Global Warming Impact in Indonesia

The global climate is a very complex system and global warming will interact with many other influences, but in Indonesia, it will make many of our existing climatic problems worse. We are already subject to many climate-related hazards, including floods, droughts, storms, landslides and wildland fires. Now these will become more frequent or more severe.

One of the main climatic influences on Indonesia is the ‘El Niño-Southern Oscillation’ which, every few years, provokes many of our extreme weather events. The El Niño refers to changes in ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean, making them unusually warm. The opposite case, when the currents are unusually cold, is called La Niña. Linked with these events is the ‘Southern Oscillation’ which refers to changes in atmospheric pressure in the southern hemisphere. Taken together, they are called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

When there is an El Niño, we usually have more droughts. When there is a La Niña, we have more floods. Over the period 1844-2006, out of 43 droughts, 37 were associated with an El Niño. The ENSO is also one of the main factors in the frequency of major forest fires and the creation of a choking atmospheric haze. [1]

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Climate-related hazards in Indonesia are also caused by the location and movement of the tropical cyclones in the eastern south Indian Ocean (January to April). Climatology Meteorology and Geophysics Organization (BMKG) predict that the La-Nina phenomenon has lasted until March 2009 and moved to neutral in April 2009.

But there has been change neutrality from La Nina to El-Nino in the period of May 2009 until December 2009. In some parts of Indonesia, this can result in very strong winds and heavy rainfall that can last for hours or days. Strong winds often also occur during the transition between the Northeast and the Southwest monsoons.

El Niño is predicted to continue until early in 2010. In the other word, the beginning of the rainy season 2009/2010 is forecasted to be late. Consequently, we have more droughts that will occur in most parts of Indonesia, except the region of Sumatra, West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

In accordance with the description, it was predicted the droughts phenomenon will occur until 2010.

Source:
1. UNDP Indonesia, 2007. The other half of climate change: Why Indonesia must adapt to protect its poorest people

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