Two Indonesian islands were under water. Four more are at risk
If you have over 18,000 islands, you may not even notice when two of them disappear. However, if experts tell you that this is only the beginning of problems, then it is worth paying some attention to this matter.
The sinking of two islands belonging to South Sumatra (indonesia) is one of the most important news from Friday, January 17, 2020. Experts have no doubt that the rising water level caused by the melting of glaciers, which in turn causes global warming, has been called a climate catastrophe in recent years, is to blame here.
According to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the sunken islands are Betet and Gundul. They are currently one meter and three meters below sea level, respectively. The former was part of the Berbak-Sembilang National Park, fortunately both were uninhabited.
Local authorities predict that four more islands may soon be engulfed by water: Burung – currently almost at sea level, Kalong and Salah Namo – 2 meters above sea level, Kramat – 3 meters above sea level. Salah Namo Island is inhabited by people.
Climate change experts have long predicted that global warming will be particularly hard on the inhabitants of island countries such as Indonesia, where millions of people live in low-lying coastal zones.