Horrifying parallels

As the sinking city of Jakarta has forced Indonesia to shift its capital to Nusantara, cities that may face similar threats, including Kolkata, need to rethink their future plans

- SHOVANLAL CHAKRABORTY

The urgency of climate change is impressing itself on some countries far more than on others. Take, for instance, the case of Jakarta in Indonesia, which is perhaps the fastest sinking city in the world. In 2022, when world leaders gathered at the climate summit in Egypt, Antonio Guterres had a message for them: ""It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact or a Collective Suicide Pact.""

The case of Jakarta is particularly pertinent here as an example of how climate change is already causing enormous change in the lives of people living in the Global South.