Jokowi’s Case for Indonesia’s Ocean Future

Jakarta Globe, Basten Gokkon, Dec 03, 2014

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago, with some 17,000 inhabited
islands. (Antara Photo/Zabur Karuru)

Jakarta. Despite taking on the job of president of Indonesia with minimal foreign policy experience and exposure to the maritime sector, President Joko Widodo has set his first landmark policy that gets people around the globe interested in the country he currently leads: his Global Maritime Fulcrum doctrine.

Joko put the spotlight on himself during his speech at the ninth East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw on Nov. 13, not merely because he gave a presentation equipped with a slide show, but also for the “global launch” of his maritime-based doctrine.

“Indonesia realizes that a substantial transformation is taking place in the 21st century. The center of gravity of the geo-economic and geopolitical world is shifting from West to East. Asian countries are on the rise,” Joko said during the presentation.

Joko added that the sea would play an increasingly important role in Indonesia’s future and that as a maritime country it must posit itself as a force in between two strategic oceans.

At a public forum in Jakarta on Tuesday, Vice President Kalla also stressed the necessity of Joko’s maritime-based doctrine, which would boost “the welfare of the country much better than before.”

“President Jokowi has declared how the maritime will be more useful for the country than before in relations to its functions as a facility as well as resources,” Kalla said. “For Indonesia, the sea is not to separate the island but unite the islands.

“That’s why, our ministers have been criticizing and giving strong comments particularly on how Indonesia’s sea or maritime can create a much better welfare for the country than before.

“Indonesia is a maritime country. The sea is our history. How the sea gives us welfare that will be implemented next in our government but the sea will be not only unity for Indonesia but the unity for Asian the region.”

The advisor explains

At a public forum on Tuesday, Rizal Sukma, a presidential advisor for the foreign policy sector, shared more details on what the president was aiming for with the doctrine which Rizal calls the country’s “agenda of development.”

Tuesday’s public forum, organized by the secretariat of the vice president in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), was also attended by Kalla, former foreign affairs minister Hassan Wirajuda, and Surakiart Sathirathai, the chairman of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC).

“So basically what we want to do is to transform Indonesia into the fulcrum of the two seas, the two strategic oceans — the Pacific Ocean on the left and the Indian Ocean on the right,” Rizal said.

“The Global Maritime Fulcrum is basically the place upon which the burdens of the two seas rest.

“In Joko’s speech during [the East Asia] summit, he basically talked about two things.”

“Number one, when we talk about the maritime fulcrum, it means as a vision, as a doctrine and as agenda of development,” Rizal said.

“As an agenda of development, it has five pillars,” he said, adding that the five pillars in general included issues related to economy, security and development.

According to Rizal, the first pillar highlights that the Indonesian government “will strengthen and revisit and also bring back [the nation's] awareness as a maritime country and culture.”

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, with some 17,000 inhabited islands.

The second pillar, Rizal said, the president emphasized the need to prioritize maritime infrastructure and maritime connectivity development by building sea tolls and deep-sea ports while also improving the shipping industry, logistics and maritime tourism.

The third pillar focuses on maritime resources and Joko wants to “put the fishermen as at the center of full supremacy,” according to Rizal who is also the executive director of Jakarta-based think-tank CSIS.

The fourth pillar, highlighting maritime diplomacy, Indonesia needs to “use [the country's] diplomatic instruments to force cooperation around the globe” by promoting regional cooperation to prevent the escalation of maritime conflicts, such as illegal fishing, violations of sovereignty, piracy and marine pollution.

The last pillar, Rizal said, is overseeing and maintaining the sovereignty and safety in the seas by developing Indonesia’s maritime defense.

Who’s who

Rizal, a main instigator of Joko’s maritime plans, currently serves as the executive director of the CSIS in Jakarta.

He is also one of young leaders of Muhammadiyah, serving as the head of the international relations division at the central executive board of Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim organization.

Additionally, he sits as a member of the board of governors of the implementing agency for the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF); a member of the regional editorial board for Australia-based Global Change, Peace and Security.

He is also a member of International editorial board for Studies in Asian Security, Stanford University Press and East West Center.

