Bappenas stresses social infrastructure to tackle climate change

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas) Rachmat Pambudy has emphasised the handling of social infrastructure to confront climate change.

“It is clear that climate issues will affect physical infrastructure, but it turns out that social infrastructure must also be addressed, because rising sea levels caused by climate change also impact people themselves,” he said at the National Policy Dialogue on Sea Level Rise in Jakarta on Monday.

On that occasion, he recounted that Bappenas had recently attended a sustainability conference in Germany discussing the impacts of climate change on the world. According to Rachmat, leaders from various countries affirmed that climate change is not only to be anticipated, but must be confronted and resolved.

Therefore, the Head of Bappenas stated that improving physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, ports and airports is not sufficient to address the impacts of climate change. Handling social infrastructure issues is also needed, as the effects of climate change strongly influence society.

Bappenas reminded that if the northern coast of Java cannot cope with rising sea levels as a consequence of climate change, it will automatically affect Gross Domestic Product (GDP) performance.

“More than 60 per cent of our GDP is on Java, more than 70 per cent is in northern Java, and more than 26 per cent is in Jabotabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi). If that is flooded and submerged, then our GDP is immediately affected. Not only are people affected, but our economy is affected too,” said Rachmat Pambudy.

“So Pak Menko (Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono), after physical infrastructure, social infrastructure, the presence of people, services for people in the form of hospitals, education facilities and social services so that society is more prosperous, appears also to fall under your responsibility,” said the Minister of National Development Planning.

To resolve these various issues, his office is committed to preparing everything related to development planning. As for implementation, the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development and the North Java Coast Management Authority are responsible for settling these problems.