Jakarta as the capital city of Indonesia is vulnerable to environmental change due to its location on the northern coast of Java Island. The metropolitan is the largest city in Indonesia as well as being the capital of the country and the center of business. Due to these characteristics, the city is susceptible to external shocks. Jakarta’s environmental condition is also considered far from ideal due to its vulnerability to floods, rising sea water and other natural disasters as well as man-made calamity such as pollution and excessive extraction of ground water. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) listed higher temperatures over land and sea, higher sea level, higher humidity as some of the ten indicators of climate change. A study by Yusuf and Fransisco (2009) listed Jakarta as the most vulnerable city to climate change in Southeast Asia. Jakarta is also a magnet for people looking for better living conditions. These include poor people who came to Jakarta. Based on the 2008 Poverty data released by BPS, Jakarta still has approximately 400.000 poor population and around 300.000 near poor population which are vulnerable to any external shocks, including environmental change. There are also slum areas in several parts of Jakarta where many of these people reside. To assess whether or not these people are at risk from climate change, one must first obtain information on the
environmental conditions of Jakarta. This report attempts to address the current perceived conditions of climate change in the city of Jakarta as well as the readiness of the local government and its people in coping with the impact of climate change. The report also states some evidence of climate change impact, such as rising sea water and constant flooding. Finally, recommendations on what the local government should be done to cope with climate change.