Indonesian government plans to sell inhabited islands to foreign countries

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 4 May 09;

Indonesia is mulling some plans to “put up for sale” its inhibited small islands as shelters for environmental refugees thanks to the climate change which was likely to disappear some of Small Island States.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi raised the idea over concern of sea level rise due to climate change which would end up under water low-lying countries.

“Pak Freddy still needs to consult the idea with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before going into detailed plans,” the ministry’s director general for coastal and small islands Syamsul Maarif told reporters on Monday.

“But, it is smart plans if we see severe impacts of sea level rise.”

He said that a number of countries, including Maldives, had started purchasing new homeland in India as shelters for its citizens if the sea level disappear the island.

The United Nations has warned that the climate change could raise the sea level up to 59 centimeters by 2100 unless the world countries take actions to cut huge scale of greenhouse gas emissions.

Most parts of Maldives are currently just about 1.5 meters above the water with the highest land point is 2.4 meter above sea level.

He said that Indonesia currently has 17,480 small islands across the archipelago.

“We find so far only 20 islands which have lost due to environmental problems including sea level rises of climate change,” he said.

Indonesian government proposes renting islands to refugees
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 5 May 09;

With the impact of climate change likely to wipe some small islands off the map within the next 100 years, Indonesia is considering renting some of its uninhibited islands to international communities displaced by environmental disasters.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi raised the idea in relation to concerns surrounding a possible rise in sea levels as climate change threatens low-lying countries.

"Pak Freddy still needs to consult President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before going into detailed plans," the ministry's director general for coastal and small islands Syamsul Maarif told reporters Monday.

"But, it is a smart plan considering the severe threat rising sea levels pose."

A number of small-island states, including the Maldives, have begun purchasing new "homeland" in other countries for its citizens in case their islands begin disappearing in coming years.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted climate change will raise sea levels by nearly 60 centimeters by 2100 if nations do not make a concerted effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Most of the Maldives are currently just 1.5 meters above sea level, with the highest land point reaching less than 2.5 meters. This places the country at serious risk of being inundated by rising sea levels.

The Maldives comprises of nearly 2,000 islands grouped around 26 Indian Ocean atolls, though only 250 islands are inhabited. The country's population is estimated at 380,000.

Syamsul said it would be very possible for Indonesia to "trade" its islands since many of them were uninhabited and naturally safe from rising sea levels.

Renting islands using permit regulations is a common practice for the tourism industry nationwide.

Indonesia is currently made up of nearly 17,500 small islands.

"We have detected around 20 islands which have disappeared due to, among other reasons, rising sea levels prompted by climate change," Syamsul said.

"However, we constantly discover new islands."

Indonesia has 5.8 million square kilometers of sea, with coastlines stretching 81,000 kilometers. The seas provide homes and income to millions of people.

Scientists and climate change observers, including the Asian Development Bank, have predicted that rising sea levels will also inundate hundreds or even thousands of small islands in Indonesia.

Under a high emissions scenario, the ADB projected the annual temperature in Indonesia will increase by 4.8 degree Celsius by 2100 compared to 1990.

This in turn could lead to a 70 centimeter rise in sea levels over the same period.

Syamsul said more research into the impacts of climate change was necessary before such predictions could be made.

He also said the government had taken a series of steps to avoid remote small islands from vanishing.

"We have 92 islands which act as indicators of Indonesia's marine borders, 12 of which are vulnerable to rising sea levels," he said.

"But, we have taken a lot of mitigation measures, including planting mangroves around these islands."

Indonesia will host an international ocean forum in the North Sulawesi capital of Manado next week which will see government delegates and experts from 121 countries discussing the role of oceans in dealing with climate change.

Minister Freddy earlier said that the conference would discuss moves to help small islands cope with climate change.

Small-island states have repeatedly appealed to the international community for assistance dealing with climate change and urged developed countries to take a lead in cutting emissions.

Indonesia plans to sell inhabited islands to foreign countries
www.chinaview.cn 5 May 09

JAKARTA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has proposed to sell its inhibited small islands as shelters for environmental refugees, a senior official said here.

Such an idea was initially raised by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi, the Jakarta Post daily Tueasday quoted Director General for Coastal and Small Islands of the ministry Syamsul Maarif as saying.

The United Nations has warned that the climate change could raise the sea level up to 59 centimeters by 2100 unless the world countries take actions to cut huge scale of greenhouse gas emissions.

He said that Indonesia currently has 17,480 small islands across the archipelago with 5.8 million square kilometers of sea and 81,000 kilometers of coastal lines.

20 of Indonesia's islands already lost due to environmental problems including sea level rises of climate change, he added.

The Indonesian government had taken a series of steps to avoid remote small islands from vanishing.

"We have 92 islands, which act as indicators of Indonesia's marine borders, 12 of which are vulnerable to rising sea levels," he said.

Indonesia will host an international ocean forum in the North Silawesi province's capital city of Manado next week. Delegations and experts from 121 countries are expected to discuss the role of oceans in dealing with climate change.