Tackling the drivers of land use emissions : the role of public and private finance

Abstract

The thesis is made up of three research papers, which seek to identify and demonstrate the role of public and private finance actors in tackling greenhouse gas emissions from land use. The first provides a theoretical framework for understanding the roles and instruments (entry points) for public and private finance actors to realize climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in the land use sectors. The second paper investigates how public financing plays out in practice in Indonesia, with a focus on the role international public actors are playing and what progress is being made to tackle the underlying drivers of land use emissions. The final paper is more forward looking and seeks to understand how the Indonesian national tax instrument could be used as a policy instrument to encourage more sustainable land use in the palm oil industry. The thesis contributes to the field of public finance economics, exploring the role of international development cooperation and domestic budgeting and fiscal policy to achieve environmental sustainability policy objectives. The research contains a theoretical framework and tools that can be applied to any developing country but is also practically grounded with empirical research carried out in Indonesia and in relation to the palm oil industry in Indonesia.