Fidelis E Satriastanti – As the climate talks in Bangkok draw near, environmentalists are worried that the country would be unable to gain much from the negotiations because of its lack of focus and overlapping policies.
The UN climate talks, which will be held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 9, are considered the start of "negotiating mode." Climate negotiators will try to trim down about 200 pages of text on mitigation and adaptation efforts, funding mechanisms, technology transfer and deeper emissions cuts.
The leaders of the G-20 countries are currently meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where climate change is on the agenda.
The Bangkok talks will be followed by a meeting in Barcelona, Spain, which aims to reach an agreement to be presented at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December.
"Indonesia has never shown strong leadership even from the previous inter-sessional meetings in Bonn, Germany, by addressing what we really want, what we have to offer, or what other countries should do [to help us]," said Giorgio Budi Indrato, coordinator of the Indonesian Civil Society Forum for Climate Justice. He compared the country to Bolivia, which has been very bold in demanding for what they needed.
Riza Damanik, the general secretary of the Fisheries Justice Coalition, said the government was too eager to sign proposals without focusing on negotiations.
"Indonesian diplomacy has the tendency to bite off more than it can chew," he said. "Meanwhile, at the national level, there are indications that sectors [of the government] are still very reluctant to take active steps in tackling climate change."
Giorgio said Indonesia's bargaining position was too weak at the international level.
"The reason for this is that it is very crucial to force developed countries to come forward with ambitious plans to reduce their emissions. After that, they'll talk about ways to deal with mitigation and adaptation efforts," he said.
"Basically, Indonesia could have the power [to force developed countries], but overlapping policies at the national level have left us powerless on the negotiating table."
Yuriyun, a representative of Aceh's indigenous people community, said the government should guarantee transparency on climate change issues.