Indonesia Places Moratorium on Damage to Peatlands
- csrice8
- Jan 28, 2017
- 1 min read
Indonesia's president Joko Widodo announced a landmark moratorium, which bans all activities that damage the hydrological functions of peatlands - the world's largest terrestrial soil carbon stock.
The move is expected to slash greenhouse gas emissions and prevent disastrous peat fires that have plagued the Southeast Asian nation in recent years.
Recent studies suggest that the 2015 Indonesian peat fires affected 43 million people, caused over 500,000 people to be treated for respiratory disease, and led to US$ 16.1 billion in overall economic damage (twice the value of the Aceh Tsunami Reconstruction).
UN Environment head Erik Solheim welcomed Indonesia's decision with the following statement.
"This is an extremely positive and historic decision, both for Indonesia and for global efforts to tackle climate change. Such a moratorium has the potential to deliver huge health benefits for the Indonesian people, protect the country's incredible environment and deliver one of the biggest commitments yet to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
"This is an example of the kind of leadership that the world needs right now."
Jenny Farmer/CIFOR