Rizal, who earned his PhD degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, was named one of 100 Global Thinkers by United States-based Foreign Policy magazine in 2009.

Further Coverage

Editorial: Jokowi’s Foreign Policy and Defense Wins

32 Indonesians Missing After S. Korean Fishing Vessel Sinks

Jakarta Globe & AFP, Dec 02, 2014

The 1,753-tonne Oryong 501 operated by South Korea's Sajo Industries. The
 South Korean fishing vessel sank with 60 people aboard in the Bering Sea.
(AFP photo/Yonhap)

Jakarta. Three Indonesian nationals have been rescued but 32 are still missing after a South Korean fishing vessel sank off Russia’s far east coast on Monday.

The 1,753-ton Oryong 501, operated by South Korea’s Sajo Industries, went down in the western Bering Sea.

The trawler was carrying 60 people, including one Russian inspector, 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians and 13 Philippine crew members.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said that as of Monday evening eight crew members had been rescued, including three Indonesians. The condition of the three, however, is still unknown.

One South Korean sailor has been confirmed dead, Agence France-Presse reported.

The 36-year-old trawler was fishing for pollack when it sank in stormy weather.

Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi has been in contact with her South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-Se, the ministry said.

A Russian search and rescue team and the US Coast Guard are searching the accident location. A South Korean Rapid Response team has also been deployed to Russia.

The names of the missing Indonesians have been compiled and their family’s will be informed, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Oryong 501 fishing trawler was carrying 60 people

when it went down in the western Bering Sea

Related Article:

Russia finds empty lifeboats from sunken S. Korea fishing boat

Dutch plant turns river and sea into electricity

CBS – AP, November 27, 2014

Breezanddijk, community on the Afsluitdijk, a large dike in the Netherlands, is
 the site of a power plant producing "Blue Energy" that opened on Nov. 26,
2014.  WIKIMEDIA

Dutch researchers are seeking to add a new, largely untapped renewable energy source to the world's energy mix.

They opened a "Blue Energy" test facility on Wednesday, a pilot installation to put into practice a new technique that harnesses power from rivers and seas.

Blue energy takes advantage of the difference in salt concentration between sea water and fresh water to produce electricity.

Rik Siebers of REDstack BV, the company overseeing the project, said the goal is to improve the technology to the point where it will be profitable to build blue energy plants commercially in the 2020s.

Siebers said blue energy will one day have its own niche.

"For wind turbines you need wind, and solar panels work in the day, but water is always flowing," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"Blue Energy is a sustainable technology that will generate 24/7 electricity free from carbon dioxide emissions," according to a statement from Westus, the research institute behind the innovation.

The Dutch plant has a theoretical maximum capacity of 50 megawatts, about enough to power 100 Dutch homes. A more limited trial of similar technology began in Norway in 2009.

The technique uses two specialized filters with salt and fresh water on each side. One filter lets positively charged sodium ions seep through, while the other admits negatively charged chlorine ions, creating a natural battery.

The production of energy comes directly from the salinity difference of the water sources and does not require additional mechanisms such as turbines. Westus says that no pollutants are released in the process.

Each square meter of the filter panel can generate roughly one watt, and the filters are then arranged in stacks of hundreds to multiply the effect.

It's no coincidence the technique is being pioneered in the Netherlands, which has a wealth of river-coast interchanges including the Rhine and Meuse river deltas.

The test plant is strategically located on the Afsluitdijk, the long dike built off the Dutch coast in the 1930s that turned part of the North Sea into an enormous freshwater lake.

The project is being funded by a mix of government and private sponsors, with participation by the University of Twente.

CBS/AP

Afsluitdijk, The Netherlands

Related Article:

Blue energy: water power

Vietnam seizes over 1,000 dead endangered sea turtles

Yahoo – AFP, 25 Nov 2014

File photo taken on January 21, 2011 shows a baby green turtle crawling to the 

sea after being hatched at a turtle sanctuary in Sukamade island in East Java

province, Indonesia

Vietnam's environmental police have seized a record haul of over 1,000 endangered sea turtles which were being prepared for illegal export to China, an official said Tuesday.

"The turtles were all dead," Le Hong Thai, an official of the Ministry of Public Security's environmental police department, told AFP.

