Indonesia at danger from global climate changes

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)