Bali Tourism News

Indonesia: ‘Green’ cycling tour arrives in Bali ahead of climate change summit

November 30th, 2007

Denpasar 29 November (AKI) – As Bali gears up for the UN Conference on Climate Change opening there on Monday, a cycling team arrives on the island Saturday, after 20 days on the road promoting climate solutions.

The cycling tour, called ‘Bicycle for Earth Goes to Bali’ has been held to promote biking as an alternative means of transport that does not add to climate change.

Along the 1447 kilometer long route from Jakarta to Bali, events have been held to inform the public about climate change and promote alternative solutions, and the team has attended political debates and other public events.

The event involved 15 main participants cycling the whole route from the capital city to the resort island, as well as 35 additional members from the cities the tour has passed through.

As the cyclists set out from Jakarta’s National Monument Square on 11 November, they were joined by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cycling in tandem with his wife, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono.

The main team will have cycled a distance of 1,447 kilometers, during which it passed through 44 cities and stopped in 16. All the participants had passed a selection test proving that they were able to last the long journey.

From Jakarta, the cyclists passed through the cities of Karawang, Pamanukan, Cirebon, Tegal-Pekalongan, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Solo, Madiun, kertosono, Surabaya, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Banyuwangi, before arriving in Bali where the tour’s final leg included Tabanan, Denpasar and Nusa Dua.

Delegates from about 190 nations will meet in Bali, from Dec. 3-14 to launch negotiations on a new UN pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2012.

Kyoto pledged to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by developed countries to at least 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. A total of 174 nations have ratified the pact.

The United States, the world’s biggest source of emissions, has not ratified the pact, which excludes emissions from developing countries, including China, a major polluter.

Koyoto covers 61.6 percent of developed nations’ total emissions.

Source: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI

Entry Filed under: Bali Tourism News