Extreme heat in Jakarta
A sinking, sprawling capital in the country where half of Southeast Asia’s air conditioners could be.
Heat type. Humid heat, all year round.
Heat action plan Parts in place, no full plan found
No standalone heat action plan found. Jakarta’s Climate Action Plan 2021–2050 aims to reduce its vulnerability to extreme heat, and in October 2025 the governor told health facilities to prepare for heat illness.
Vicious cycles the evidence ties to Jakarta
| Cycle | Why here | One action that breaks it |
|---|---|---|
| The global cooling loop | Half of Southeast Asia’s projected 300 million air conditioners in 2040 could be in Indonesia. | Clean, efficient cooling |
| The wildfire loop | Indonesia’s 2015 forest and peat fires cost an estimated US$16.1 billion. | Deep emission cuts |
| The dying-green loop | Among the hot, fast-growing cities where urban trees are at risk. | Keep city trees alive |
Who heat hits hardest here
- People in informal settlements
- Workers in heat-exposed jobs
Already at work here
- Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (Financial Services Authority), Indonesia
- KOMIDA, with Build Change (Indonesia)
- Nusantara Fund (Dana Nusantara)
Listing does not imply partnership, affiliation or endorsement.
Four questions for Jakarta’s heat plan
- Is it funded, with a named owner?
- Does it assess who is most vulnerable, and where they live?
- Does it have legal backing, so departments are required to act?
- Does it count indoor and night-time heat, not only daytime highs?
Official warnings: BMKG · Today’s heat and the week ahead: beattheheat.asia/#city-jakarta
Sources
- C40 Cities, 2025. c40.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/RfP_RF_Jakarta.pdf
- Antara, 2025. antaranews.com/berita/5178905/pramono-instruksikan-mitigasi-dampak-cuaca-panas-ekstrem-di-jakarta
- International Energy Agency, 2018. iea.org/reports/the-future-of-cooling
- UNEP and GRID-Arendal, 2022. unep.org/resources/report/spreading-wildfire-rising-threat-extraordinary-landscape-fires
- Esperon-Rodriguez et al., Nature Climate Change, 2022. vibrantcitieslab.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/climate-change-increases-global-risk-to-urban-forests.pdf
- Centre for Policy Research, 2023. cprindia.org/briefsreports/how-is-india-adapting-to-heatwaves-an-assessment-of-heat-action-plans-with-insights-for-transformative-climate-action