Indonesia to Lose Thousands Of Islands With Sea Level Rise
Pastor Dale Morgan
Indonesia to Lose Thousands Of Islands With Sea Level Rise*
by Staff Writers
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 29, 2007
Indonesia could lose 2,000 small islands by 2030 due to a rise in sea
levels as a result of climate change, Environment Minister Rachmat
Witoelar said on Monday. According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, the sea level could rise between eight and 29
centimetres (three and 12 inches) by 2030, inundating many of
Indonesia's lower-lying islands, he said.
"Everybody in this world is experiencing directly the effects of climate
change, whether it is floods, droughts or, heaven forbid, sea-level
rise, those are phenomena that are impeding development," he told reporters.
The archipelago comprises more than 17,000 islands.
Witoelar said agriculture had been affected by changes in weather
patterns, with rice not planted on schedule and Indonesia experiencing a
significant increase in temperatures.
Indonesia is also expected to see higher rainfall in coming wet seasons.
Floods in the north of Sumatra island in December killed dozens of
people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee.
The Indonesian resort island of Bali will host the 13th UN Climate
Change Conference in December, with between 7,000 and 10,000
participants from more than 100 countries expected to attend, the
minister said.
Source: Agence France-Presse