Indonesian mountain to lose 'everlasting' snow to climate change by 2025

Indonesian authorities predict that by 2025, there will no longer be ice on the peak of the Puncak Jayawijaya mountain. PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - One of Indonesia's most famous mountain peaks will lose its snow soon according to Indonesia's Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

Puncak Jayawijaya, located in the Jayawijaya Mountains in Papua, is known for being the tallest mountain in Indonesia and one of the only places in Indonesia with snow.

However, the BMKG says the "everlasting" snow, which remains year-long, could soon be a thing of the past.

"If warming and increases in temperature continue and climate change is not mitigated, then by 2025 it is predicted that there will no longer be ice on Puncak Jayawijaya," said BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawation on Friday (March 25), as quoted by okezone.

According to Dwikorita, the shrinkage will have been caused by an acceleration in climate change. "This is despite a global agreement for a change of no more than 1 degree Celsius by 2030. This data is from 2016, so it precedes 2030. it has already almost increased by 1.5 (degrees Celsius)," explained Dwikorita during a meeting with House of Representatives Commission V on Monday, as quoted from detiknews.

Dwikorita also stated that ice currently remained on only 2 sq km or 1 per cent of the 200 sq km area of Puncak Jayawijaya, a far cry from its previous state. Other peaks in the Jayawijaya Mountains have already lost their ice, including Puncak Trikora which lost its ice cap between 1936 and 1962.

Puncak Jayawijaya is a limestone mountain standing 4,884m above sea level and is the highest island mountain peak on earth. It is also known as the Carstensz Pyramid, named after Jan Carstenszoon who noticed glaciers atop the peak in 1623.

In Europe, Carstensz was ridiculed when he stated he had observed snow near the equator.

Green Pulse

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.