After two months of delay, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has formed a "powerful" climate change council to speed up efforts to combat global warming, a government official said Monday.
The council involved 16 Cabinet members, with State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar serving as its executive chairman, the Jakarta Post daily on Tuesday quoted the official, who declined to be named, as saying.
"Hopefully, the President will announce the new climate change council this week before he leaves for Japan on July 7 to attend aG8 meeting," the official said.
The plan to set up the council was a main topic after last year's gathering of 170 country delegations at the UN climate change conference in Indonesia's resort island of Bali.
The council was originally scheduled to be formed by the end of April 2008.
At the Bali conference, President Yudhoyono launched national action plans to cut emissions and sell credits based on the carbon stores of Indonesia's forests.
"The council will coordinate and monitor the implementation of the action plans to fight climate change and manage climate funds, including those from wealthy nations, to help Indonesia reduce greenhouse gas emissions," the official said.
According to the document, the council will comprise six working groups of governmental officials to deal with issues of adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, finance, forestry and post-Kyoto aims.
Many countries, including Australia, Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany and Canada, have pledged to provide aid to Indonesia to help tackle global warming that has caused a rise in sea level, higher temperatures and unpredictable weather changes.
Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat has repeatedly reminded world leaders to stick to the Bali roadmap agreement which drafted action plans setting a 2009 deadline for a new treaty to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The roadmap calls for rich nations to take the lead in carbon emissions reductions.
Source:Xinhua
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