Norway PM: Jokowi Stressed Environmental Commitment
Jakarta. President Joko Widodo has assured Norway, which has pledged up to $1 billion in aid to help preserve Indonesia's forests, that he is as committed to the environment as his predecessor, the Norwegian prime minister told Reuters.
Soon after coming into office in October, Joko dissolved the independent National Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Agency, merging it with the Environment and Forestry Ministry.
That raised concern among green activists that Indonesia might be rolling back on its climate deal with Norway, signed in 2010 by then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"We also have been a bit anxious about whether the new government would continue at the same pace as the old government. I think they are back on track," Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in an interview late on Tuesday after meeting with Joko in Jakarta.
Indonesia imposed a temporary moratorium on clearing forests as part of the deal with Norway. A government official said earlier this month the Joko administration would extend the ban.
Under the deal, Indonesia will receive payments based on the amount of reduced deforestation. But environmental groups say forest clearing has accelerated due to an expansion in mining and palm oil plantations.
"We have become more realistic on how fast you can achieve results," said Solberg, adding that Indonesia needed "cultural change" to successfully curb deforestation.
Reuters
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