Undip, BRIN, and Griffith University Launch Book on Climate Challenges in Java's North Coast

The impacts of climate change and development, including flooding, tidal surges, and land subsidence, remain serious challenges for coastal communities, particularly women and children. Semarang (ANTARA) – Diponegoro University (Undip) Semarang, in collaboration with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Australia’s Griffith University, has launched a book on climate challenges in Java’s North Coast region. Researcher Wiwandari Handayani, a professor at Undip and one of the book’s authors, stated on Monday in Semarang that North Coast communities face significant climate change challenges. “The impacts of climate change and development, including flooding, tidal surges, and land subsidence, remain serious challenges for coastal communities, especially women and children,” she said. According to the lecturer from Undip’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DPWK) in the Faculty of Engineering, interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to addressing the complex challenges faced by Java’s North Coast. “Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to produce comprehensive, inclusive, and practical policy recommendations for building climate-resilient cities,” Wiwandari said. The book, titled “Climate Change, Labour and Migration: Impacts on Women and Children”, is the result of a research collaboration titled “Compelled labour and climate change: keeping a focus on women and children”. The publication of the book by the three institutions was funded by DFAT Australia’s KONEKSI research grant. The book documents research findings on climate change, labour, and migration issues and their impacts across several North Coast regions of Java, including Jakarta, Semarang, Pekalongan, and Demak. Specifically, the book examines the social impacts experienced by women and children as vulnerable groups. Through an interdisciplinary approach, she said, the compilation presents diverse perspectives on how these issues emerge, interact, and ultimately affect coastal communities. Wiwandari said the research team emphasised the importance of policies that prioritise protecting women and children as a core component of climate adaptation. She hopes the book will serve as a reference to enrich perspectives and policy recommendations for decision-makers to collaborate on delivering comprehensive and concrete solutions to these challenges. “This initiative is expected to be a first step in strengthening research-based policies and fostering cross-sector collaboration to address climate change for climate-resilient development,” Wiwandari said. “This effort also supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth),” Wiwandari said. As well as SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).