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ept. 12, Online

The National Council on Climate Change (DNPI) predicts that half of Jakarta will be underwater by 2030 due to global warming.

DNPI executive chairman Rachmat Witoelar said on Thursday that global warming could cause sea levels to increase significantly.

'€œIf we allow this situation to continue, then by around 2030, half of Jakarta, specifically areas such as Ancol, will be underwater,'€ he said in Jakarta on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Your comments:

Still the government continues to spend most of its money on providing cheap fuel and electricity etc., which undermines the economy. Why not increase fuel and electricity prices once again?

Doing so would benefit both the environment and the economy. Spending more money on education would make people more aware of the environment and would greatly improve the economy in the long term.

Lars Andersen

Elsewhere in the Post there is continuing debate about whether the capital should be moved. If these projections are correct then the point may be moot in a few years.

Probably the only reason Jakarta will be developed until the flood defenses fail is because of prior investments.  

Having invested so much already it would seem the preferred option is to attempt to build the great sea wall of Batavia and pump out the water from the inside at huge cost. If projections are correct, all ultimately futile.

John Elliott

The DNPI should start with the palm oil industry to reduce carbon emissions. Palm oil production is damaging to the environment, releasing millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere yearly.

This is more than the carbon dioxide released by coal fired power plants.

The palm oil mills in the supply chain cause havoc. The mills should start considering the 74 percent biomass byproduct remaining after extracting the palm oil as a valuable resource to fight global warming. It contains a massive amount of clean energy!

This clean energy when utilized efficiently and productively can offset carbon emissions on the plantations and bring down the carbon footprint of palm oil to significant low levels.

Technologies and means are already readily available to harness this energy efficiently. The Principles and Criteria 5.4 of RSPO regarding optimizing renewable energy at palm oil mills have been largely ignored.

Rightfully, it'€™s palm oil mills that should be focused on.

Climate change is '€œan immediate and growing threat'€.

E Wise

I quote: '€œHe added that people had to increase awareness on the need to protect themselves from the impact of global warming by keeping the environment green, maintaining cleanliness and reducing air pollution.'€

Incidentally, most people, even Indonesian themselves, would agree that we'€™re lacking in these three- listed examples. How about really cracking illegal logging cases for a start?

That would help ease global warming.

Monste

The thing is, many people think maintaining the environment is a cost while it is actually an investment.

I can'€™t even think of any negative impacts of improving the environment. The industries that damage the environment are mostly found in developing countries. Indonesia is rewarded for exploiting its natural resources and polluting its environment in the name of exports and surplus.

H Cahyadi