Jakarta Sinks as Climate Change and Overdevelopment Collide

Jakarta Under Pressure

Coastal cities across the United States and around the world are grappling with rising seas and worsening floods. In Jakarta, Indonesia, those pressures are especially severe.

With 42 million people, Jakarta is described as the world’s most populated city. The city is sinking rapidly as climate change and overdevelopment collide.

Climate Change and Overdevelopment

The report highlights Jakarta as a stark example of how environmental change and urban development can combine to intensify risk in major coastal cities. Rising seas and worsening floods are part of a broader challenge facing coastal communities globally, but Jakarta’s rapid sinking has made it a particularly urgent case.

The story is part of the series *Tipping Point*, which examines places confronting the effects of climate change and related pressures.