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Summary:

As an archipelago nation located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Indonesia consists of 17,508 islands stretches near the equator from a latitude of 06°08N to 11°15S, and a longitude of 94°45E to 141°05E. It includes 3.1 million km2 (or 62 per cent) of territorial waters, almost 2 million km2 (or 38 per cent) of land, and 81,000 km of coastline. The country is divided into 27 provinces, 243 districts, 62 municipals, 3844 sub-districts, and 65,852 villages. With a population of over 245 million people, it has the second highest population in the region and fourth in the world (CIA, 2011). Its human development ranking of 108 of 169 (UNDP, 2010) places it in the middle of the group for the region. The country’s 54,000 kilometers of coastline and over 17,500 islands makes the country particularly vulnerable to climate change effects such as sea level rise. As well, concern over water resources and extreme weather events has grown in frequency in recent years (USDS, 2010).


ADAPTATION NEEDS AND PRIORITIES:

The Indonesian archipelago is particularly susceptible to extreme weather events and sea level rise, making these two threats central to adaptation planning, priorities and policymaking. Extreme weather events have grown in frequency from the 1950s to the 1980s and have led to frequent flooding, landslides and increases in water-borne diseases (MOE, 2010). This greater frequency in extreme weather is attributed to an increase in maximum and minimum temperatures, as well as changes in rainfall patterns and the length of the wet seasons. In recent years, drought has become a significant driver of crop failure leading to food shortages in Indonesia. Trends show the instances of these extreme events continually increasing, driving the need for immediate and effective implementation of adaptation actions and policies. In addition to the threat of extreme weather events, poverty and unemployment are also significant challenges—both of which are exacerbated by climate related impacts.
A 2007 report, The Other Half of Climate Change: Why Indonesia must adapt to protect its poorest people, highlights some of the major threats that climate change poses to livelihoods, health, food security and water in the country (UNDP, 2007):

  • Livelihoods – The effects of climate change are being felt more acutely by the poorest communities. Many work in agriculture or fisheries so their livelihoods are acutely climate sensitive. Whether in urban or rural areas, the poor are also likely to be living on the most marginal land that is vulnerable to droughts, floods or landslides. And when disaster strikes, poor communities have very few resources to fall back on.
  • Health – Heavy rainfall and flooding can overwhelm rudimentary systems of sanitation in the slum areas of towns and cities, exposing people to water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. Prolonged intense heat waves coupled with high humidity will also lead to heat exhaustion particularly among the urban poor and the elderly. And higher temperatures will also allow mosquitoes to spread to new areas, with the ensuing hazards of malaria and dengue fever.
  • Food security – The poorest regions have the potential to suffer food shortages; some are acutely vulnerable to climatic variations.
  • Water – Changing rainfall patterns are also reducing the availability of water for irrigation and drinking. In coastal areas, the loss of groundwater combined with rising sea levels will also allow more sea water to intrude into freshwater sources.

In its Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Indonesia has highlighted as its highest priorities agriculture and coastal zones/sea level rise. Agriculture is identified as a priority in part because rice production is expected to fall by 1.8 to 3.6 million tons between 2025 and 2050 (MOE, 2010). Similar crop failures in the past have led to government aid becoming the largest source of income for farmers (MOE, 2010). In its National Communication, the Government of Indonesia has placed a major focus on improving the capacity of local farmers thorough actions such as: diversifying cropping techniques and varieties; researching technological advances; better information collection and dissemination; and improved water management practices that recognize upcoming strains on irrigation water sources.
Indonesia’s coastal areas are threatened by a potential rise in sea levels of 25 to 50 centimeters in 2050 and 2100 respectively, and a potential rise in sea temperatures, which is a significant threat to coral ecosystems (MOE, 2010). Areas of focus for coastal resources include capacity building through increased community participation in planning processes, adaptation strategies to deal with sea level rise, and improved protection and rehabilitation of coastal areas (especially coral reefs and mangroves) suffering from climate change impacts. As with the agriculture sector, there is also a major focus on sustainable resource management as it pertains to coastal resources, including fisheries.
The Second National Communication also speaks to some of the obstacles and challenges that the country faces related to funding, technology and capacity. The increasing instance of extreme weather events has most affected the poor in Indonesian society, who also are the most exposed and least resilient, meaning significant capacity building is required. The government recognizes that international support is necessary to meet funding requirements and sees the creation of the Indonesian Climate Change Trust Fund as one of the central efforts to address this gap. Technology gaps that prevent effective communication of climate information are also a major problem, as well as a need for effective adaptation planning tools (MOE, 2010).