"They were meant to be processed into handicrafts for export to China," he added.

The raids were made on Wednesday last week in the resort town of Nha Trang on Vietnam's south-central coast.

"The case is under investigation, so we cannot reveal the number of detainees or any other details," Thai said.

Marine turtles are fully protected under Vietnamese law.

Hunting and trading, including the storing, of any of the five native species is a criminal offence, according to local media reports.

Scores of Vietnamese have been arrested in regional waters over the past years for catching or trading sea turtles.

Nguyen Phuong Dung, the director of conservation group Education for Nature-Vietnam, welcomed the raid but said it must be followed with legal penalties for those involved.

Courts "need to send the message that Vietnam is serious about prosecuting and punishing" crimes involving endangered species, she said in a statement.

Environmental groups say Vietnam is one of the world's worst countries for trade in endangered species -- an accusation which it denies.

Police regularly seize hauls of ivory, rhino horn and exotic species including pangolins and tigers, but conservation groups say these represent just a small part of the trade passing through the communist country.

Pertamina Launches Subsidized Fuel Card for Fishermen

Jakarta Globe, Rangga Prakoso, Nov 25, 2014

The subsidized fuel scheme has been tried out in Cilincing, North Jakarta,
since June. (Antara Photo/Saiful Bahri)

Jakarta. State-owned energy company Pertamina on Tuesday officially launched a subsidized fuel scheme especially for fishermen in Cilincing, North Jakarta.

Pertamina marketing and business director Hanung Budya said the program, which uses cards similar to those being issued for better access to education and health services, is intended to make sure the subsidized fuel ends up in the hands of the right people.

“Each boat only gets one card, with a particular quota of subsidized fuel set by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry,” Hanung said on Tuesday at a Cilincing fuel station for fishing vessels.

The program has been tried out since June in Cilincing. The filling station caters to 158 registered boats, and each is allocated around 288 kiloliter of subsidized diesel per month. With the card, each transaction is digitally monitored by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the local marine and fisheries agency, Pertamina and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

“To get the card, fishermen need to open a bank account [at BRI] and register the card with the local fisheries agency to obtain a fuel quota. Each card will mention the boat’s name, the owner’s name, and the monthly quota,” Hanung said. “The government can also use the card to monitor fishing activities and use it for further studies into fuel quotas.”

After Cilincing, Pertamina is planning to implement the system in other areas as well.

“Before the end of the year, we’d like to bring this card to Tegal, Central Java, and Lamongan in East Java. We’re targeting to register around 2,400 boats for this program,” Hanung said.

Iranian People Smuggler Arrested at Request of Australian Government

Jakarta Globe, Farouk Arnaz, Nov 23, 2014

In this handout photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue
 Agency (Basarnas) on July 4, 2012, shows a boat believed to be carrying up to
 180 asylum-seekers spotted south of Java and sailing towards Australian waters.
(AFP Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s National Police have arrested an Iranian people smuggler who was allegedly involved in the death of more than 200 people in a disaster off the coast of East Java in 2011.

Mohammed Naghi Karimi Azar, 54, was arrested in an apartment in Central Jakarta on Oct. 29 at the request of Australian authorities, police said on Sunday.

Azar is alleged to have coordinated a notorious people smuggling attempt that ended in disaster off the coast off Trenggalek in December 2011. A boat en-route to Australia that was carrying some 250 asylum seekers from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan sank in rough seas. Only 47 survivors were rescued.

Sr. Comr. Budi Santoso, chief of the National Police’s people smuggling sub-division, said on Sunday that the arrest was carried out following a request from the Australian government.

“We’re still waiting for the decision on when the extradition can be conducted,” Agus said. “The suspect is charged under the 1979 Law No. 1 on Extradition and 2010 Law No. 8 on the Indonesia-Australia Extradition Agreement.”

Azar, who has Iranian citizenship, has been held at a prison administered by the National Police’s general crime division since he was arrested.

The 2011 incident is believed to be the largest loss of life from a sinking of one of the many boats packed with Asian and Middle Eastern migrants who undertake the perilous voyage from Indonesia to Australia.

