Dear All,

Happy New Year! With this New Year, I also want to share my article published in the Strategic Review Journal (Jan-Mar 2012 edition). Please find the link to the first part of my article entitled ‘Revisiting the global role of tropical forest nations’ here: http://www.sr-indonesia.com/this-months-issue/indonesia-360/131-revisiting-the-global-role-of-tropical-forest-nations. It discusses and compares the roles of Indonesia, Brazil and DRC – the three largest tropical forest nations – in the global world.

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The Jakarta Post, Fitrian Ardiansyah, Friday 16 December 2011 (original link: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/16/mixed-results-durban-climate-talks-indonesia.html)

Agreements achieved in the early morning of Dec. 11 in Durban, South Africa, not only appeared to salvage the UN climate talks but have also raised further questions about the commitments and capabilities of countries around the world in urgently tackling climate change. Read more »

The Jakarta Post, Fitrian Ardiansyah, Monday 5 December 2011 (original link: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/05/measuring-success-ri-s-involvement-durban.html)

The global climate change negotiations, underway from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in Durban, South Africa, once again undoubtedly highlights a fundamental question as to whether countries around the world will reach agreed solutions to tackle climate change. Read more »

Originally published in the Jakarta Post,  http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/08/07/magsaysay-and-environment.html

The Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, recently given to two Indonesians, clearly acknowledges that there are leaders in this country who significantly bring about positive changes to the environment. Read more »

Originally published on INSIDE INDONESIA (JULY-SEPTEMBER 2011),

http://www.insideindonesia.org/feature/the-energy-challenge-18071467

MONDAY, 25 JULY 2011 

FITRIAN ARDIANSYAH

FEATURE

Indonesia is rich in renewable energy but government policies foster reliance on fossil fuels

Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest energy producer and consumer. Its reliance on dirty and subsidised fossil fuels means it has made little progress in terms of renewable energy. Yet Indonesia has enormous renewable energy potential. Energy sources such as geothermal power could readily meet up to 40 per cent of the country’s energy needs.

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Blog

http://www.civilsocietyvoice.org/ 

Email discussion  group: http://groups.google.com/group/ECSNet 

Environmental Law and Rights in Africa.

Please find below the information about  the network on environmental law and rights  in Africa:

=--=-=

Ernest Rukangira

Conserve Africa Foundation

1st Floor, 36 The Market Square

London N9 0TZ

Tel/Fax: +44(0)2088879414

Web: http://www.conserveafrica.org.uk/ Read more »

For people who are interested in environment, public health and the rule of law, we have created  an e-group for discussions and exchange of experience. To join, please go to:

https://groups.google.com/group/wjpenvironment
 

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Principles of HimaGovernance: a Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) System

WalidSaleh* and MukhtarHashemi**

**Associated Researcher, Newcastle Institute for Environmental Sustainability (NIReS), School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences Newcastle University, UK; Read more »

Originally published in The Jakarta Post, Opinion,

Fitrian Ardiansyah, Canberra ACT | Mon, 13 June 2011. 6:44 PM

Original link: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/13/environment-day-a-good-day...

This year’s World Environment Day, which sports the theme “Forests: Nature at your service” is likely to be celebrated in a more “colorful” way in Indonesia.

This may be due to the fact that in the last two weeks prior to June 5, three influential policies were issued by the government. These were two presidential decrees concerning forests and the most recent economic development master plan.

If not properly guided, managed and implemented, these three policies have the potential to be contradictory and hence could ruin a significant chance for Indonesia to sustainably manage its remaining valuable forests. Read more »

Originally published on January 27th, 2011

Published on East Asia Forum, Author: Fitrian Ardiansyah, WWF & ANU

As a country with one of the largest areas of rainforest in the world, it is not surprising that Indonesia is also considered a pioneer in the development of REDD+ (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).

In early 2007, the Ministry of Forestry (MoF) formed the Indonesia Forest Climate Alliance (IFCA) with the help of various government departments, donor agencies, research institutions and NGOs to initiate the development of REDD+ policies. Later that year, IFCA managed to outline key elements of REDD+, including methodologies, land-use policies, institutional arrangement and benefit distribution mechanisms. Read more »

It is my honor and responsibility to moderate the session for Medicine and Public Health.  We will have only one hour together to start our work with the Forum—the first half hour to establishing the importance of the rule of law to our profession, and the second half hour to understand where our profession has contributed to advancement of rule of law and to think of future interactions.  As our time in this session is short and precious, I will briefly here give my own history in this regard.  I hope that frees me to help you with your contributions; it certainly frees you from having to hear my involvement from the podium.  Read more »

Climate: ENVI Committee vote cheered by two major health groups

Brussels, 24 May 2011 - The combined voices of Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Health Care Without Harm Europe (HCWH Europe), the two leading health and environment groups working at the European level, have voiced their strong approval following the ENVI Committee vote today in support for a 30% EU reduction target in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 [1].

HEAL and HCWH Europe released a report in 2010 showing the huge public health benefits of moving to a 30% GHG emissions reduction target [2]. These include reductions in premature death and illness, fewer working days lost and lower healthcare costs.

"This vote paves the way for strong climate policies in the EU that will protect public health," says Dr. Pendo Maro, Senior Policy Advisor, HEAL/HCWH Europe. Read more »

I recommend this article which touches on the challenge of balancing economic development with the environment in Brazil. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/world/americas/02brazil.html?ref=americas

The New York Times today has a well-written article about the drastic measures the Chinese government is taking to relieve chronic water shortages in northern China (including Beijing).  In a $62 billion project that will displace an estimated 350,000 people, China plans to divert several trillion gallons of water each year from the Yangtze to the Yellow River.  The project has broad implications for the environment as well as public health, from threats to ecosystems to further challenges in accessing  safe drinking water.  I encourage you to read the article in full on the New York Times website (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/world/asia/02water.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all) and to view the accompanying video (http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/06/01/world/asia/100000000721114/sou...).

Dear all colleagues, It's my greatest honor to take part in WJPF though I'm just a student in university. I'm Junichi Morioka, the President of ALSA  Japan (Asian Law Students' Association Japan). 

Well, as all of you know, my country, Japan was stricken by the historical earthquake on March 11th. The quake has given us enormous catastrophy and casualties, especially for the quake and tsunami-stricken area. Then,  with regard to the quake, there have been many substantial, philosophycal and legal issues happening here in Japan. As discussion topic at "Environement and Public Health" Session, I would like to share some of those issues (I guess) related to rule of law as follows. I would hope my suggestion will become your key for discussion. Read more »

Dear all, I am honoured to begin working with the group as moderator of this key issue that relates probably the central concerns of many people around the world: how to integrate in our everyday lifes the needs of health & the environment. The concept of poverty as the main source of pollution was built over the relation of this two critical needs for survival. Only when Environmental law was developed and recognized as a multidisciplinary and cross cutting issue of economical growth and conservation the rule of law become a key instrument to put a framework in developing and managing our relation with nature, natural resources and the human habitats, including of course the rural world and its interfaces with the  increasing and menacing urban centres. Read more »