November 03, 2009 15:31 PM

Greenpeace Calls On EU To Help Indonesia Protect Forests

JAKARTA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Environment organization Greenpeace has called on European Union (EU) leaders to help Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to protect the country's tropical rain forests.

Southeast Asia Greenpeace forest campaigner Bustar Maitar said in a written statement received by ANTARA news agency here, that the EU had accumulated its carbon historic debt by triggering deforestation and forest destruction outside its region.

He said now is the time for the EU leaders to be responsible by extending some reasonable public funds to prevent eradication of the remaining tropical rain forests.

According to the organzation, the pace of deforestation in the country has been the highest among other countries possessing forests in the world.

The organization states that destruction of peatland in Indonesia is responsible for four percent of global gas emissions resulting from human activities, Antara cited the statement as saying here.

This makes Indonesia the world's third largest producer of gas emissions after the US and China, he said.

The rate of gas emissions in the country is high because of the speed of deforestation and degradation and peatland fires.

Peatland in Southeast Asia is predicted to keep 42 billion tonnes of carbon and around 80 percent or 35 billion tonnes of the amount is kept in Indonesia, he said.

Peatland in Indonesia represents less than 0.1 percent of the earth but is responsible for 1.8 billion tonnes of gas emissions a year, he said.

In the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, the US, recently President Yudhoyono expressed his committment to reduce the gas emissions in Indonesia by 26 percent in 2020 up from 41 percent with international support.

With the pledge President Yudhoyono had shown his strong will and leadership as well as spirits to help the world prevent climate disorder.

-- BERNAMA

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