Due to the high forest fire and poor land used changes, Indonesia is regarded as the country that emits the largest amount of greenhouse gas in Southeast Asia, a report issued by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Tuesday.
According to the report, Indonesia is responsible for 59 percent of greenhouse emission in the region, which released about 5,187 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2000, about 12 percent of the world's total.
The report also warned that hundreds of Indonesian islands were under serious threat of climate change causing the sea level rise.
"Climate change seriously threatens Indonesia's economic development, the worst is yet to come," the Jakarta Post daily quoted ADB Assistant chief Economist Juzhong Zhuang as saying on Tuesday.
It warned that if business comes as usual, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam could experience combined damage equivalent to more than 6 percent of the country's gross domestic product per year.
(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2009)
