Indonesia links carbon trading to verified emissions cuts and climate finance
An environment ministry official said independent validation and verification give buyers confidence in carbon units offered for sale.
Carbon trading offers outside acknowledgement of Indonesia's emissions-cutting efforts while providing a way to finance climate projects, environment ministry official Ary Sudijanto said on November 14. He was speaking to reporters at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey.
Ary, the ministry's Deputy for Climate Change Control and Carbon Economic Value Management, said independent institutions must validate the methodology for measuring reductions. The emissions cuts recorded through that process must also undergo verification. These requirements, he said, assure buyers that the units represent cuts that have actually occurred.
International sales of Indonesian carbon units would bring income to domestic emissions-reduction projects and acknowledge developers' achievements, Ary said. He described support for long-term climate action as the central aim of trading, with economic returns an additional benefit.
As an example, Ary pointed to mangrove rehabilitation, where money is needed to supply seedlings, plant them and maintain the trees. He said healthier ecosystems could help fish populations and other aquatic species grow, potentially benefiting neighbouring communities alongside workers involved in restoring the mangroves.