Two other alleged people smugglers, Abu Anwar and Matim, are still being sought for their role in the tragedy.

In Fight Against Big-Time Poaching, Susi Nets Minnows

Jakarta Globe, Nuriy Azizah Susetyo, Nov 22, 2014

Bajau Laut child in the Philippines. (Wikimedia Commons Photo/Ronnie Pucket)

Jakarta. Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti’s crusade against poaching by foreign fishing boats in Indonesian waters has turned on a nomadic sea tribe that has practiced subsistence fishing for hundreds of years.

The minister said in Jakarta on Friday that her ministry had identified 400 fishermen from the Bajau Laut community living and fishing among remote islands off East Kalimantan – an area that they have lived in and fished from for generations.

However, Susi said that they included Bajau Laut tribespeople from the Philippines and Malaysia, and that their presence in Indonesian waters – where, again, they have a history that predates the founding of all three countries – posed an existential threat to Indonesia’s maritime sovereignty.

“Under our marine laws, they are definitely violating our territory, and if seen under the fisheries law, they are guilty because they are foreigners,” Susi said.

She added that they lived mostly on uninhabited islands off Berau district in East Kalimantan, a marine conservation area where she claimed fishing was prohibited. However, she also acknowledged that authorities were tipped off to their presence by complaints about the “foreign” competition from local fishermen who also fish in the ostensibly protected area.

Conservationists have long lamented the practice of dynamite fishing by local fishermen in the area, but Susi said no such materials were found among the Bajau Laut.

“We caught 59 boats and 73 rafts, so in total we got 132 wooden boats. However, we only found spears and nets, not potassium and dynamite,” she said.

The coordinating minister for maritime affairs, Indroyono Soesilo, said Indonesia needed to take the case seriously because of the danger that it could lose the islands in question to Malaysia or the Philippines – despite the Bajau Laut generally not subscribing to the notion of statehood.

He added that the government would inform the Malaysian and Philippine governments about the matter and deport the fishermen from the region they have lived in for generations.

Indonesia Declares War on Illegal Foreign Fishing Boats

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Nov 18, 2014

Susi Pudjiastuti, the minister for maritime affairs and fisheries, visits a dock
 where impounded illegal foreign fishing vessels are kept, in Kubu Raya district,
West Kalimantan, on Saturday. (Antara Photo/Jessica Helena Wuysang)

Jakarta. Sink or swim: That’s the message the Indonesian government, backed by the Navy, is sending out to foreign fishing fleets poaching inside the country’s maritime borders.

Poaching costs the world’s biggest archipelagic nation some Rp 300 trillion ($24.7 billion) a year, President Joko Widodo said at the State Palace on Tuesday.

“I said it yesterday: Stop arresting [poachers] already and sink 10 or 20 boats so that they’ll think twice,” the president said as quoted by Detik.com.

“But of course, we have to save the people first,” he added.

Fishing, and developing Indonesia’s vast maritime potential in general, is a central pillar of the new government under Joko, who has laid out a vision for Indonesia to become a “global maritime axis.”

His remarks on Tuesday echoed those on Sunday by Susi Pudjiastuti, the maritime and fisheries minister, who called on local authorities in the Derawan Islands, part of Berau district in East Kalimantan, to burn the foreign fishing vessels caught poaching in the area.

“Go to work, burn those boats so they won’t keep doing this. Don’t burn the people, though; arrest them,” Susi said, following a patrol that netted three Malaysian-flagged vessels suspected of illegal fishing.

“Mr. District Chief, Mr. Police Chief, don’t be afraid. If there are any human rights problem, I’ll take the responsibility. Conduct a joint operation with five boats and armed officers. Once you catch them, confiscate the boats. But if there are many boats, burn one or two. Never give the boats back.”

The Navy has responded in a more restrained manner, saying on Tuesday that it had previously carried out a campaign of sinking foreign vessels found poaching in Indonesian waters, but stressed that due legal process needed to be respected.

Adm. Marsetio, the Navy chief of staff, said in Jakarta that he oversaw the previous campaign when he commanded the Navy’s Eastern Fleet.

