"We should not take President Biden's statement lightly," MUI Deputy Chairman Anwar Abbas noted in an official statement in Jakarta on Monday.
Abbas deemed the scientists' vigilance and response to the climate change issue as necessary to dismiss any misconception of inaction until it was too late.
The MUI deputy chairman also called on world leaders and scientists, especially those engaged in matters to address climate change and global warming, to take unified actions to study and handle them.
"It (action on climate change) is their contribution to the world and also (an advice to) the government on how to handle the issue," he remarked.
Related news: Giant Sea Wall believed to prevent flooding
Abbas stated that climate change was caused by the rapid growth of industries and development, thereby leading to a rapid increase in carbon emissions, spike in temperatures worldwide, and impact on the climate.
"This clearly will have a catastrophic effect on the world, especially on our country Indonesia and also the national capital Jakarta," he cautioned.
Abbas pointed to continued land subsidence in Jakarta every year while the sea levels had kept rising due to ice melting in the North and South pole regions at an almost equal pace.
He called on the central and regional governments to also coordinate to assuage the impacts of climate change on Indonesia and join hands with other countries to tackle it.
"As a nation, we are expected to be ready and present alternative steps and solutions to anticipate the risks and effects of climate change, particularly to prevent the issue from affecting our country and the national capital Jakarta," Abbas stated. Related news: Jakarta`s giant sea wall to prevent city from sinking: Bappenas
Translator: Abdu Faisal, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
