Climate change is already affecting millions of people worldwide. In urban areas, which are typically characterized by significantly higher population density, climate change will exacerbate and compound existing vulnerabilities, especially for the urban poor. Across Indonesia cities are facing two interlinked challenges, that of rapid population growth and the impacts of climate change.
Rapid urbanization offers the benefits of larger economies, increased human resources, and potentially more development opportunities, however, unplanned rapid growth can also strain public services and infrastructure, invite casualization of labour and unsafe informal sector employment, causes pollution and overwhelm ecosystems, and leads to traffic congestion.