Climate Sense

[

] 95

overnance

and

olicy

ing its policies towards agriculture, and the distribution,

enhancement and storage of water.

Air quality information

The Center for Climate Change and Air Quality is a new

BMKG centre that deals with providing services and infor-

mation about climate change and air quality. One of its

core purposes is to measure the ambient carbon dioxide

concentration across Indonesia, which it then compares

to measurements taken by the Global Atmospheric

Watch – the worldwide system established by the World

Meteorological Organization to monitor trends in the

Earth’s atmosphere. So far, carbon dioxide levels meas-

ured in Indonesia are much lower than the global average.

The Center for Climate Change and Air Quality is also

conducting research into Indonesia’s paleoclimate, using

records from tree rings and ice sheets.

The national adaptation and mitigation policy

Following the presidential decree in 2008 to set up the

National Council on Climate Change, nine development

sectors for a climate change adaptation focus strategy

have been set up. Based on the national action plan

and referring to the United Nations Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment

Report, BMKG will provide a comprehensive range of

products to help such sectors as agriculture, energy,

health and fishing plan for and put into practice climate

change adaptation strategies. For the agricultural indus-

try, the adaptation programme provides seeds as well as

particular benefits from such information. It controls the cascad-

ing hydro dam, which serves the capital city Jakarta, the ‘rice bowl’

of several districts along the north coast of West Java, and provides

power for the national electrical company. As well as this, a coordi-

nation meeting involving the water resource authority, all related

stakeholders and BMKG is held on a routine basis. At each meeting

presentations are given regarding current monitoring and evaluation

of ongoing water management activities. Possible water management

options include discharge control, electricity power management, water

holding and weather modification. The weather modification option

is currently considered to be a last resort for when water availability

in the cascading dam is scarce. So far, climate information services for

the water management authority in the region have been extremely

successful in maintaining the activities of the most fertile region in the

country and providing a good water supply to the Jakarta area.

The national food policy

At a national level there is a committee for dealing with climate

variability and its impacts on agriculture. In particular it deals with

issues relating to ENSO and its affect on the national food policy. The

committee holds a meeting twice a year before the dry season and wet

season. Although some consider the dry season meeting to be too

early (it is usually held at the end of April), the information provided

at it is key to deciding the national food policy, especially regarding

rice, the nation’s staple food. Decisions made at the meeting have a

significant impact on many of the country’s forthcoming activities.

In recent years, wetter climate conditions have meant that there has

been no need to import rice. When ENSO causes long droughts in the

country, the government will need to take necessary actions to sustain

food and water resources. This may involve importing rice and adjust-

Flood occurrence has become more frequent in recent years. Heavier rainfall intensity related to the several regional phenomena such as active Madden-

Julian Oscillation phases, cold surge and divergent disturbances can lead to severe flooding in the Jakarta metropolitan area

Image: BMKG