Carbon Trading, Selling Forest Sustainability

Jakarta - Various dread about the future of mankind, especially the disaster caused more environmental damage spreads. One that makes vigorous discourse penghembuskan course Hollywood movies, the United States (U.S.). Through science fiction films and documentary.
For me, the horror that is spread by entertaining is a form of learning about the environment that is easy to digest a lot of people. Not without reason, one of the scientific predictions estimate that in the year 2100 the expected increase in global temperatures between 1.0 to 4.5 degrees Celsius, the mountains melt polar ice and cause sea level increases 60centimeter.
What happens if the prediction is actually happening? Major cities in the world are mostly located in the lowlands of course under water, while the population tormented by the heat of the outdoor temperature. Other risks for Indonesia, possible loss of thousands of islands as sea levels rose.
Climatic changes of course will affect the plants as well. Productivity and development of pests and plant diseases will be an impact on water availability and distribution of human disease vectors. In the long term food security and water needs of living creatures will be disrupted. Humans lose the source of life.
Climate change and global temperature increase is due to the number of release of carbon into the air. Carbon is one of them came from the resulting combustion industries and households. Carbon contained in the air will attenuate and disrupt the ability of the atmosphere toreflects the ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. It is commonly known also by the effects of greenhouse gases.
In a workshop that was held by Wetlands International, presented between 1850 to 1998 an estimated 270 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon have been released into the atmosphere. Contributed the largest part of human activity like burning fossil fuels and industrial activities, amounting to 67 percent.
Global land clearing within the last 20 years has resulted in the release of 1.65 Gt of carbon per year. More than 80 percent coming from developing countries and Indonesia alone contribute nine percent (0.155 Gt of carbon) with the ability of 0.110 Gt of carbon sequestration. Forest does have a function as an absorber (sink) and storage (reservoirs) of carbon, the term carbonsinks.
The world did not stay silent, it must be overcome by reducing emissions from the source and also increases the absorption capability. In World Climate Change Convention (The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change / UNFCCC), which played at Summit (Summit) Earth 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, emission reduction commitments of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that have been agreed upon about 150 countries, including Indonesian.
The commitment was finalized in the Conference of Parties (COP) III UNFCCC in 1997 that gave birth to the Kyoto Protocol. Developed countries agreed to push their emissions to a level of five percent below 1990 emission levels. The target was achieved in the first commitment period, between 2008-2012. Important gases mentioned in the Kyoto Protocol are carbon dioxide (CO), methane (CH), nitrogen oxide (NO), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluorida (SF6).
Since then also, developing new trends, carbon trading (carbon trade). Carbon trading is a term for the activity funds of the countries producing carbon emissions to countries that have the potential of natural resources to be able to naturally absorb carbon emissions. Conservation is motivated by the reward of fresh funds through the clean development schemes (clean development mechanism / CDM).
This is an excellent opportunity to exploit the potential of nature. Of course, another way besides cutting down trees. Because that is calculated in carbon trading is preserved existing forest and planting on non-forest areas. And perform repairs of damaged forests by reforestation.
Indonesia with its forest cover, has the potential to enter the era of carbon trading. Based on data from ADB - GEF - UNDP Indonesia has demonstrated the capacity of the carbon reduction of more than 686 million tons of which came from forest management. If the average price per ton of carbon of U.S. $ 5, then Indonesia has the potential to sell surplus carbon certificates worth U.S. $ 3.430 billion or about Rp 34 trillion.
These calculations do not include carbon released by Indonesia itself. But, the more protected forest, the more trees planted in any vacant land, the land area rehabilitated and reforested will certainly increase the potential receipt of funds.
It becomes a moral incentive for the spirit of the Forestry Department in conducting natural resource conservation forest and land rehabilitation. As has been done so far through various movements and campaigns. Among Penananam Unison Indonesia Movement which has its own theme and target each year, and the National Movement for Forest and Land Rehabilitation (GNRHL).
For the state, of course profitable carbon trading mechanisms. Success in an effort to maintain, enhance, and restore forest sustainability in their operations that do not cost you a bit turned out to generate profits in the financial form.
Real bid for Indonesia
If all this carbon trafficking is still regarded as a discourse, the most obvious bid for carbon trading came not long ago from Australia. Mid-November 2008, Carbon Strategic Global (CSG) Australia offers the purchase of oxygen produced in the forest of West Sumatra.
The proposed oxygen produced in a protected forest area 10 districts and one city in West Sumatra. Covering an area of ​​865,560 ha of protected forest is located in an area of ​​126,600 ha Solok, in South Solok 63,879 ha, 31,120 ha of Plains, Southern Coastal 49,720 ha, 232,660 ha Pasaman, 50 City of 151,713 ha and 34,460 ha Agam regency. Then in the West Pasaman 56 829 ha, PadangPariaman 19,894 ha, 85,835 ha Sijunjung and protected forest in the city of Padang which covers 12 850 ha.
CSG has offered compensation of Rp 900 billion per year to oxygen produced in the protected forests of West Sumatra. If trade were realized, the compensation fund will be received well by the local government that has protected forest area and produce oxygen.
Substantial funds that, in addition to new revenue for the region can also be used to improve the welfare of communities around the forest and the indigenous customary owners of protected forest. So the effort to get to the utilization of forests for people's prosperity be realized. Any problems such as cases of illegal logging, forest fires, forest encroachment could be reduced as much as mugkin, certainly a positive impact economically and socially.