Indonesia is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change caused by human greenhouse gas emissions. As an island chain whose main source of animal protein comes from seafood, Indonesia is vulnerable to sea-level rise and the negative effects of climate change on marine life. As a tropical country, Indonesia is extremely vulnerable to extreme heat and humidity, which will affect everything from human health to infrastructure and labour productivity. And as a country with a high reliance on domestically grown staple crops like rice, changes in rainfall caused by climate change will reduce yields and threaten food security.
While Indonesia faces many challenges, increasing climate ambition could support Indonesia’s aim of becoming a high-income country by 2045. Low-carbon policies could deliver an average of 6% GDP growth per year until 2045, while also reducing extreme poverty, generating additional better-paid jobs, and avoiding deaths due to reduced air pollution. For example, building renewable energy facilities and mass transit networks could provide good employment options, while conserving nature could reduce the impact of storm surges and other environmental shocks, and enhance agricultural productivity.
A number of studies in recent years have delivered consistent results that the Indonesian economy is among the most vulnerable to climate change. Low-income households and marginalized groups will be more victims. Therefore, Coaction Indonesia and Yayasan Indonesia CERAH tried to compile and launch a synthesis report on the impacts of the climate crisis in all key sectors in Indonesia. Hopefully, it can build public awareness and policy makers so that they can understand the climate crisis and its impacts more easily, and can be a reference for the media in developing in-depth reports.