NATIONAL LEVEL POLICIES:

Indonesia submitted its First National Communication to the UNFCCC in October 1999 (Sugandhy, 1999), released the Executive Summary of its Second National Communication in late 2009 (UNDP, 2009), and submitted its full Second National Communication to the UNFCCC in January 2011. Progression from Indonesia’s first to second National Communication is marked by a distinct increase in understanding of projected climatic changes and their potential negative consequences. The first National Communication was much more directed to mitigation rather than adaptation, but does recognize the need for some specific adaptation actions, particularly in the area of agriculture. The second National Communication stresses the need for a more balanced approach, and states that adaptation to climate change is one of Indonesia’s highest priorities. It highlights measures to facilitate adaptation in the areas of agriculture, water resources, forestry, coastal and marine areas, and health (MOE, 2010).
Indonesia has one of the more developed national policy frameworks on climate change. The President of the country is directly involved as the Chair of the National Council on Climate Change, the body responsible for formulating national policies and coordinating the actions of government with respect to implementation of climate change policy.
To further its climate change efforts, Indonesia launched the Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund (ICCTF) in 2009 under the interim trusteeship of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The fund’s purpose is to serve as a focal point for the attraction, management and mobilization of funding to support the government’s efforts to move forward on low carbon development and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom have all allocated grants to the fund, totaling US$8,514,883 to date. Adaptation is one of three priority areas of the ICCTF, with a particular focus on agriculture, health, coastal zone management and water resources. Work of the ICCTF is overseen by a ministerial steering committee led by the Ministries of Finance and the National Development planning agency. While just becoming fully operational, the ICCTF is funding a pilot project on public awareness, training and education on climate change issues through its adaptation window. As the fund matures, more projects may be accepted through a proposal submission and assessment process ultimately to be managed by the fund manager once UNDP’s interim fund manager status ends.

CURRENT ADAPTATION ACTION:

Indonesia has been able to secure significant funding for climate change focused projects and programs, but to date the vast majority has been towards mitigation activities, not adaptation. The government recognizes this and is making efforts to balance the two. Despite this disparity, Indonesia is currently benefitting from a number of national and regional adaptation projects. Nationally focused projects are primarily focused on the areas of agriculture, fisheries and coastal zones. The focus of these activities includes awareness raising, capacity building, policy formulation, research and technical assistance. Key areas of focus for regional and global projects include urban areas, water, fisheries, and policy formulation. Significant supports of national, regional and global adaptation projects underway in Indonesia include Australia, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United States.

ASSESSMENT:

Like many countries in the region, Indonesia had a stronger commitment to mitigation in its earlier climate change documents, but has showed an increasing awareness and commitment to adaptation of late (MOE, 2010). The review shows a lot of progress in awareness of the need for adaptation, and a commitment to balancing mitigation and adaptation in climate change policies. This recent push for balance between adaptation and mitigation policy and actions may be viewed as a positive development.
There are a great many adaptation needs in the country and a number of challenges ahead as climate impacts intensify. Through its National Communications and other documents, Indonesia has identified adaptation needs in a variety of sectors, particularly agriculture, water resources, forestry, coastal and marine areas, and health. Of particular priority are its coastal and food production sectors. Indonesia is making strides in addressing its adaptation needs in a range of sectors. The greatest number of projects focuses on the sectors of agriculture, fisheries, coastal resources, water, policy development and urban areas. Although there is room to expand and deepen efforts in these aforementioned areas, some gaps also may be identified. For instance, although identified as a priority concern, human health is not a main focus of current initiatives. As well, none of the projects identified specifically seek to better understand the gender dimensions of climate change. More effort to address adaptation needs in the forestry sector also may be appropriate. However, as Indonesia is very active in the area of climate change mitigation, particularly around reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, it is possible that some of these projects are providing adaptation co-benefits.

Primary Source: Gass, Philip; Hove, Hilary; Parry, Jo-Ellen. (2011) “Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action: East and Southeast Asia.” Adaptation Partnership / International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Additional References:

 

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Review of Existing and Planned Adaptation Action
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