LettersIndonesia’s sinking capital and the burning Amazon reveal the price of sacrificing the environment for development

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A family walks near a giant sea wall used to prevent flowing in Jakarta on July 27. In July, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he was fast-tracking completion of the wall meant to keep seawater from submerging much of the city, though critics note excessive groundwater pumping will cause the city to continue sinking, rendering the wall ineffective. Photo: AP

Published: 6:10am, 31 Aug 2019Updated: 6:10am, 31 Aug 2019

Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently announced that the country’s capital will be relocated to the island of Borneo. The current capital, Jakarta, home to over 10 million people, is dropping below sea level at an alarming rate. In around 30 years, over 90 per cent of North Jakarta is expected to be under water.

However, some critics are concerned that the relocation of the capital to Borneo would destroy more forests, having a serious impact on the environment and wildlife.

Is this problem just Indonesia’s responsibility? While Jakarta is sinking because of excessive pumping of groundwater, rising sea levels globally due to climate change have exacerbated the problem. Thus, the global population played a role in causing Jakarta’s troubles.

Meanwhile, fires are ravaging the Amazon rainforest, which plays a vital role in preventing climate change by absorbing 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro initially rejected the US$20 million in aid offered by the G7 to fight the fires, accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of treating Brazil like “a colony or no man’s land”.

The rainforest is the commonwealth of all humankind. All countries should unite to solve the problem.