Mar 31 2009
Air temperature in some areas in Indonesia increase more than one degree
In six measured areas in Indonesia the temperature has risen more than one degree in the period 1983 to 2003. This alarming fact comes from climate data recorded by the Indonesia Meteorology, climatology, and geophysics body.
The highest rise in temperature is recorded in Wamena City, Papua where it increased 1,38 degrees from an average of 25,97 degrees. The change of temparature in those areas is mostly caused by human activities such as burning of forests, industry and transportation.
In other areas assessed the temperature rose nearly as much:
1. Bawean Island, East Java (increased 1,15 degrees centigrade).
2. Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara (increased 1,11 degrees centigrade).
3. Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara (increased 1,35 degrees centigrade).
4. Jayapura City, Papua (increased 1,22 degrees centigrade).
5. Merauke, Papua (increased 1,15 degrees centigrade).
Contrary to this the temperature in Tarempa Island, Natuna showed the decrease of air temperature 0,26 degree centigrade. The reason is not yet known and not yet validated by Mann-Kendall system.
This change of temperature is indeed a serious problem. According the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if temperature changes 2 degrees centigrade from 1990 to 2050 the condition will be hard to be handle, therefore there is no other way than slowing down the increase of air temperature.
The rapid change of temperature brings negative impacts such as diseases in large scale, unpredictable weather such as high frequency of storms and strong winds, raising level of sea water, and problems with food production due to crop failures.
Indonesia start facing longer drought season and shorter wet season but with high intesity of rain that can cause floods and landslides. Agriculture sector also get hard impacts caused by change of planting pattern which sometimes shifts forward, and sometimes shifts back from normal schedule.
It is a paradox, that Indonesia which is a country with thousands of low islands which will be affected by climate change and rising sea level does only little to prevent emission of green house gasses. Indonesia is the third biggest emitter of carbon dioxide only surpassed by China and USA. Most CO2 emitted by Indonesia comes from the burning of forests and peat soils which is neither productive nor beneficent to the country. A World Bank report indicates that more than 2.000 Indonesian islands will disappear into the sea before 2050. And this is a very optimistic guess, because the sea level is raising much faster now than only a few years ago.
