Wary welcome for Indonesia's 'green port' initiative to clean up ...

The so-called green port initiative will encourage greater use of clean energy and strengthen environmental protection, a top official says. MongabaySeries:IndonesianFisheriesWarywelcomeforIndonesia’s‘greenport’initiativetocleanupshipping byBastenGokkonon22December2021 Indonesiaislaunchingaprogramtomakethecountry’sportsmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyinanefforttoreduceitscarbonemissionsandprotectthemarineecosystem.Theso-calledgreenportinitiativewillencouragegreateruseofcleanenergyandstrengthenenvironmentalprotection,atopofficialsays.Somemarineobserversinhavewelcomedtheinitiative,sayingit’sacrucialsteptowardachievingIndonesia’semissionsreductiontarget.Butotherssaythegreenportinitiativewillservetocoveruptheenvironmentalimpactsofthegovernment’sport-buildingspree,andwillbenefitprivateinvestorsoverthegeneralpublic.JAKARTA—Indonesiaislaunchingaprogramtomakethecountry’sportsmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyinanefforttoreduceitscarbonemissionsandprotectthemarineecosystem. Theso-calledgreenportnationalinitiativewillfocusonencouraginggreateruseofcleanenergyandstrengtheningenvironmentalprotection,accordingtoBasilioDiasAraujo,thedeputyformaritimeandenergysovereigntyatIndonesia’scoordinatingministryofmaritimeaffairsandinvestment. AnewportunderconstructioninRiauIslandsprovince.ImagebyM.Ambari/MongabayIndonesia. BasiliosaidtheprogramwaspartoftheSoutheastAsiancountry’splanstoachievea29%reductioninemissionsby2030,ascommittedtointheParisAgreement.Headdedtheinitialeffortswouldincludehavingportterminalsfordomesticandinternationalvesselsthatuselow-sulfurmarinefueloil,andsettingupsolarpanelsatports. “TheIndonesiangovernmentisalsogoingtoswitchfromgasolinetonaturalgasforsmallboats,”BasiliosaidatasideeventattheCOP26climatesummitinGlasgow,Scotland,lastmonth. Indonesiaistheworld’slargestarchipelagiccountry,andhas2,459ports,allofwhichwillbesubjectedtothenew“greenport”standard,thegovernmentsays.ThecountryalsooccupiesakeymaritimepositionstraddlingtheIndianandPacificoceans,andishometotheMalacca,SundaandLombokstraits,whichtogetherarepliedbymorethan200,000cargoshipseveryyear.BasiliosaidshippingactivityinIndonesianwaterscontributes19%ofthecountry’sannualgreenhousegasemissions. Thegovernmenthassince2019testedits“greenport”standardat10majorports.ThecriteriacomplywithstandardsprescribedbytheGreenPortAwardSystem(GPAS),APECPortSystemNetwork(APSN),andtheWorldAssociationforWaterborneTransportInfrastructure(PIANC)at10majorseaportsinthecountry.IthasalsoratifiedAnnexVIoftheInternationalConventionforthePreventionofPollutionfromShips(MARPOL)whichaddressesairpollutionfromocean-goingvessels. MarineobserversinIndonesiahavewelcomedthegreenportinitiative,callingitacrucialsteptowardaddressingtheglobalclimatecrisis.Theyalsorecommendthegovernmentproduceanationalroadmapdetailingcleartargetsandstrategiestodecarbonizeshippingactivity. “Thisroadmapwillhelpensurethatthegreenportprogramnotonlyissustainableintheoperationalsense,butalsosupportsthetargetofdecarbonizingshippinganddecarbonizingIndonesiaingeneral,”JeremiaHumolongPrasetya,aresearcheratthethinktankIndonesiaOceanJusticeInitiative(IOJI),toldMongabayinaninterview. JeremiasaidthegovernmentcouldusetheroadmapforgreenportstoencouragefellowG20nationsatthegroup’supcomingsummitin2022,tobehostedinBali,topartnerwithIndonesiainestablishingglobalgreenshippingcorridorsandincreasinginvestmentinthecountry’srenewableenergysector. “Itwillbeverydifficult[forIndonesia]toachievetheParisAgreementtargetswithoutdecarbonizingshipping,”Jeremiasaid. FishingboatsdockedataportoffJakarta.ImagebyM.Ambari/MongabayIndonesia. Thegovernmentmustalsoensurestrictimplementationandmonitoringofthegreenportprogramtopreventitbecomingsimplyagreenwashingexercisebytheshippingindustry,saidM.AbdiSuhufan,thenationalcoordinatoroftheNGODestructiveFishingWatch(DFW)Indonesia. “Manyfisheriesportsstilldon’thaveWWTP[wastewatertreatmentplants],meanwhiletheonesthatdohave,they’reinpoorcondition,”AbditoldMongabayinaninterview. HesaidakeyindicatorofsuccessforthegreenportprogramwouldbetherecoveryofIndonesia’smarineecosystemandthesustainabilityofitsfisheries. Butothershaveexpressedconcernedthattheprogramissimplyacover-upfortheenvironmentalimpactscausedbythegovernment’sport-buildingspree,andthatanybenefitsarisingfromitwouldgotoprivateinvestorsratherthanthepublic. “Tous,itsoundsabsurdtotalkaboutgreenportsformarineconservationifthematerials,likethesand,aresourcedfromthedestructionofotherplaces,”SusanHerawati,secretary-generaloftheCoalitionforFisheriesJustice(KIARA),anNGO,toldMongabayinaninterview. “We’renotnecessarilyanti-development,butdon’ttrytoselleco-friendlyandsustainableissuesforthesakeofdevelopingsomethingthatthepublicdoesn’treallyneedorwhichisn’torientedtowardpublicwelfare,butratherfortheprivatesector,”sheadded. SusancitedthecaseofthenewportbeingbuiltinMakassar,thelargestcityontheislandofSulawesi.Thatprojectinvolveslandreclamation,forwhichsandisbeingdredgedfromthenearbySangkarrangIslands.Thedredgingactivityhasdisturbedtraditionalfishingareasandledtosmallercatchesandalossofincomeforfishers,accordingtothecommunityandenvironmentalactivists.Thefishershavestagedaseriesofprotests,includingblockingadredgingshipandstaginganovernightdemonstrationoutsidetheSouthSulawesiprovincialgovernor’soffice. Forthegreenportinitiativetobetrulyenvironmentallyfriendlyandsustainable,Susansaid,thegovernmentmustupholdtheinterestsoftraditionalandsmallfishersandcoastalcommunities,especiallywomenfishersandIndigenouscoastalcommunities. “IunderstandthatthisispartofachievingtheSDGs”—SustainableDevelopmentGoals—“butstopcommodifyingsustainableandeco-friendlylabelswhen,inprinciple,it’sstillrobbingfromothersandstillexacerbatingtheclimatecrisis,whichwillimpactwomenfishers,aquaculturefarmers,andcoastalcommunities,”Susansaid. PlasticpollutionisrampantinIndonesianports.ImagebyAntonWisuda/MongabayIndonesia. FEEDBACK: Usethisform tosendamessagetotheauthorofthispost.Ifyouwanttopostapubliccomment,youcandothatatthebottomofthepage. ArticlepublishedbyBastenGokkon Climate,ClimateChange,ClimateChangePolicy,CoastalEcosystems,Development,Environment,EnvironmentalLaw,Fisheries,Fishing,ImpactOfClimateChange,Infrastructure,Islands,Marine,MarineEcosystems,OceanWarming,Oceans,OceansAndClimateChange,Ports,Transportation PRINT We'reanonprofit Donate RecentPosts AcrossLatinAmerica,palmoilviolationsabound—withlittleaccountability Forspeciesontheverybrinkofextinction,cloningisaloadedlastresort Light-fingeredmonkeysthreatencriticallyendangeredPríncipethrush IntheBrazilianAmazon,solarenergybringslight—andnewopportunities InIndonesia’sSulawesi,acommunityworkstodefuseblast-fishingcrisis Recentvideos Viewtargetedfeeds Bytopic Bylocation Agriculture Animals Birds ClimateChange Conservation Deforestation Energy Featured Forests Happy-upbeatEnvironmental Herps IndigenousPeoples Interviews Mammals NewSpecies Oceans PalmOil Rainforests Technology Wildlife Manymoretopics Africa Amazon Asia Australia Borneo Brazil Cameroon CentralAmerica China Colombia Congo India Indonesia LatinAmerica Madagascar Malaysia NewGuinea Peru Sumatra UnitedStates Browsemorelocations Socialchannels   Twitter   Instagram   LinkedIn   YouTube   RSS/XML   Androidmobileapp   AppleNews Emailupdates Podcast Ourbiweeklypodcastdeliveringnews&inspirationfromnature’sfrontline. 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