“It was effective. There were some protests from the ambassadors from the countries [in which the vessels were registered] but they saw that the boat crews were kept safe,” Marsetio said.

“We also worked together with the embassies to deport the crews. The campaign helped prevent similar acts,” he added.

The Navy chief was quick to point out that they could not do this to all vessels suspected of poaching, saying the legal process had to be respected. However, he said the Navy would sink boats caught red-handed “trying to take Indonesia’s natural resources without any proper documents.”

“There have been several instances where we’ve sunk boats illegally entering our waters. But that depends on their crime,” Marsetio said. “In the case of boats found without the proper documentation, we secure the crews first and then we sink the boats to stop them doing that again.”

Related Article:

Google joins fight against illegal fishing

Greenpeace activist injured off Canary Islands in oil protest

Greenpeace and the Spanish navy have issued conflicting accounts of two collisions between dinghies in the Atlantic Ocean. A Greenpeace activist, protesting Repsol oil exploration there, was hospitalized as a result.

Deutsche Welle, 16 Nov 2014

Environmental organization Greenpeace on Saturday said that four of its activists were injured, one of them seriously, when Spain's navy rammed into their dinghy during a protest off the Canary Islands. Greenpeace released video footage of the scenes, showing two collisions between its vessels and ones belonging to the Spanish authorities.

Boats rammed during peaceful protest against oil drilling, 1 activist hospitalised http://t.co/BcnbkKSiLT
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) November 15, 2014

The Greenpeace boats were approaching a large oil drilling ship with a platform, belonging to energy company Repsol.

After the second collision, a woman can be heard crying for help from the water, before a diver on a naval vessel fetches her. Greenpeace identified the woman as a 23-year-old Italian activist, saying she suffered cuts and a broken leg.

Update: Activist knocked into water, leg broken, is safely evacuated and being treated http://t.co/TIObsK5a34
— Arctic Sunrise (@gp_sunrise) November 15, 2014

Calling the incident "another reminder of the lengths governments will go to protect the oil industry from peaceful protesters," Greenpeace said in its statement on the incident that the navy reacted violently, "deliberately ramming the boats and putting the lives of peaceful activists at risk."

However, the navy instead said that it dispatched two boats from one of its ships to prevent Greenpeace from boarding a large oil drilling ship. The authorities said that the activist fell from her dinghy and suffered her injuries when she was hit by its propellers.

Contentious drilling off Canaries

Diego Lopez Garrido of Spain's main opposition Socialist party said that he would call Defense Minister Pedro Morenes to parliament to explain the navy's actions.

Spanish oil giant Repsol is exploring the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands, notably Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, for new drilling sites. It's not an entirely popular endeavor. Last month, at the government's request, the Constitutional Court blocked a proposal from the Canary Islands regional government calling for a referendum on oil exploration off the popular tourist archipelago. Residents have voiced concern that oil exploration, or possibly spills, could hurt the region's thriving tourism and fishing industries.

Repsol has promised to take steps to protect the environment, saying the project will create jobs on an archipelago with 30 percent unemployment, just over the Spanish national average.

The Greenpeace crew protesting the development is aboard the Arctic Sunrise icebreaker, the same ship that was seized last year and held for months by Russian authorities. It returned to the Netherlands for repairs in August, almost a year after a similar alleged attempt to board a Russian oil rig.

msh/av (AFP, AP, dpa)

Preserving Yogyakarta’s Sea Turtle Nest Sites

Aside from beach erosion, poaching and garbage are said to be contributing to dwindling turtle populations

Jakarta Globe, Ari Susanto, Nov 16, 2014

Sea-turtle preservation has led to an ecotourism boom in the Yogyakarta area as
volunteers, keen to prevent extinction, flock to the area. (JG Photo/Ari Susanto)

Yogyakarta. Relentless erosion, tourist’s litter, and poaching continue to reduce the sea turtle population on Yogyakarta’s sandy beaches. Only the Oliver Ridley species still shows up in small numbers to lay eggs, while three others previously found nesting on the coastline — Green turtles, Leatherbacks and Hawksbills — have not appeared there in the past few years.

