Regional governments key to tackling climate change in Indonesia

EVERY year at this time, Indonesia's people feel the pressure of climate change as floods inundate crops, villages and cities from Papua to Sumatra. Climate change is already under way, causing havoc to people and ecosystems around the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 report confirms that the risks will increase if the global average surface temperature rises by 2 degrees Celsius, and developing countries in particular, like Indonesia, will be more vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

According to the IPCC 5th Assessment Report (2014) and Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (2020), climate change and unpredictable weather have resulted in sea level rise, which is decreasing marine fish catches by 40 to 60 percent as well as worsening socioeconomic conditions in around 10,000 coastal villages in Indonesia. In tackling climate change and avoiding tipping points of global climatic disasters, controlling carbon emissions from the global energy system, which is currently heavily reliant on fossil fuels, is critical.