Deforestation, Severe Weather Worsen Disasters in Indonesia
2024-04-05
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1The heavy rains and flooding in early March destroyed homes and killed people in West Sumatra.
2It marked the latest deadly natural disaster in Indonesia.
3Government officials blamed the floods and landslides on heavy rainfall.
4But environmental groups say the disaster is the latest example of deforestation and ignoring the environment.
5Indonesian Forum for the Environment is an Indonesian environmental rights group.
6The group said the disaster happened because of extreme weather events and an "ecological crisis."
7It said in a statement, "If the environment continues to be ignored, then we will continue to reap ecological disasters."
8Indonesia is home to the world's third-largest rainforest.
9But since 1950, more than 74 million hectares of rainforest have been destroyed.
10That is an area twice the size of Germany.
11Global Forest Watch is a website that follows world forests in real time.
12It says Indonesia has been cutting trees and burning forests to clear land for mining and products like palm oil, paper, and rubber.
13The Southeast Asian nation is the biggest producer of palm oil.
14It is one of the largest exporters of coal and a top producer of a product used in paper called pulp.
15It also exports oil, gas, rubber, and other resources.
16Additionally, Indonesia has one of the world's largest reserves of nickel.
17It is an important metal used in goods needed in green energy products like electric vehicles and solar panels.
18The Global Carbon Project is an organization that follows planet-warming greenhouse gas production.
19It says Indonesia is one of the largest producers of these gases due to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
20The World Bank, an international financial organization, also says Indonesia could greatly see the effects of climate change.
21Those effects include floods, dry weather, sea level rise, increasing temperatures, and unusual rainfall.
22In recent years, the country has already seen the effects of climate change.
23Those effects include heavier rain during the wet season and more fires during a longer dry season.
24Aida Greenbury is a sustainability expert who studies Indonesia.
25She said forests can help reduce the effects of some extreme weather events.
26For example, plants can slow flooding by taking in rainwater and reducing erosion.
27In the dry season, plants release water which can help deal with the effects of dry weather, including fires.
28But when forests disappear, so do these helpful effects.
29A 2017 study reported that deforestation can cause soil erosion because unprotected soil is removed by rainfall.
30And harvesting crops can cause soil to become denser.
31That can cause rain to run over the surface of the ground instead of entering underground reservoirs.
32The research also said that erosion can increase the amount of soil in rivers, which can increase flood risks.
33After the deadly floods in March, West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah said there were strong signs of illegal tree-cutting in areas affected by floods and landslides.
34Experts and environmental activists have pointed to deforestation worsening disasters in other areas of Indonesia as well.
35In Papua, deforestation was partly blamed for floods and ground landslides that killed over a hundred people in 2019.
36There has been some progress.
37In 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo paused new permits for palm oil plantations for three years.
38And the rate of deforestation slowed between 2021 and 2022, government data showed.
39But experts warn that it is unlikely deforestation in Indonesia will stop anytime soon.
40They say this as the government continues to move forward with new mining and structural projects.
41President-elect Prabowo Subianto is set to take office in October.
42He has promised to continue Widodo's policy of development.
43The development policy includes mining and other projects that are all linked to deforestation.
44Activists also warn that environmental protections in Indonesia are weakening.
45That includes a new law that removes an article of the law to protect part of the forests from development.
46Arie Rompas is an Indonesia-based forestry expert at Greenpeace, an environment protection organization.
47He said, "The removal of that article makes us very worried (about deforestation) for the years to come."
48I'm Gena Bennett. And I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The heavy rains and flooding in early March destroyed homes and killed people in West Sumatra. It marked the latest deadly natural disaster in Indonesia. 2Government officials blamed the floods and landslides on heavy rainfall. But environmental groups say the disaster is the latest example of deforestation and ignoring the environment. 3Indonesian Forum for the Environment is an Indonesian environmental rights group. The group said the disaster happened because of extreme weather events and an "ecological crisis." It said in a statement, "If the environment continues to be ignored, then we will continue to reap ecological disasters." 4Indonesia is home to the world's third-largest rainforest. But since 1950, more than 74 million hectares of rainforest have been destroyed. That is an area twice the size of Germany. 5Global Forest Watch is a website that follows world forests in real time. It says Indonesia has been cutting trees and burning forests to clear land for mining and products like palm oil, paper, and rubber. 6The Southeast Asian nation is the biggest producer of palm oil. It is one of the largest exporters of coal and a top producer of a product used in paper called pulp. It also exports oil, gas, rubber, and other resources. 7Additionally, Indonesia has one of the world's largest reserves of nickel. It is an important metal used in goods needed in green energy products like electric vehicles and solar panels. 8The Global Carbon Project is an organization that follows planet-warming greenhouse gas production. It says Indonesia is one of the largest producers of these gases due to the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. 9The World Bank, an international financial organization, also says Indonesia could greatly see the effects of climate change. Those effects include floods, dry weather, sea level rise, increasing temperatures, and unusual rainfall. 10In recent years, the country has already seen the effects of climate change. Those effects include heavier rain during the wet season and more fires during a longer dry season. 11Aida Greenbury is a sustainability expert who studies Indonesia. She said forests can help reduce the effects of some extreme weather events. 12For example, plants can slow flooding by taking in rainwater and reducing erosion. In the dry season, plants release water which can help deal with the effects of dry weather, including fires. But when forests disappear, so do these helpful effects. 13A 2017 study reported that deforestation can cause soil erosion because unprotected soil is removed by rainfall. And harvesting crops can cause soil to become denser. That can cause rain to run over the surface of the ground instead of entering underground reservoirs. 14The research also said that erosion can increase the amount of soil in rivers, which can increase flood risks. 15After the deadly floods in March, West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah said there were strong signs of illegal tree-cutting in areas affected by floods and landslides. 16Experts and environmental activists have pointed to deforestation worsening disasters in other areas of Indonesia as well. In Papua, deforestation was partly blamed for floods and ground landslides that killed over a hundred people in 2019. 17There has been some progress. In 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo paused new permits for palm oil plantations for three years. And the rate of deforestation slowed between 2021 and 2022, government data showed. 18But experts warn that it is unlikely deforestation in Indonesia will stop anytime soon. They say this as the government continues to move forward with new mining and structural projects. 19President-elect Prabowo Subianto is set to take office in October. He has promised to continue Widodo's policy of development. The development policy includes mining and other projects that are all linked to deforestation. 20Activists also warn that environmental protections in Indonesia are weakening. That includes a new law that removes an article of the law to protect part of the forests from development. 21Arie Rompas is an Indonesia-based forestry expert at Greenpeace, an environment protection organization. He said, "The removal of that article makes us very worried (about deforestation) for the years to come." 22I'm Gena Bennett. And I'm Gregory Stachel. 23Victoria Milko reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24_______________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26reap - v. to get (something, such as a reward) as a result of something that you have done 27ecology - n. a science that deals with the relationships between groups of living things and their environments 28reserve - n. a supply of something that is stored so that it can be used at a later time 29fossil fuels - n. a fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) that is formed in the earth from dead plants or animals 30sustainability - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources 31erosion - n. the gradual destruction of something by natural forces (such as water, wind, or ice)