The Bantul Turtle Conservation Forum (FKPB), a community-based organization founded under supervision of the Natural Resource Conservation Agency to increase turtle populations, has noticed a significant decrease in the number of turtles emerging to lay eggs on Samas beach during nesting season between April and September each year. Wave erosion of beaches is the biggest cause as it limits the turtle’s nesting zones.

“Samas was once a favorite place for the turtles to lay eggs, but continuous waves eroding coastal land is reducing the sandy area every year. It is a serious problem to solve in turtle conservation,” FKPB coordinator Rujito told the Jakarta Globe.

Rampant tides have also ruined turtle conservation sites in Samas that were built to protect hatchlings from poachers and animal predators before they are released into the ocean. The forum has moved the site into a more protected sandy area covered by coastal-oak woodland and built new pools and hatching pots.

In addition to beach erosion, Rujito said poaching and garbage are contributing to dwindling turtle populations.

Some fishermen continue to hunt the turtles illegally and sell them on the black market for their carapaces and organs.

Garbage left by tourists also worsens the coastal environment for the reptiles as many turtles are found dead after swallowing plastic.

In Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta’s district with some of the most attractive beaches, the turtle population has also declined due to increased tourism. Gunungkidul’s Sea and Fishery Office conducts research on each beach with turtle nesting spots so that the government can limit access by large groups of tourists to those areas.

“We’re doing field research at around 35 beaches and also hearing from fishermen and local residents to collect data. Seven of the areas are confirmed as turtle nesting grounds,” the office’s head Agus Priyanto said.

Some beaches, such as Drini beach, are also identified as abandoned nesting spots, because turtles no longer visit due to tourist overcrowding. Agus recommends that the beaches with existing nesting grounds are open only for ecotourism aimed at turtle conservation, and that it should not be open to the general public.

In Bantul area, the Turtle Conservation Volunteers Network promotes ecotourism by asking people to participate in the release of baby turtles on some beaches, usually during July and August.

Through the Save Our Turtles program, the volunteers lead campaigns to attract people to join in protecting turtles from extinction.

“We want to help turtle conservation by preserving the population and also support ecotourism in Bantul,” volunteer coordinator Ferry Munandar said.

Google joins fight against illegal fishing

Yahoo – AFP, 14 Nov 2014

One of the challenges in tackling illegal fishing has been the lack of jurisdiction

on the high seas (AFP Photo/Joel Nito)

Technology giant Google has taken the battle against illegal fishing online, with the company unveiling a tool in Australia on Friday that harnesses satellite data to track thousands of boats in real time.

A prototype interactive tool, which was developed in conjunction with environmental activists SkyTruth and marine advocacy group Oceana, was unveiled at the once-a-decade World Parks Congress in Sydney.

The tool is the latest salvo from environmentalists against illegal fishing, which is currently estimated by the Global Ocean Commission to cost the world economy up to US$23.5 billion a year.

An office worker checks out a map on 

Google's satellite image service, in Hong

 Kong, on October 18, 2005 (AFP Photo/

Laurent Fievet)

"While many of the environmental trends in the ocean can be sobering, the combination of cloud computing and massive data is enabling new tools to visualise, understand and potentially reverse these trends," Brian Sullivan of Google's Earth Outreach and Oceans section said.

The tool uses data points from the Automatic Identification System network, which picks up GPS broadcasts of a vessel's location to map movements.

The prototype has tracked just over 3,000 fishing vessels, with a public tool set to be released down the track.

SkyTruth said the system, which will only monitor fishing vessels, would make activities usually invisible to the wider public easily viewable.

"So much of what happens out on the high seas is invisible, and that has been a huge barrier to understanding and showing the world what's at stake for the ocean," SkyTruth's president and founder John Amos said.

"Satellite data is allowing us to make human interaction with the ocean more transparent than ever before."

The Global Ocean Commission, an independent panel launched in February 2013, said evidence showed seas have been fished to dangerously low levels, with 90 percent of the world's large fish stocks -- such as tuna and swordfish -- already gone.

The commission said one of the challenges in tackling illegal fishing was the lack of jurisdiction on the high seas.

While the high seas make up 64 percent of the ocean's total surface area, they fall beyond national jurisdictions and suffer from a lack of oversight, the organisation said.

