Environment

Situated on the Ring of Fire and a part of “volcano country”, Bali is unfortunately disaster prone. Erupting volcanoes from neighboring islands (most usually Lombok’s Mt. Rinjani) have often and recently spewed volcanic ash clouds in Bali’s direction, ultimately messing with flights and leaving loads of travelers stranded in Bali (not that that’s the worst thing). But volcanoes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to natural disaster potential on the island. Do not forget earthquakes, tsunamis, king tides, flooding, and landslides. Some of these are more common than others. Besides natural disasters, environment stories in Bali often have to do with Bali’s threatened ecosystem. If you’ve ever been on a Bali beach, especially during rainy season, then you’ll know that garbage disposal is a major challenge here. Non biodegradable plastic in the form of water bottles and instant noodles packaging gets cast into the ocean or burnt in toxic trash fires. Perhaps the biggest environmental issues facing Bali at the moment though is a political one. The reclamation mega-project proposed for South Bali’s Benoa Bay has been called a major environmental calamity waiting to happen. Artificial islands built in the bay to house more hotels (because there aren’t enough hotels in Bali) would destroy the precious mangrove ecosystem, which many believe would result in the flooding of village upon village.