Jakarta – To address climate change and reduce the impact of global temperature rise, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) will inaugurate a second greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring tower in Jambi on July 18, 2024. The tower is expected to provide a more detailed GHG profile and support climate change control efforts in Indonesia.
One important mitigation measure is monitoring GHGs in the atmosphere. Indonesia will now have two GHG monitoring towers. The first tower is already in operation at the Global Atmospheric Monitoring Station in Kototabang Hill, Agam Regency, West Sumatra. The second tower will be inaugurated in Jambi to commemorate the 77th Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Day.
Head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, emphasised that the issue of climate change is a scientific fact based on data that has been collected by climatologists around the world, including BMKG.
“Currently, there are around 30 global atmospheric monitoring stations in the world, and Indonesia is lucky to have one of them,” Dwikorita explained, in an official statement, on Friday, July 12.
“Climate change is not a hoax or myth. It is a reality that has been measured since before the industrial revolution in 1860, and became more apparent after 1970 with a significant increase in temperature,” She said.
Dwikorita revealed that the world is committed to preventing temperature rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid more severe climate change impacts. However, the 2022 analysis shows that global temperatures have already risen by 1.2 degrees Celsius, while in Indonesia the increase has reached 1 degree Celsius.
“Climate change has caused extreme wet and dry events in various regions. In Indonesia, this is characterized by the increasing frequency of hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides, and droughts,” she added.
BMKG also plans to build nine additional GHG monitoring towers that will be equipped with meteorological sensors in various parts of Indonesia.
“The purpose of building these towers is to monitor greenhouse gases in more detail and accurately. The data obtained will be the basis for the government in deciding climate change mitigation policies,” said Dwikorita.
Dwikorita emphasized the importance of mitigation to reduce the rate of global temperature rise. “Although Indonesia has not experienced extreme droughts like other countries, the impacts of climate change such as declining water resources or drought are increasingly evident. Droughts will become stronger and their frequency may increase, even during the rainy season,” she said.
With this GHG monitoring tower, Indonesia is expected to be more effective in monitoring and controlling greenhouse gas emissions, as well as taking strategic steps to face the challenges of climate change. (Hartatik)
