Jakarta – Indonesia is on the frontline of an accelerating climate crisis, with nearly 45 million Indonesians exposed to extreme heat conditions made significantly worse by human-induced climate change over the past three months, according to new findings released on March 19.
The Climate Central report, analysing global climate data from December 2024 to February 2025, found that 17% of Indonesia’s population or 48.6 million people experienced 30 or more days of “risky heat” — temperatures hotter than 90% of historical norms for their region — directly driven by climate change. This ranks Indonesia among the top Asian nations impacted by climate-fueled heat stress.
The report’s release coincided with an announcement from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which confirmed 2024 as the hottest year on record, with the global average temperature rising to 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. WMO warns that while one year above the 1.5°C threshold does not yet mean the Paris Agreement targets are breached, it is a stark wake-up call.
“Our planet is issuing more distress signals,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “But this report shows that limiting long-term temperature rise to 1.5°C is still possible — Leaders must step up to make it happen — seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies – with new National climate plans due this year”.
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Jakarta’s heat among the worst in the World
Jakarta, Indonesia’s megacity of more than 10 million people, ranked among the top cities globally for climate-intensified heat. According to Climate Central, residents endured 69 days of temperatures at Climate Shift Index (CSI) Level 2 or higher — meaning these hot conditions were at least twice as likely due to climate change.
In addition to extreme heat, Indonesia suffered torrential rainfall and flooding during this period, particularly on Java Island, where rivers overflowed and landslides killed 21 people in the past three months, according to the Climate Central report. These events, part of a broader pattern of extreme weather in Asia, are consistent with scientific predictions linking warming seas and the atmosphere to intensified rainfall and disasters.
The WMO report highlighted how ocean warming, which reached record highs in 2024, is fueling more violent storms and rainfall and is irreversible for centuries, even under low-emission scenarios.
Global signals, local consequences
The two reports paint a stark picture of climate change impacts reaching deeper into daily life. During the three-month period, nearly 394 million people worldwide experienced a full month of dangerous heat made worse by climate change—and Indonesia alone accounted for over 45 million of those people.
This comes as global greenhouse gas concentrations remain at record levels, with carbon dioxide reaching 420 ppm in 2023 — the highest in 800,000 years — and continuing to rise in 2024.
The WMO warned that sea level rise has doubled since the 1990s, and glacial retreat has hit a record pace, threatening long-term water and food security across the tropics, including Indonesia.
Indonesia, a nation of over 17,000 islands, is particularly vulnerable to both rising seas and extreme heat. Yet, according to WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, only half of countries globally have adequate early warning systems in place — a gap Indonesia is racing to close as it faces more deadly climate extremes.
WMO and Climate Central both stress the urgent need for investment in climate services, early warning systems, and renewable energy to protect communities from worsening risks. (Hartatik/nsh)
Banner photo: Johannes Plenio/pexels.com
