The United States government recently pledged to set aside US$450 million for environmental and climate change cooperation with Indonesia, its envoy to Indonesia Scot Marciel said here on Tuesday.
“Basically the US has made a commitment to assist Indonesia in achieving its target in tackling the impacts of climate change, reduce gas emissions and implementing other environment-related projects,” said the ambassador.
Marciel said the funds would be used to finance projects such as promotion of environmentally sustainable economic growth, strengthen climate change policy, conserve tropical forests, protect coastal communities and fisheries, move forward on the Low Emission Development Strategies (SOLUSI) project and improve air quality.
On the promotion of environmentally sustainable economic growth, the US will assist Indonesia in implementing a Green Prosperity Project totaling $332.5 million to support environmentally sustainable economic growth through enhancing management of forests, peat lands, and other natural resources and deployment of renewable energy.
On strengthening climate change policy, the US is providing $6.9 million in support “with matching funds from Norway” for the new Indonesia Climate Change Center (ICCC), which will focus on mapping and monitoring of carbon-rich peat lands and tropical forests with expertise from the U.S. Forest Service, bringing the best available science and analysis to policy leaders on key strategies and decisions to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
On conserving the tropical forests, the US and Indonesia last September have signed a second Tropical Forest Conservation Act Agreement (TFCA) that allows for a debt-for-nature swap of $28.5 million to support tropical forest conservation.
On protecting coastal communities and fisheries, the US plans to provide at least $40 million over five years to support the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security, a multilateral partnership between Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands to safeguard the Southeast Asia region’s extraordinary marine and coastal biological resources. In addition, bilateral support to improve fisheries and coastal management in Indonesia is expected to total $35 million over five years.
On moving forward the SOLUSI project, the US has initiated $58 million in new USAID programs in management of forests, marine resources, and clean energy as part of our existing $119 million SOLUSI partnership with Indonesia on low emissions development.
On ways to improve air quality, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment signed an MOU in June 2011, expanding environmental cooperation, and formalizing cooperation on “Breathe Easy, Jakarta” to improve air quality and protect public health.
