Trump's Decision to Quit Paris Deal to Not Effect Indonesia: Minister

Jakarta, (Antara) - President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement on climate change will not affect climate change mitigation and adaptation programs carried out by Indonesia, Environmental and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya stated.

"I am strict to my mission to improve the environment, with or without any foreign assistance," she told the press after the launch of a photography book "The Magnificent Seven: Indonesia's Marine National Parks" here on Friday.

Some countries, excluding US, such as Norway, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Denmark and the Netherlands, according to her, also provide great support for Indonesia to run the mitigation and adaptation programs.

Paris Agreement actually requires developed states to assist developing countries in their efforts to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emission.

However, Nurbaya asserted that the country has determined to reduce its carbon emission by 29 percent in 2030 without any international assistance.

In this regard, Indonesia has issued Law No.16 Year of 2016 to ratify the Paris Agreement and use its various methodologies to bring down the rise of the earth temperature below 2 degrees Celcius.

Nurbaya also expect that the US Rp6 million aid for Indonesia's environmental and forestry programs until 2021, will not be reduced due to Trump's latest policy.

In a bilateral meeting with former US Secretary of State John Kerry at the closing of the 22nd Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh, last year, she discussed about a US$1 billion grant to help Indonesia encourage its low carbon regulations and investment in clean energy projects by 2025.

About US$350 million of that amount is allocated for climate change mitigation and adaptation programs, which some of them are currently running.

"According to Kerry, the aid that has been used to carry out some existing programs will not be disturbed, so I think we still have some reserve," Nurbaya noted.

Indonesia along with other countries will continue to raise the awareness and encourage the US to re-implement the framework of Paris Agreement.

Nurbaya, in fact, will ask President Joko Widodo to specifically talk to President Trump on this issue at the G20 Meeting in Hamburg, in July.

"I will ask the President to discuss it with the US," she noted.(*)