Nestapa Nelayan Pulau Pari: Air Laut Continues To Rise, Our Island Will Sink

Illustration-(Photo: ANTARA DOC)

JAKARTA - The Pari Island Care Forum is concerned about the climate crisis that threatens Pari Island, Thousand Islands. This group of people, most of whom work on Pari Island fishermen, stated that now 11 percent of the surface of the island of Pari has disappeared into the sea. It is predicted that most of the islands can be hit by 2050. Residents of Pulau Pari currently feel threatened with losing their livelihoods. It is not impossible that tourist beaches will disappear. This also has an impact on local tourism. Not only that, but the water wells of residents have also been contaminated with salt water due to rising sea levels. In a written statement, one of the Pari Island Fishermen, Edi Mulyono, admitted that he had felt the loss of this condition. He said, tidal flooding in 2019 and 2020 had become the largest rob that had occurred during this island to live in. "Sea air continues to rise, tidal flooding occurs more often and bigger. As a result of this climate crisis, residents must always be vigilant, some wells cannot even be used because of sea water pollution. Residents in the western part and in RT 1 must also increase their houses every year," said Edi, Wednesday, September 21. "Our island will sink, where are we going to live?" he complained. The Head of the National Walhi Environmental Law Studies Division, Puspa Dewy, stated that the environmental threat of Pari Island was not without reason. One of the companies, PT H called Puspa, was the cause. Companies engaged in the cement industry for concrete production materials are said to have made a significant contribution to the increase in global emissions, including the suffering of more than a thousand other people on Pari Island. The production of cement for this concrete production material, at least has released carbon dioxide in a fairly large quantity. The industry is responsible for about 8 percent of annual global CO2 emissions. Therefore, they are dubbed carbon major. "Group (PT H) is included in the carbon major list, with sales of nearly 27 billion francs (2021), and is the largest building material producer in the world. Currently, PT H operates 266 cement factories and milling stations around the world, and is the global market leader for the cement industry," said Puspa. Puspa said that instead of being a burden for rich countries of origin in the North, the burden was felt by residents who were very far away on Pari Island. Climate change has led to high sea level, storms, high waves or tidal waves, and caused extreme weather that has resulted in flooding. "The higher the global temperature, the more frequent and extreme the flooding that occurs. This threatens existenceal for small islands and areas with low-lying coastal areas," he explained. On that basis, Puspa said the Pari Island Care Forum demanded PT H to the Swiss court. They demanded that PT H be responsible for the threat of the safety of Pari Island residents and compensate for losses as compensation for material damage. "In its lawsuit, residents also demanded PT H to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030 and 69 percent by 2040. PT H is also required to bear the costs of climate change mitigation measures needed on Pari Island. This includes mangrove planting and/or flood defense," he added.