Climate Change Mitigation
Global warming presents serious risks and threatens the Earth's sustainability. If no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmoshpere could reach double its pre-industrial level as early as 2035 committing us to a global average temperature rise of over 2'C. A 2-3'C temperature rise is predicted to irreversibly damage coral reef ecosystems; result in failing crops and water shortages; increase the intensity of storms, forest fires, droughts, flooding and heat waves; result in 20-50% species extinction and cause the collapse of tropical rainforest ecosystems (Stern 2006).
Deforestation and land-use change are the second leading causes of global warming. They account for 20-25% of global carbon emissions, and over a third of emissions from developing countries. In Indonesia, deforestation and land-use changes are estimated to account for 80% of Indonesia's carbon emssions and 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions released from the logging, burning and conversion of Indonesia's forests and peatlands have helped make Indonesia the world's fourth largest greenhouse gas polluter after the USA, European Union and China.
Curbing deforestation in Indonesia is a highly cost-effective way to mitigate climate change. This is because avoided deforestation would prevent carbon being released into the atmosphere from the burning and logging of forests. Conserved forests also have the potential to absorb global emissions into their biomass, soils, and products and to store them. Moreover, avoided deforestation efforts offer additional benefits, such as protecting biodiverstiy, preventing soil erosion and protecting the livelihoods of forest dependent polulations.
Sekala, together with the FOMAS consortium, aims to help the Indonesian government to effectively curb deforestation so that it can be entitled to carbon payments. Sekala will help the Indonesian government to prepare for this scheme by assisting it to:
- Accurately measure forest cover change resulting from deforestation and forest degradation; and
- Accurately measure carbon emissions arising from deforestation and forest degradation.
