A total of 199 coastal cities in Indonesia are at risk of tidal flooding in 2050

KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. A total of 199 coastal cities in Indonesia are threatened by the annual tidal flood in 2050. If this disaster occurs, it is predicted that it will cause losses of up to Rp. 1,500 trillion more.

This prediction is based on Kompas Daily data journalism submitted by the Chief Editor of Kompas Daily, Sutta Dharmasaputra, in the Kompas Talks discussion with Greenpeace entitled "Transition Towards a Green Economy: Practice and Exploration" which was held on Wednesday afternoon (16/3).

Sutta said that Kompas Daily had analyzed the impact of sea-level rise using simulation data of sea-level rise in 21 provincial capitals from a non-profit organization called Climate Central. In this analysis, the data is then combined with spatial analysis, population data, then economics, and local government policies.

"The results are surprising. Apart from the variable of land subsidence, it turns out that the effect of sea-level rise is only based on our analytical data, when we conducted data journalism, we concluded that there are around 199 coastal cities in Indonesia that will be affected by tidal flooding in 2050," said Sutta at the event. (16/3).

With the threat of tidal flooding, a number of big cities, according to an analysis by Kompas Daily, are threatened by tidal flooding in 2050. DKI Jakarta for example.

According to an analysis by Kompas Daily, the city which currently holds the status as the Capital of the Republic of Indonesia has the potential to be 44.8% inundated by tidal flooding in 2050. This disaster has the potential to inundate around 46.3% of the population in Jakarta.

Another big city example is Banjarmasin. Unmitigated, around 85.5% of the area in the city located in South Kalimantan, according to an analysis by Kompas Daily, has the potential to be inundated by tidal flooding in 2050.

According to Sutta, all stakeholders need to 'join hands' to take action simultaneously to prevent climate damage. "We realize that not all stakeholders have the same concern. Even if there are those who have the same concern, they may still have different perspectives," said Sutta.

Senior Economist and Environmental Leader, Emil Salim said, the change in attitude in viewing nature since the Industrial Revolution since the 18th century has led to environmental destruction.

"Since 1750 until now the focus on nature has changed, nature is no longer a subject, but an object with the aim of being subjugated, subjugated by science and technology and so on," said Emil at the same event.

This perspective, according to Emil, is different from the way humans saw nature before the industrial revolution. In the period of the 750s, humans, said Emil, saw nature as a subject that needed to be studied and made a teacher, not seen as an object to be conquered.

According to Emil, Indonesia needs to return to this perspective to prevent environmental damage.

"In the green economy change, there is one basic religious philosophy that we need to develop in our homeland that is in accordance with the Pancasila philosophy, returning to human nature, respecting nature as a divine creation, and while utilizing nature for human welfare without destroying it, but following the teachings of God. instructions, learn from nature," said Emil.

The head of Greenpeace Indonesia, Leonard Simanjuntak, said that Indonesia must immediately design a roadmap or a green economy roadmap quickly and concretely and oversee the energy transition as quickly as possible in order to realize a green economy and prevent environmental damage.

According to him, with the decentralization principle adopted by the Republic of Indonesia, local governments have room to take progressive and innovative pro-climate, and pro-green economy steps.

"Even though the central government in our view is half-hearted in making this transition, as evidenced for example by the Job Creation Law, which is basically relatively pro to the extractive industry, Indonesia is very diverse, and by nature, it should be decentralized, it provides space for regional governments. to take progressive and innovative steps that are pro-climate, and pro-green economy," said Leonard.

So far, a number of local governments claim to have designed policies aimed at a pro-green economy. Bali for example. The Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster said that he made reference to local wisdom about the Balinese way of life in the universe in developing the Balinese economy.

"The advice is that in Indonesian, it is a way of life that blends with nature, preserving the environment to maintain the continuity of life by viewing humans as nature itself," said Wayan.