How do Your Activities Contribute to Global Warming?

Jakarta, December 21, 2022 – Based on data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 3,207 natural disasters in Indonesia occurred from the beginning of 2022 to last November 2022. Moreover, at least 95 percent are hydrometeorological disasters or disasters caused by weather activity, such as floods, landslides, and extreme weather. Not only that, BNPB noted that more than 3,000 disasters were occurring throughout 2021, dominated by hydrometeorological events, which were exacerbated by the La Nina phenomenon (decreasing sea water temperature in the Pacific Ocean). The impact of climate change also triggered the disaster.

The United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explains that global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s surface due to increased levels of greenhouse gasses. Launching the official National Geographic page, the increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface is produced by the radiation of sunlight entering the earth’s atmosphere. Some light becomes heat energy from infrared rays absorbed by the air and the earth’s surface. Some of the infrared rays are reflected into the atmosphere and captured by greenhouse gasses, mainly carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides, which cause the earth’s temperature to increase.

Based on the latest report of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), global warming could be terrible in 2100 if climate change due to the earth’s high carbon emissions is ignored. People must carry out efforts to reduce global carbon emissions immediately and massively to overcome them. Moreover, Indonesia ranks fifth as the country with the most cumulative carbon emissions globally, reaching 102,562 GtCO2 in 2021, based on the Carbon Brief report. It shows that Indonesia also plays a role in global environmental change.

Global warming has quite a harmful effect on living things. For example, global warming makes the glaciers melt and causes the land to turn into the sea because the volume of water increases. If global warming continues, only some of the ice at the poles may melt. A study conducted by the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) estimates that at least 115 small islands in Indonesia are on the verge of sinking. It is caused by sea level rise and land subsidence. The research and advocacy organization Climate Central calculates that a one-meter rise in sea level will flood the north coast of the island of Java, one of the world’s most populous islands. This is due to the low slope of the coastal plain (between 0 and 20 degrees). When global warming is not suppressed, humans will find it challenging to find a place to live if the volume of water continues to increase.

Mitigation efforts are a necessity so that the earth remains sustainable. Steps to slow down global warming and climate change include minimizing the activities that cause these problems. To carry out mitigation, as an individual, it is better to know what actions can impact global warming. IESR launched the Jejakkarbonku.id Carbon Calculator in August 2022. The Jejakkarbonku. id carbon calculator provides calculations of emissions from 3 sectors such as households, food, and transportation. In addition, IESR continues to maintain competition features to encourage more robust enthusiasm for reducing emissions. The highest rating means the emissions produced are more negligible.