US EditionCan a giant seawall save Indonesia's disappearing coast?
The $80 billion seawall aims to protect densely populated Java's northern coast but risks ecological harm and may not finish soon enough to prevent ongoing land loss, experts warn.
- The Indonesian government aims to construct a 700-kilometre, US$80 billion coastal barrier around Java to address increasing land loss caused by rising sea levels and sinking ground by 2100.
- This plan responds to urgent coastal erosion driven by climate change and land subsidence, with 1 to 20 centimetres of land vanishing annually along Java's northern coast.
- Experts and residents warn the seawall risks worsening erosion in other areas, disrupting ecosystems, and may arrive too late, while alternative solutions include relocations and nature-based measures like mangroves.
- President Prabowo Subianto committed to launching the seawall project in June, acknowledging that while its completion may span multiple presidential terms, the initial work will begin under his administration amid uncertain funding and a lengthy timeline.
- Despite concerns, coastal communities like Bedono view the seawall as vital to avert disaster from tides advancing more than a kilometre inland, even as some local villages have already been abandoned due to flooding.
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Can a giant seawall save Indonesia's disappearing coast?
The encroaching ocean laps against a road in Karminah's village, threatening her home on Indonesia's Java island, where the government says it has a plan to hold back the tide.
·Cherokee County, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources36
Leaning Left4Leaning Right8Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 19%
C 43%
R 38%
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