TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that all countries are facing social and economic challenges after the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided. The challenge includes climate change leading to various phenomena, such as weather anomalies and natural disasters.

“There are challenges at the global level, a climate change which is the same as Covid-19 pandemic and will threaten the whole world. The hike in sea level can cause climate and season changes that are increasingly unpredictable,” she said at the Fiscal Policy Agency's public dialogue event on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.

Sri explained that climate change will trigger extreme shifts of weather and cause losses and casualties. It also has the potential to generate various natural disasters, such as floods and landslides.

Citing a study by the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), Sri said that global average surface temperatures rose 1.1 percent from the pre-industrial level. The latest study even revealed that the temperature hike was predicted to reach 3.2 degrees Celsius by 2030.

The potential for an extreme surge in global average surface temperature remains albeit countries have shown their commitment to preventing climate change through the Paris Agreement. The hike has far exceeded the threshold of 1.1 percent which is already considered threatening the world.

As a country with a large population, Sri Mulyani said that Indonesia must take an active part in protecting the world climate through mitigation and adaptation programs as it will also threaten the economy.

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FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA