Indonesia, Germany Sign Carbon Deal

Aug 28, 10:29 AM

Current Headlines: Text of report in English by Cheta Nilawaty, carried by Indonesian newspaper Tempo website on 28 August

Jakarta: The Forestry Department and Environment Ministry plan economic cooperation with the German government in reducing carbon emission. According to Forestry Minister Malam Sabat Kaban, so far Indonesia absorbs carbon from developed countries' industries without asking for any levies. "We never paid for the world's carbon absorption," he said Monday (27/8).

Yesterday, Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban along with State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar and Germany's deputy minister for economic cooperation and development [Karin Kortmann] signed a cooperation agreement for reducing carbon emission. In the agreement, Germany gives assistance of 20m euro for environmental preservation.

According to Kaban, Indonesia will suggest methodology that will be implemented into an industrial country to return the contribution. This December, an international conference on environmental and carbon emission will be held.

Karin Kortmann said that Germany gives Indonesia assistance amounting to 20m euro in order to guarantee environmental preservation. It is expected that environmental preservation will absorb carbon emission as peat moss in Indonesian forests.

[S]he said that the form of the cooperation can be human resources; nature and economic training in forestry. "It becomes an important foundation, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)," [s]he said.

Originally published by Tempo website, Jakarta, in English 28 Aug 07.

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