Jakarta Hosts Climate Change Expo, Forum

Jakarta, April 18 (Antara) - The Climate Change National Council (DNPI) is organizing the 2013 Climate Change Expo and Forum at the Jakarta Convention Hall, here, April 18-21, 2013. The expo was officially opened by Environmental Affairs Minister Balthasar Kambuaya, who was accompanied by DNPI Chairman Rachmat Witoelar, here on Thursday. "This year, we set a target to attract at least 60,000 visitors," Amanda Katili Niode, a spokesperson of DNPI, said. Last year, around 50,000 people visited the Climate Change Expo and Forum. The 2013 Climate Change Expo and Forum is being held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of DNPI. The government had signed at least two important decrees to support its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 26 percent by 2020 in order to tackle climate change`s impacts. First, on September 8, 2011, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) signed Presidential Decree No. 25 of 2011 to extend the work period for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Task Force, until December 31, 2012. Second, the head of state signed Presidential Decree no. 16/2011 on the National Action Plan on Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction, according to Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam on Monday (Sept. 26). When speaking in the G20 summit in the US city of Pittsburgh in September 2009, President Yudhoyono said the government was crafting a policy that would cut emissions by 26 percent by 2020 from "business as usual" (BAU) levels. With international support, he said he was confident Indonesia could cut emissions by as much as 41 percent.