The World Parks Congress, which is being held in Sydney until November 19, has drawn thousands of delegates and is set to lay out a global agenda for protected areas for the next decade.

Related Article:

Indonesia Declares War on Illegal Foreign Fishing Boats

Details on Maritime Vision for Indonesia Are Floated

Holds Water: Jokowi justifies maritime ambitions to neighboring states’ leaders at East Asia Summit

Jakarta Globe, Robertus Wardi, Nov 14, 2014

The administration plans to develop 31 seaports, enhance naval capabilities, and
expand credit access for local fishermen. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)

Naypyidaw, Myanmar. President Joko Widodo says Indonesia is keen revive its long-abandoned maritime tradition, citing it as the first of his five pillars to transform the archipelago into a “global maritime axis.”

“As a nation of 17,000 islands, Indonesians must realize that its identity, prosperity and future as a nation greatly depends on how we manage the sea,” Joko said in his address on Thursday at the East Asia Summit in the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw.

Joko highlighted Indonesia’s history as a seafaring nation, which was lost decades ago as the country’s economy shifted to agriculture and manufacturing.

The president also hinted Indonesia would become more protective of its fishing and maritime resources. “Our maritime resources will be used largely to benefit of our own people,” he said.

However, the third pillar, he said, would be to open up Indonesian waters as major regional and international shipping lanes.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said the administration planned to build 24 ports across Indonesia that would accommodate mid-sized ferries and connect Indonesia’s major islands. There are also plans to add seven sea ports for international cargo ships.

The administration also plans to revitalize and expand existing ports to accommodate more ships.

Andi also said the Joko administration aimed to empower local fishermen by easing access to credit and creating fish-processing plants.

The administration’s fourth pillar will be strengthening cooperation with neighboring states to eliminate “potential for conflict like fish poaching, encroachment, border disputes, piracy and pollution,” Andi said.

The fifth pillar consists of Indonesia’s ambition to strengthen its Navy.

“Indonesia will be a force to connect two oceans as a prosperous and sovereign nation,” Andi said. “We need [to develop Indonesia’s Navy] not only to protect our sovereignty and maritime wealth, but also as our responsibility to ensure maritime safety and security.”

Andi said Joko would create an umbrella agency tasked with monitoring and securing Indonesian waters.

The new coordinating agency will combine forces from the Navy, the police forces’ water units and the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s patrol unit to perform all sea-related tasks, including search and rescue. “With those forces combined, patrolling the sea should be more frequent and coordinated,” Andi said.

Kell: 'Climate change is bad for business'

1000 companies as well as powerhouses such as BlackRock, BT Pension or Rockefeller- and Rothschildfunds are pushing for a global carbon deal. UN Global Compact founder Georg Kell tells why.

Deutsche Welle: Mr. Kell, The United Nations has won some unexpected allies in the fight against global warming.

Georg Kell: For the first time, the private sector has argued in favor of pricing externalities. This is a breakthrough because usually business blocks climate action on a national level. Investors are actually making the case for putting a significant price on carbon. Polluters are making the case to be charged. That has never happened before. This is a very promising major development which will encourage policy makers.

The COP climate conferences showed very limited results in the past two decades because big companies lobbied against new climate laws and most heads of state didn’t show up. Can you comment?

Georg Kell together with Statoil CEO Helge
 Lund, José Manuel Entrecanales Domecq,
Chairman and CEO of Spanish wind energy
 company Acciona and Frank Pegan, CEO
 of the Australian Pension Fund Catholic
Super (FLTR)

Now 73 countries, including Russia and China, have signed a declaration which fights global warming. 120 Heads of State, even US President Barack Obama and the French President Hollande, attended the recent UN Climate Summit in September. Ban Ki-moon also mobilized the streets: More than 400,000 people participated in the Climate March in New York. Most importantly, however, 1000 companies made the case for pricing carbon. Unthinkable only two years ago.

What caused this change?

Extreme weather and sea water level rises are not just a horror scenario any more. Storms, floods, droughts and water scarcity can disrupt almost any planned economic activity. There is big nervousness going on for good reason. The exposure to such risks has increased enormously. Climate change is bad for business.

