Indonesia at danger from global climate changes

JAKARTA (JP): Experts warned on Wednesday of the global climate changes that have caused irregular climatic patterns and rising sea levels.

"The topic is very relevant and we must be wary of these changes as signs of freak weather have been evident here," head of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Sri Diharto said on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Regional Consultation on Climate Change held at the Gran Melia Hotel.

"Among the vivid examples is the fact that the sun has actually moved to the south of the equator this November but tropical storms are still occurring, such as the Sang Sang storm that hit Taiwan.

"This phenomenon is a likely result of global climate changes," Sri said.

Indonesia, however, will not experience tropical storms as they usually occur at around 11 degrees north of the equator and 11 degrees south of the equator, he said.

"So the Philippines gets the storm as it moves to the north," he added.

Indonesia, however, should brace itself for heavy rain, which will take place over the next few days as a result of the tropical storm, according to Sri.

He said that in Indonesia, the impact of global climate change can be seen from rising sea levels on the north coast of Java.

"In Semarang and Surabaya, every time a high tide occurs, flooding will follow. Such a pattern never took place before. Similar tendencies can be seen in irregular rainfall and the El Nino weather phenomenon," he said.

The BMG, in cooperation with other concerned agencies, is carefully monitoring the impact of global climate changes and trying to pinpoint more specific scientific proof.

According to the available data, the three hottest years on earth since 1400 were 1990, 1995 and 1997.

The deputy chairman of Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), RTM. Sutamihardja, further noted that the global estimate for rises in sea level over the next 100 years is between 0.6 meters and one meter.

"In Indonesia, with a total maritime zone of 85,000 square kilometers, it could be bad," Sutamihardja said.

"Average global warming over the past decade was 0.6 degrees Celsius and it will likely climb to between one degree Celsius and 3.5 degrees Celsius," he said.

Agus Pratama Sari, executive director of Pelangi, a nongovernmental organization specializing in the environment, said that many people in the country do not understand the impact of global climate change on the environment.

"Global climate changes are caused by, among other things, greenhouse emissions brought about by industrialization," he said.

These emissions lead to global warming which then causes the polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise.

"Since developing countries are the ones with a great deal of sea territory, we are the victims here," Agus said.

He added that at the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP) on International Climate Change in The Hague, the Netherlands from Nov. 13 to Nov. 24, Indonesia along with other developing countries will push for the developed countries, including the United States, to sign the Kyoto Protocol which gives them the responsibility of fighting the current global climate changes.

Agus said that the coastal protection and rehabilitation required as a result of climate change is estimated to cost US$4 million per kilometer per 20-centimeter rise in sea level. (edt)