Acting Director General of Forestry Planning and Environmental Management at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Ruandha Agung Sugardiman, here on Friday, called to give serious consideration to the matter concerning the continued melting of eternal snow.
He remarked that the eternal snow at Mount Puncak Jaya is an extraordinary phenomenon and one of the world's unique occurrences found in Indonesia.
If the snow disappears due to global warming and climate change, it will cause major losses for Indonesia.
The results of an inventory conducted by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) indicated that in around 1990, the eternal snow in Puncak Jaya was still around 200 square kilometers. However, in 2003, it was estimated that only 20 square kilometers remained.
"Based on BMKG calculations and simulations, with higher temperatures, the eternal snow is expected to melt completely in the next few years. It would be a shame if one of the world's uniqueness in the tropics would be lost," Sugardiman remarked.
On the occasion, he also drew attention to some of the dire effects of climate change that are currently occurring in the world.
Sugardiman cited the example of the melting of icebergs at the Earth's poles due to rising global temperatures that can trigger rise in sea levels that leads to the abrasion of beaches in Indonesia.
"Various efforts are being made by Indonesia to prevent global temperature rise of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. One of the main sectors controlling climate change is forestry," he stated.
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Translator: Juraidi, Katriana
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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