In Jakarta, apart from the narrow, unpaved road, the two-meter-high concrete coastal wall is the only thing that separates Susan's small restaurant from the sea. Her family depends on that wall. Growing up here, Susan used to play on the beach in front of her house. But by the 2000s the beach had disappeared, and the sea frequently flooded the neighborhood.
In 2002, the government built the coastal wall, to give the residents peace of mind and time-a respite（暂缓） from the steady sinking of the land under the city and the steady rising of the sea. But just five years later, in 2007, the wall proved no match for the worst floods in Jakarta's modern history.
Jakarta is now sinking at a truly alarming rate-a rate that varies around the city but is up to 11 inches a year in the northern areas. About 40 percent of Jakarta is below sea level. By comparison, climate change is raising sea level by only less than an inch a year. But sinking land and rising sea both point toward the same outcome: regular flooding in Jakarta. "Jakarta is the center of administration, economy, culture, and entertainment. Over the years Jakarta has grown into a big city with no environmental support system. " says Andy, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia. Ultimately that's why it is sinking today.
The situation is one reason the government announced that the nation's capital would be moved away to a new city to be built on Borneo, which is now forest. But local communities aren't so happy with the plan. They fear the project would destroy their land, forest, and livelihoods. In Jakarta, on the other hand, those who welcome the decision arguing that it will ease Jakarta's burdens of crowding and pollution.
But as the government leaves the sinking capital, what is to become of the 10 million people like Susan who still live there?
