Jakarta (VNA) -  Without the right policies, climate change could cause potential economic damage of up to 544 trillion rupiah (more than 36.6 billion USD) for Indonesia in the 2020 – 2024 period, according to the country’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas).

Speaking at a press conference on the assessment of low carbon and green economic progress held on August 9, Medrilzam, Director of Environmental Affairs under Bappenas, said the damage included 408,000 billion rupiah in coastal and marine sectors, 26,000 billion rupiah in the water sector, 78 trillion rupiah in the agricultural sector, and 31 trillion rupiah in the health sector.

According to Medrilzam, natural disasters have increased in Indonesia in recent years, with 5,402 disasters recorded in 2021, of which 98- 99% were hydrometeorological disasters. Therefore, climate change needs to be addressed quickly through climate adaptation policies.

Indonesia and other countries around the world are facing a trio of global crises, including climate change, pollution and biodiversity degradation, thereby threatening the future of Earth and of mankind, he noted.

Data released this year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the climate change crisis will threaten 50-75% of the global population by 2100. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2022 confirmed that air pollution is believed to be the leading cause of illness and premature deaths, with 4.2 million recorded each year.

Meanwhile, according to a 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), biodiversity degradation could threaten human health and ecosystem services. There are about one million species of plants and animals facing extinction.

♐ Medrilzam said that Indonesia is facing three major threats at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic. This will set back Indonesia's development progress under Vision 2045 to bring the country on a par with developed countries./.