and government spending, but economists warn of tougher times ahead.
🏛️ Society & Culture
Karen’s Diner Opens in Jakarta Next Month: A restaurant called Karen's Diner, which was first launched in Australia back in 2021, has now announced that it would soon operate in Indonesia. You’ll get your food served by unfriendly and disrespectful waitresses!
Sandiaga Uno Expects no Cancellations of Concerts in 2022: Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, debunked allegations that Indonesian festivals and concerts are prohibited until December. In light of previous crowd disturbances, the provincial government is considering tightening event permit restrictions, according to interim governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono.
🌳 Science, Environment & Health
BPOM Finds Counterfeit Raw Materials in Syrup Medicines: The food and drug watchdog claims that various pharmaceutical companies used counterfeit raw materials that caused the cases of kidney failures in hundreds of children in the country.
Government Insists on Expanding the HSR Project, Despite Financial Issues: The government is insisting on proceeding with the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway (HSR) project by extending the Jakarta-Bandung HSR to Surabaya despite the financial challenge of completing the Jakarta-Bandung project.
What We're Reading
In relation to the OPEC of rainforests and the issue surrounding deforestation, let’s take a moment to consider the various environmental issues in Kalimantan, such as 150 years of forest crime, and how this will ultimately affect the people living there as the government works to construct Indonesia's new capital:
Kalimantan’s Warning: The Intertwined Dynamics of Environmental Degradation and Internal Migration: “For 150 years, migration has helped drive environmental degradation in Kalimantan. But now, in a cruel, reverse twist of fate, environmental degradation is forcing the people of Kalimantan to migrate. This fate awaits us all unless we can overturn fundamental assumptions about natural resources, nationalism, colonialism, capitalism, and development.” – Lengga Pradipta (LIPI), New Naratif
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~ Cult Leader Sharon
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