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Boys share a laugh before a football game at Panggang island of 
Kepulaun Seribu (thousand islands) north of Jakarta, Indonesia. Most 
of the population of Indonesia is unaware to the future impacts of 
climate change and the dire predictions of scientists around the 
world. Indonesian Environment Minister, Mr. R. Witoelar, recently 
announced that about 2000 islands are expected to drown in his 
archipelagic nation due to climate change induced sea level rise.

Boys share a laugh before a football game at Panggang island of Kepulaun Seribu (thousand islands) north of Jakarta, Indonesia. Most of the population of Indonesia is unaware to the future impacts of climate change and the dire predictions of scientists around the world. Indonesian Environment Minister, Mr. R. Witoelar, recently announced that about 2000 islands are expected to drown in his archipelagic nation due to climate change induced sea level rise.

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Kepulaun Seribu, Indonesia — Kepulauan Seribu or Thousand Islands is a misnomer for a group of 128 islands and sandbars, north of Jakarta in Indonesia. Only 12 of these are inhabited, with a total population of 5000 families mainly dependent on fishing and 'resort' tourism which includes snorkeling and diving resorts.

Based on the UN IPCC findings, Indonesian Environment Minister, Mr. R. Witoelar, recently announced that about 2000 islands are expected to drown in his archipelagic nation due to climate change induced sea level rise.  
 
There is very little research or climate impacts modeling done nationally, and most of the population of Indonesia is unaware and oblivious to the future impacts of climate change and the dire predictions of the IPCC.

A Greenpeace team visited the Pramukha, Pangang & Sepa islands of the Kepulaun Seribu, to establish whether any adaptation initiatives had been introduced by the government. The team discovered that most of the inhabitants were unaware of climate change, its impacts and the Environment Minister's pronouncements. Most of the families on these small islands like elsewhere in the world were conscious of a change in weather patterns and sea tides but did not make any connection with the human induced phenomenon of global warming.

The accompanying photo-feature by Shailendra Yashwant, Greenpeace photographer and Climate campaigner focuses on the children and youngsters of the thousand islands who are most likely to be affected by sea level rise and other deadly impacts of climate change in the next decade.

               

— Shailendra Yashwant