RI, Japan Reinforce Environmental Management Coop

Jakarta, Dec 7 (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Japan are reinforcing their environmental management cooperation, which has been intact for the past 20 years, a minister said. "We are keen on establishing an environmental policy study center and a national greenhouse inventory system," said Balthasar Kambuaya, Indonesia`s Environment Minister, on Thursday. The Indonesian environment minister and his Japanese counterpart, Horiyuki Nagahama, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with regard to their cooperation, at the secretariat of the Japanese delegation, during the COP18 conference in the National Convention Centre in Qatar, on Wednesday. The MoU is a partnership between Indonesia and Japan to tackle air pollution, water pollution and climate change. Through this partnership, both the countries aim to create environmental awareness and build green technologies. The MoU will last for three years, and it is expected that the two countries will address environment problems and climate change issues. Japan already has the expertise in developing greenhouse gas emission inventory. The inventory has been helpful in identifying greenhouse gas emission sources. This way, the government has been able to handle climate change in the country efficiently.