W

ith or without a new climate treaty in Copenhagen, Indonesia should continue formulating concrete measures to tackle climate change, which is already affecting vulnerable groups, environmentalists said here Thursday.

The civil society forum (CSF) said that Indonesia should no longer rely only on foreign aid to help its people adapt to the impacts of climate change.

"The government needs to make an extra effort, including allocating more money for adaptation programs. We just wait for foreign aid," CSF coordinator, Giorgio Budi, told a press conference on Wednesday.

He said the government concentrated more on mitigation issues even though the risks of climate change had already severely affected farmers and traditional fishermen.

Developing countries, especially those that are less developed, are the most vulnerable to the risk of extreme weather events, temperature increases and rising sea levels.

Adaptation measures, could include changing water management, installing early warning systems for extreme events, and the use of innovative technology, such as efforts to increase sea defenses or build flood-proof houses.

The main source of funds to cover such adaptation policies currently comes from Overseas Development Aid (ODA) from rich nations who were required to set aside 0.7 percent of their gross domestic products (GDP).

"But it is not enough because much of the money was used to combat poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals *MDGs*," said Raja Siregar from Oxfam GB.

Oxfam international has asked developed nations to donate an additional US$100 billion to help developing countries implement climate change mitigation policies.

"But half of the money should be allocated toward adaptation programs," he said.

The CSF is slated to hold a national dialogue on climate change on Nov. 2 and Nov. 11, which will be attended by farmers and fishermen from across the country.

The two-day dialogue that will also be attended by government officials, is aimed at formulating concrete programs that will be presented to the government.

Meanwhile, a coalition of environmentalists grouped under the Bali Collaboration for Climate Change also warned that sustainable development and capacity building were the key to saving small islands from the impacts of climate change.

"Policies and spatial planning for small islands should bring forward adaptive measures for islanders.

"Local people should be continuously guided to adapt to changes in their environment," said Hira Jhamtani from the Wisnu Foundation.

"We don't want small islands and their civilizations to disappear similar as they did in the Atlantic, just because of human-triggered disasters.

She criticized the 2007 law on the development of coastal areas and small islands for issuing certificates to investors to develop coastal areas.