I was asked to present my ideas on sea level rise and how it affects sovereignty and sovereign rights. The event was held in Jakarta on 20 August 2024, organized by the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenko Marinves). Also presenting at the event were a Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), a researcher from BRIN, a director from the National Planning Agency, and a senior researcher from BMKG.
Following detailed legal aspects presented by the Director from MoFA, I took the stage to present some more technical aspects of sea level rise. I highlighted the impacts of sea level rise to small islands and low laying lands, an important issue for Indonesia. Of course, I presented a lot of animations explaining the issue to complement what my colleague from MoFA has previously presented. Frankly speaking, I did not present much new ideas regarding the impact of sea level rise. I just did my best to visualize it, so it is easier for the people to understand and imagine.
The last part of my presentation was the idea on how to deal with the sea level rise. I put forward some points such as fixing the baselines (coastlines) and fixing the outer limits of maritime zones. Following the presentation, we have good time in exchanging ideas in a QnA session. I must admit, I have fun during the event. I thank, particularly, Brother Sora Lokita (Oki), a long-time-friend who is now an assistant to deputy of the ministry. He was the one inviting me for the event. This is what we call a networking.