Getting to Know the Other Side of Coal Mining in East Kalimantan
About Youth Xtra Active
Youth Xtra Active (YXA) is an initiative to involve young people in encouraging reforms in Extractive Resources management, especially in the oil and gas, mining, and natural resources sectors. We believe that the management of Natural Resources must involve young people as the generation who will receive the impact of good or bad management of Natural Resources. First, young people need to know, be aware, and be empowered to be involved in the management of Natural Resources.
YXA is under the auspices of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, a civil society coalition that focuses on promoting transparency and accountability in the extractive oil and gas, mining, and natural resources sectors. Coinciding with the momentum of 20 years of reform, YXA was officially founded on May 25, 2018.
One of the YXA programs is the Youth Xtra Active Camp, which is an activity to involve young people in getting to know how mining management is in areas rich in natural resources. YXA also opens opportunities for friends who want to join as YXA volunteers to be actively involved in future YXA programs and activities.
Background
Indonesia is known as a country with abundant coal resources. With coal production in 2017 reaching 7.2% of total world production, Indonesia is the fourth position as the highest coal-producing country in the Asia Pacific region after China, Australia, and India.
Nevertheless, do you know where does this exported coal come from? East Kalimantan is one of the provinces with the highest coal exports. Specifically for East Kalimantan, there are around 1488 Mining Business Permits (IUP) and 33 Coal Mining Exploitation Work Agreements (PKP2B). It is not surprising that many ex-mining pits have opened up in this province. Even in Samarinda City, there are 232 ex-mining pits.
Coal mining activities, on the other hand, result in adverse environmental and social impacts. Environmentally, many mining companies do not restore land after mining activities. Minerba Coordination and Supervision Data (Korsup Minerba) shows that only 50% of mineral and coal IUP holders place reclamation and post-mining guarantee funds. This means that around 5000 mineral and coal IUPs operate without meeting environmental obligations. Socially, this mine hole has claimed 29 lives (during 2011-2018).
Apart from causing casualties, mining industry activities also often neglect community rights. As was the case in Mulawarman Village, the village inhabited by transmigrants in the 1980s was previously designated as a rice barn, but after being surrounded by the mining industry, the paddy field water system became disrupted so that it was no longer productive to produce rice. As a result, many residents have lost their livelihoods and have difficulty getting access to clean water.
The Urgency of Switching from Fossil Energy to Renewable Energy
The Indonesian government has committed to reducing the rate of increase in geothermal temperatures (below 2 degrees Celsius) by ratifying the Paris and Morocco Climate Change Agreement, namely by reducing carbon emissions by 29% on a business as the usual basis and 41% with the assistance of international funds. This is in line with the mandate in the 2015-2019 RPJMN, which limits coal production to 400 million tonnes in 2019. The direction of national energy policy also reduces coal use in the national energy mix target, from 30% coal use in 2025 to 25% in 2050. In other words, the national energy policy directs national energy sources to no longer be dominated by fossil energy but to switch to renewable energy.
Although, on paper, coal production is targeted to decline, in its implementation, the actual production is always more significant than the RPJMN target. For the last three years of production data (2015-2017), the realization of production has always exceeded the RPJMN target. This is presumably because coal is still seen as a commodity that contributes to state revenue. In fact, if the government wants to commit to controlling geothermal temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, the government needs to reduce coal production and use it seriously. Therefore, the government and related parties need to be encouraged to commit to reducing coal production and in efforts to make a fair transition from fossil energy to renewable energy.
PWYP Indonesia, through the Youth Xtra Active (YXA) Camp program, opens opportunities for ten young Indonesians to come and see first hand the condition of the ex-mining pit in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. Five (5) participants will come from East Kalimantan, and 5 participants will come from outside East Kalimantan. Through this activity, selected young people will take part in a program of visits to several ex-mining pits in East Kalimantan, discussing with the community and local youth and actors driving change.
As part of the global Rise for Climate Action, on the second day of YXA Camp, there will be a talk show entitled “Samarinda Rises to Action for the Climate, Switching from Dirty Energy to Renewable Energy!” This activity will be attended by young people, students, academicians, journalists, and the general public to discuss how the impact of coal mining has been and the importance of a fair transition from fossil energy to renewable energy. This discussion will also explore the potential of East Kalimantan regarding renewable energy. After the discussion, there will be a declaration as a joint attitude that encourages regional leaders in East Kalimantan to commit to an immediate transition from dirty energy to renewable energy.
Terms and Conditions
- 17-30 years old
- Have an active social media account
- Participants must follow PWYP Indonesia’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram)
- Submit essays/videos why you are interested in joining YXA Camp
- Participants are committed to creating content after participating in YXA Camp (videos / articles / infographics / videographs / caricatures-illustrations, etc
- Produced content will become the property of the organizer.
- Registration deadline August 31, 2018, 24.00 WIB
- The announcement of 10 selected participants will be announced on September 3, 2018; the committee will then contact selected participants.
- The committee will finance the departure of participants from the domicile area to East Kalimantan (PP) and finance accommodation and transportation during the activity.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact us at secretariat@pwyp-indonesia.org.
Asri Nuraeni
+6281354723226 | asri.nuraeni@pwyp-indonesia.org
Liza Mashita
+6287843191634 | liza@pwyp-indonesia.org