Hurricane Sandy recently flooded huge parts of New York. Do real estate owners such as the Rockefeller Family support the UN because they are now getting "wet feet”?

Yes, it’s a mixture of many things. Obviously the fear of property losses is a major factor. Much of the world's wealth, about 60 percent, is invested in property and infrastructure. For the first time the investor community is actually realizing that their future asset performance is seriously under threat.

Financial powerhouses such as BlackRock, BT Pension Scheme and the Rothschild & Cie Gestion Group, have just signed a call on governments to implement a major global carbon pricing. Some of the asset owners who represent about 24 trillion dollars did more than this.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, built with profits from their great-grandfather's Standard Oil Company, is now selling investments in the fossil fuel industry and is putting pressure on companies that are adding to climate change. Rockefeller Brothers will abandon companies reliant on coal and tar sands because carbon is now recognized as the evil in the game. Scientific evidence strongly shows that carbon is the cause of global warming. You cannot deny this any more.

George Kell says greenhouse gas emission will have a high priece in the future.

The IPCC has just released a report that we need to cut carbon emissions by 40 - 70 percent before 2050 if we aim to limit global warming below two degrees. What’s your take on this?

This is why pricing carbon high enough is essential. It provides incentives to move towards an energy efficient low carbon consumption and production. Many companies still have a double-faced identity: One the one hand showing a bit of green credentials, on the other hand lobbying against carbon action. They focus on short term profits. Therefore, we need to give strong signals and strong incentives. A quick transition is possible. Philips Lighting already switched 40 percent of its turnover to energy efficient LED. Unilever and Nestlé have invested large sums in to a sustainable supply chain.

Can subsidies be shifted to renewable energy?

Yes, 500 billion dollars are spend are annually to subsidize fossil fuels. We have to get rid of perverse subsidies, stop using dirty diesel and coal, and invest in green technologies.

For decades the oil industry was one the biggest opponents of renewable energies. Now UN Global Compact members such as Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Statoil have signed a call for a global carbon pricing. How come?

Getting oil on board is a very important step. For almost 10 years, the UN Global Compact and others have been working on winning the business community, to get them to realize that sustainably and a natural system that can support all of us is good for business. Many companies have discovered that energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint gives them a competitive advantage. Greenhouse gas emission will be priced highly in the future.

How high?

The Norwegian government charges its oil and gas industry with a CO2 tax of up to 75 dollar per ton. This has made Norway a leader in carbon-efficient oil and gas production. Helge Lund, the CEO of Statoil, said an international price on carbon should be at least 100 dollar per ton. This is a start.

This will increase energy cost significantly. What about the losers, such as the coal industry?

There are always winners and losers. The world has to adapt to changes. A low carbon world opens up a whole universe of new business opportunities: new products, new services, and new solutions. It will push green growth and create many new jobs. A major shift to renewable energy has made Denmark an export leader of green technology .The Danish think tank Sustainia just nominated Newlight Tech for an award. The US based company developed a process to take CO2 out of the air and transform it into carbon negative plastics.

Greenhouse emissions don't care about national boarders. What about major polluters such as China?

Working on climate issues is a huge opportunity to also revive collaboration among states. China is putting in place a national pricing system for carbon next year. This will be the biggest carbon market. China is now also the biggest investor in renewable energies.

82 percent of the world's energy is still produced by fossil fuels. Do you think the UN will have a chance to close a global deal on carbon pricing at the COP21 climate summit in Paris next year?

It's in the cards. Not pricing pollution and carbon emissions is the biggest market distortion in human history. The voices of those who make the case for pricing carbon are getting louder and stronger. Our job is now to win more companies to lobby for carbon pricing and to encourage policy makers to be courageous. The world is longing for solutions.

Georg Kell is the founder and executive director of UN Global Compact. Global Compact members are signing a declaration in which they express their commitment for an ethical way of conducting business. With more than 8000 members the UN Global Compact is the biggest corporate sustainability organization.

Peter O’Neill, head of the Rockefeller family and great-great-grandson of John D
Rockefeller, along with Neva Rockefeller Goodwin (second from the right_, 
great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, and Stephen B Heintz, president of
the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much.

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. 

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four. ….”