27 Feb 2018 Editorial Ecosystems and Biodiversity

New Analysis Outlines Climate Change Adaptation Strategies For Indonesia

Climate change adaptation in Indonesia will in large part focus on flood and drought prevention, and food and water security in relation to this. Some of the adaptation strategies that will be of most benefit to Indonesia include infrastructure reinforcement to gain resilience and robustness when faced with floods or droughts, the establishment of early warning systems, sustainable and adaptive farming practices and disaster insurance. Another important strategy is climate change prevention, focussing on the importance of reducing emissions, and thus reducing the severity of climate change in the future. This paper will suggest adaptation measures that can be taken by the Indonesian Government and the Indonesian people to prepare for a changing climate.

As discussed in a previous Strategic Analysis Paper, the increased risk of floods and droughts are the main climate change threats faced by Indonesia. Adaptation measures and strategies will need to be implemented to minimise damage and losses. An important part of climate change adaptation is to mitigate emissions as early as possible, to minimise the expenses of reducing emissions later, and the severity of their consequences.

It is important to recognise that there is a variety of climate change adaptation strategies, some of which are better suited to Indonesia than others. Successful adaptation strategies are built upon the implementation of a variety of measures that complement each other and are flexible enough to be maintained or replaced over time.