Ecobiz.asia — Indonesia’s Environment Minister and Head of BPLH, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, has responded to the “Fossil of the Day” criticism issued by Climate Action Network (CAN) during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, saying the label does not reflect Indonesia’s full negotiating position.
Hanif said the criticism stemmed from a misinterpretation and selective reading of Indonesia’s intervention, particularly on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and the forestry and land-use (FOLU) agenda. He stressed that Indonesia’s negotiation stance is grounded in thorough scientific assessment and built on principles of feasibility and fairness for forest-rich developing countries.
“As a country that protects vast tropical forests through real action, we ask for only one thing: fairness. Global standards must recognize the realities and efforts of forest countries,” Hanif said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 25, 2025).
During COP30, Indonesia reported several negotiation gains, including strengthened principles of equity and feasibility for developing countries in discussions on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), adaptation finance, and clean energy transition, which require concrete international support.
“Climate integrity must go hand in hand with justice. Global rules cannot be ambitious only on paper—they must be realistic and implementable for developing countries. Otherwise, the world will drift further from the 1.5°C target,” Hanif said.
On the critical Article 6.4 negotiations, Indonesia played a key role in ensuring that carbon market standards do not disproportionately burden developing nations. Indonesia rejected the proposed Non-Permanence Standard, which required indefinite monitoring and introduced reversal risk obligations considered unrealistic for forest sectors. The Indonesian delegation succeeded in pushing for more balanced options, including measurable monitoring horizons and jurisdictional buffer pool mechanisms.
Indonesia also underscored the need for technical readiness and financing to ensure the smooth transition of CDM projects into the Article 6 framework while maintaining the integrity of global carbon markets.
The satirical Fossil of the Day award is issued by CAN during the first week of COP to countries considered to be obstructing climate negotiations. In its statement, CAN accused Indonesia of allowing fossil fuel lobbyists to influence discussions on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, even alleging that Indonesia “copied word-for-word” talking points from industry lobby groups. ***
