Indonesia has questioned the terms of a COP26 deal to end deforestation by 2030, days after Jakarta joined more than 100 countries in signing up to it on Nov. 1. Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar wrote on her Twitter account (in translation) on Nov. 3: “Forcing Indonesia to zero deforestation in 2030 is clearly inappropriate and unfair. Because every country has its own key issues and is covered by the Constitution to protect its people.” Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest rainforest.
Bakar said that there were multiple ways to define deforestation, but that the COP26 documents must not halt economic growth. “The massive development of President Jokowi’s era must not stop in the name of carbon emissions or in the name of deforestation,” she said, referring to Joko Widodo by his nickname.
