New data published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reveals that the overall 2023 air pollution levels in Jakarta were arguably the worst since 2019. Despite improvements between 2020 and 2022, the rise of pollution in 2023 is a notable setback. Over 29 million people …
Indonesia shut the airport on its holiday island of Bali for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, as the erupting Mount Agung volcano spewed ash that blocked flight paths and spurred authorities to hasten evacuation efforts. A large plume of white and grey ash and smoke hovered above Agung, after …
The palm oil industry is still a leading cause of deforestation in Indonesia. Three years after the world’s biggest palm oil traders adopted ‘no deforestation’ policies, Greenpeace International examined 11 traders to see how much progress they had made. Not only were they unable to prove their suppliers were not …
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A tornado ripped through a densely populated area in Indonesia’s East Java province on Thursday, injuring 35 people and damaging more than 600 homes, the head of the local disaster mitigation official said. The tornado, with wind speeds of 70 km per hour (45 miles per hour), …
The 2015 smoke haze episode was one of the most severe and prolonged transboundary air pollution events ever seen in Southeast Asia (SEA), affecting the air quality of several countries within the region including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The 24 h mean outdoor PM2.5 (particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter …
Coastal communities and marine ecosystems can benefit from climate-smart agriculture practices, according to the findings of a new report from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Marine Advantage – Empowering coastal communities, safeguarding marine ecosystems, a study of IFAD’s experience in improving the lives of coastal communities, shows …
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Authorities in Indonesia’s West Java province have called a halt to contests pitting dogs against wild boars, following media coverage of the bloody spectacle and pressure by animal rights activists, the provincial governor’s spokesman said on Tuesday. Last month, Reuters reported that cash prizes of up to …
With an estimated population of less than 800, the newly described Tapanuli orangutan is already at risk of extinction due to habitat destruction and fragmentation. The Indonesian government will come up with a strategy to protect the orangutan, including the establishment of protected forest areas and wildlife sanctuaries. The government …
Blockchain technology will be used for the first time this December in an attempt to protect Indonesia’s rainforests and prevent the peatland haze fires that blight the region on a regular basis. Spearheaded by industry group Carbon Conservation, the Smart Contract for Good programme will automatically distribute funding to villages …
Climate finance, while efficient in sectors such as renewable energy, is not effective in protecting increasingly threatened forests or the rights of their inhabitants, a new report shows. “It’s just so much easier to put money into wind farms,” Charlotte Streck, director of the advisory company Climate Focus, says during …
MEDAN, Indonesia — Several NGOs in Indonesia’s North Sumatra Island province have established a joint team of legal experts to focus on addressing environmental crimes in the region. “This team is a step forward in our efforts to enforce environmental law and justice,” said Dana Tarigan, executive director of the …
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck off Ambon in Indonesia’s Molucca islands, the United States Geological Survey said on Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of 110 km (68 miles) about 38 km (24 miles) …
In the past decades, large areas of forest in Sumatra, Indonesia have been replaced by cash crops like oil palm and rubber plantations. New research, published in the European Geosciences Union journal Biogeosciences, shows that these changes in land use increase temperatures in the region. The added warming could affect …
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (APRIL) can resume forestry operations at its Indonesian pulp and paper subsidiary, government officials said on Tuesday, amid a dispute over environmental rules. APRIL halted forestry operations at PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) and said thousands of jobs were at …
OSLO (Reuters) - Forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia contributed to a record loss in global tree cover in 2016, equivalent to the size of New Zealand, that could accelerate deforestation blamed for climate change, an independent forest monitoring network said on Monday. Man-made global warming increased the risks of …
For more than a century, agroforests in the Sumatran port town of Krui used to be a prime example of how interspersing native tree species among crops could give locals an economic alternative to the ubiquitous oil palm and timber plantations that blanket the island. Farmers practicing the method typically …
A recent survey has found a high concentration of near-extinct helmeted hornbills in a conservation area in western Borneo. This “hornbill paradise” is currently not included in the IUCN range map for this particular species. Conservationists have called for the map to be updated, for more research in the area, …
Indonesia is one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG). For the past two decades, GHG emissions have increased from almost all sectors, such as land-use (defined as land use, land-use change, and forestry including peat fires), energy, agriculture, industry, and waste. Currently, the land-use and energy sector …
The objective of this report is to provide an empirical basis for more inclusive and equitable service delivery in the water and sanitation sector in Indonesia. Despite recent gains, there are close to 100 million people without improved sanitation and 33 million without improved drinking water. These figures hide the …
Most of the people in low and middle-income countries covered by social protection receive assistance in the form of in-kind food. The origin of such support is rooted in countries’ historical pursuit of three interconnected objectives, namely attaining self-sufficiency in food, managing domestic food prices, and providing income support to …
