Students from the Master of Public Health Sciences (IKM) Study Program at the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) held a Seminar and Workshop “Climate Crisis and Disaster Preparedness: Collaboration to Increase Resilience” on Sunday, December 17, 2023 at Balai Purnomo Prawiro UI. Various speakers with different backgrounds were presented to discuss the climate crisis and disasters that occurred as well as efforts to create collaborative solutions.
“The intersection between the environment, health and the challenges posed by climate change and disasters is an important moment in seeking to resolve problems that impact health and welfare today. “The rapid world transformation through climate change that is occurring must receive full attention, proactive action and innovative solutions,” said Prof. Indri Hapsari Susilowati, S.K.M., M.K.K.K., Ph.D., Manager of Cooperation, Alumni Relations, and Ventures FPH UI in her speech.
“Disaster Health Management in Asia” was the topic presented by Prof. Shinichi Egawa, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., from the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University. Disaster events that continue to accompany countries in the world are an alarm to increase vigilance. Based on the Cost of Disaster diagram issued by EM-DAT (The International Disaster Database), Asia experiences the highest impact of disaster costs and makes it the most disaster-prone region in the world. “Each country has different disaster risks, ranging from danger and exposure, vulnerability, to coping capacity. The ARCH Project which is currently being implemented seeks to increase national and international capacity in managing and treating disasters, as well as increasing core capacity. Results from “research is very necessary,” said Prof. Shinichi Egawa.
The ARCH Project is a project to strengthen ASEAN regional capacity in disaster health management which seeks a global initiative on disaster health management, contributing to the development of collaboration mechanisms, strengthening capacity, and its impact on developing national capacity in disaster health management among ASEAN member countries and Japan. In the second stage, ARCH focused on curriculum development and research and established the ASEAN Institute of Disaster Health Management (AIDHM) at Gadjah Mada University, the ASEAN Academic Network (AAN), the ASEAN Academic Conference (AAC), and the ASEAN Journal for Disaster Health Management (AJDHM).
Furthermore, Dr. Muhammad Saparis Soedarjanto, S.Si., M.T., Director of Planning and Supervision of Watershed Management, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, provided an understanding of “Climate Change Effect and How to Face It by Disaster Management Strategy Via Landscape Governance in Indonesia”. “Landscape is a particular configuration of topography, vegetation cover, land use and settlement patterns that limits some of the coherence of natural and cultural processes and activities as an effort/strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation, including disaster control. Indonesia’s adaptation commitment aims to create a society and ecosystem that survive the risks and impacts of climate change in 2030,” said Dr. Saparis.
FOLU Net Sink 2030 is a condition to be achieved through mitigation actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the forestry and land sectors with conditions where the level of absorption is already higher than the level of emissions in 2030. This policy was born as a form of Indonesia’s seriousness in reduce GHG emissions and control climate change and its impacts.
FOLU Net Sink 2030 is a condition that Indonesia wants to achieve through mitigation actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the forestry and land sectors by conditioning the level of absorption to be higher than the level of emissions in 2030. Green industrial growth, climate finance, global partnerships, increasing public awareness, and renewable energy are opportunities that must be exploited, although threats in resistance to change, lack of funding, and external threats are things that must be prepared for. “Implementation and achievement of the 2030 FOLU Net Sink target requires integration from all sectors. So that real action as an effort to restore the environment, mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as disaster control must continue to be improved,” explained Dr. Saparis closing his material.
At the seminar which was followed by a workshop which was attended by participants from both students, academics, practitioners and the general public, Prof. Drs. Bambang Wispriyono, Apt., Ph.D., and Prof. Dr. Budi Haryanto, S.K.M., M.Kes., M.Sc., who is a Professor of Environmental Health at FPH UI as moderator. (ITM)
