The Impact of Climate Change on the Global Flood Phenomenon

The increasing climate change has triggered various serious impacts, one of which is an increase in the phenomenon of global flooding. This phenomenon not only affects the environment, but also has a broad impact on social, economic and public health aspects. As a result of global warming, the Earth’s surface temperature is increasing, causing melting of polar ice caps and an increase in sea levels. Data from the IPCC states that sea levels increased by around 3.3 mm per year between 1993 and 2020. This makes coastal areas, which are home to millions of people, increasingly vulnerable to flooding. As extreme weather, such as storms and heavy rain, becomes more common, previously safe areas are now at high risk of flooding. One obvious example is Bangladesh, where annual flooding is becoming increasingly severe. Heavy rains caused the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers to overflow, leaving thousands of people homeless. In August 2020, more than 4.5 million people were affected by flooding in the country. This phenomenon illustrates how climate change exacerbates the impact of natural disasters. On the other hand, in the context of urbanization, many large cities around the world are also facing new challenges due to flooding. One example is Jakarta, which is one of the most flood-prone cities in the world. The rapid development process, combined with subsidence due to groundwater extraction, causes severe flooding every rainy season. With increasing rainfall due to climate change, predictions say that floods in Jakarta will become more frequent. Floods also affect the agricultural sector significantly. Plants submerged in water are damaged, which has an impact on food security. The World Bank estimates that thousands of hectares of agricultural land lose productivity every year in flood-prone areas. This causes food prices to spike and increases economic instability, especially in developing countries. Not only in the economic and agricultural sectors, public health is also threatened by the increasing flood phenomenon. Flooding carries the risk of infectious diseases, such as dengue fever and leptospirosis, which can spread rapidly in affected areas. Water quality also declines, resulting in disruption to public health. Kartika, a researcher from Gadjah Mada University, pointed out that around 30% of the population in flood areas experienced post-flood health problems. Mitigation and adaptation to flooding are important steps to reduce the impacts of climate change. Environmentally friendly technology, good water management, and sustainable infrastructure development are very necessary to reduce the risk of flooding. Cities such as Rotterdam and Singapore have implemented nature-based solutions to increase resilience to flooding. Public education about disaster risk management is also important. Knowledge of how to anticipate and prepare for floods can reduce the number of fatalities and economic losses. Governments, the private sector and society must collaborate to create long-term, resilient solutions to the impacts of climate change. In a global context, international policies such as the Paris Agreement seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and minimize its impact. However, the acceleration of climate change demands rapid and comprehensive action from all parties to protect society and the environment from increasingly widespread negative impacts.