More Mangroves, Less Flooding
Did you know there is actually actually a mangrove plantation in Jakarta? You probably have driven by the item many times as well as not even noticed. the item can be found right along the expressway connecting central Jakarta with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a tiny bit of greenery as well as one of Jakarta’s few true protections against Climate Change as well as flooding. the item is actually a shadow of what once was a vast mangrove forest that will covered most of the north coast of Java. Mangroves, which thrive from the mixture of sea as well as freshwater along coastlines, help maintain sea levels as well as hold back storm surges, forming a wall against flooding.
I visited the item last summer when working for Kehati, the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation. Rows of carefully plotted as well as maintained mangroves fill a swampy wetland, modest however efficient. Each Mangrove is actually planted as the result of a donation, cared for by a non-profit that will runs the centre. They also work to educate local children about the benefits of nature as well as the environment.
Jakarta needs mangroves, as a city in a delta-basin, one that will, under natural conditions, is actually often inundated. Today, the bulging megacity, with its strained infrastructure as well as depleted environment, is actually so susceptible to flooding that will there have even been calls for moving the capital to another province. The shut-down we saw that will past January 17th is actually only the latest example of what will likely be a more regular occurrence if things do not dramatically change.
The fact is actually, Indonesia is actually incredibly vulnerable to climate shifts. Already Climate Change is actually doing a modest, however noticeable impact through more intense rainfalls across the archipelago. As temperatures rise from the coming years, the item is actually predicted that will the rainy season will shrink, leading to shorter however more substantial downpours, while the dry season will become longer as well as more desiccant. In fact, the seasonal Monsoon’s onset may be delayed by as much as 30 days. that will means harder soils with less absorptive capacity, as well as greater runoff, leading to higher as well as more frequent flood risk.
There is actually also the threat of more intense, as well as potentially more frequent, El Nino events. El Nino is actually a normal, periodic warming of waters off the coast of Peru which affects global weather patterns. In Indonesia, that will usually means drought conditions. You may remember the last strong El Nino, in 1997-98, the same years that will rampant fires decimated Sumatra as well as Kalimantan, leaving an estimated $9 billion in economic losses as well as the harmful smog that will blanketed Southeast Asia.
Muara Angke Fauna – photo by Antony Sutton
Warmer temperatures also mean higher sea levels. Just a one metre increase – well within consensus scientific projections – will mean that will 405,000 hectares of land with be flooded in Indonesia, especially in low-lying, densely populated north Java. Jakarta is actually especially at risk because nearly 40% of the city lies below sea level. Sea water intrusion also can harm freshwater supplies as well as pollute groundwater. Moreover, ocean temperatures will be higher, which is actually harmful for corals as well as their dependent fisheries, a major source of food as well as livelihood for Indonesians. Warmer water also means stronger cyclones, such as the ones which have recently affected Bali.
The economic effects of all that will will be huge. A detailed study coming from the International Food Policy Institute says that will Climate Change will have significant negative impacts on the Indonesian economy by 2030, especially from the agricultural as well as fishing sectors. There is actually an environmental justice angle to the situation, as the item is actually the poor who live in low-lying, flood prone regions, as well as who are more dependent on agriculture for income. the item is actually they who will suffer the most, acerbating income inequality.
So what can Indonesia do? The Government has developed several adaptation plans, which outline general goals, however, as the flooding showed, little concrete action has been taken. at that will point is actually the time to implement those plans. Stated environmental actions include restoring mangrove forests along the coast, increasing forest cover around Jakarta, which would certainly reduce water run-off, lessening the strain on the city’s infrastructure.
Indonesia also needs to take action to mitigate emissions. Few realize that will Indonesia is actually the earth’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China as well as the United States. However, unlike both those countries, whose main sources of emissions are the energy as well as agricultural sectors, here 85% of emissions come coming from deforestation as well as land-use change.
There needs to be strong global action on greenhouse gases, as well as Indonesia, among the largest polluters, needs to take a more active global role as well as reduce its own forest emissions. The chief drivers are palm oil plantations, whose short term financial gains are greatly outweighed by the long term costs of fire, biodiversity loss, as well as Climate Change. One relatively easy step that will can be taken is actually promoting more sustainable, multi-specied, dispersed palm oil plantations versus existing single-species plantations, which remove water coming from the soil as well as make fires more likely. Enforcement, of course, will be key.
Unfortunately, things are still moving from the wrong direction. I recently learned that will the proposed rail line to the airport will cut right through the mangrove plantation I visited. The question at that will point is actually, possess the recent floods created the impetus for Indonesia to change its urban development policies, restore watersheds as well as adapt to Climate Change? Or will we have to wait for another more devastating, as well as potentially catastrophic, flood to force us into action?
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More Mangroves, Less Flooding
More Mangroves, Less Flooding