Life on Pulau Pari, home to fishermen and a popular tourist destination, is no longer what it used to be. The climate crisis has impacted the island in many ways. Residents are trying to save their homes with volunteer efforts, but there is much work to be done.
Mustaghfirin, 52, is a fisherman whose family has lived on Pulau Pari for over a century. Last year, he nearly drowned during a fishing trip when the wind direction suddenly changed.
"Before, we could predict the weather and wind direction, but now it's impossible. It's dangerous to fish farther out to sea because a storm can strike unexpectedly.
Many residents have adapted their fishing methods to the climate crisis by avoiding distant waters and building fish enclosures from materials like bicycle tires. However, fishing is still difficult as rising sea temperatures and higher waves are causing fish to die, and the island's past seaweed, crab, and grouper farming is no longer sustainable.
The island's residents are working to maintain and preserve the ecosystem by planting mango and mangrove trees.
Arif Pujityanto, 52, moved to Pulau Pari when he was three years old and has lived on the island ever since. He resides on the western coast of the island, which has flat land and has therefore suffered the most from flooding. Pujityanto's bamboo house was significantly damaged in 2021 when a winter storm brought heavy floods.
Saltwater has rusted Pujityanto's household appliances, and two of his motorcycles are now unusable due to damage from the saltwater. The flooding has caused the walls of his house to begin rotting, and the house requires constant repairs.
Pulau Pari is 0–3 meters above sea level and has no protection against flooding. In the past four years, floods have reached 1.3 meters. The island has shrunk from 42.3 hectares to under 40 hectares in the last decade.
The Indonesian government built concrete walls on the southern coast of the island to protect it from large waves. However, according to Edi Mulyono, the walls were built too close to the land and are not high enough to stop the waves. Mulyono also believes the concrete barriers are harmful to the environment.
Asmania, 40, who represents the island's women's organization, says women on the island are particularly affected by the climate crisis. In addition to household duties, they now have twice the work, as they must assist their husbands with fishing and food gathering.
Asmania is worried about the garden maintained by the women's organization, Perempuan Pulau Pari. The water is already rising to the gates of the nearby beach, and the garden is only a few hundred meters away. When the seawater eventually reaches the garden, the saltwater will contaminate the soil, making it impossible to grow anything there.
Where will we live?
The rising sea levels are a critical global issue, dramatically affecting small islands worldwide. Pulau Pari in Indonesia is a poignant example of this crisis. Over the past decade, the island has experienced significant land loss due to the encroaching sea, with more than 11 percent of its land area already submerged. By 2050, a large portion of the island will be underwater.
Published in Maailman Kuvalehti.