The International Convention Law on the Sea, which was adopted by the United Nations in 1982, granted foreign-flagged ships the right to pass safely and smoothly through the Indonesian Archipelago Sea Route/Alur Laur Kepulauan Indonesia (ALKI). The density of the shipping lanes has triggered risks such as accidents and environmental pollution caused by ship exhaust carbon emissions. Therefore, this qualitative research aimed to determine the possibilities of coastal communities to adapt to the risk in accordance with the policy of ship traffic regulation with international shipping lanes through the Traffic Separation Scheme. There is still limited research on the community’s adaptation due to ship exhaust carbon emissions and the lack of adaptation actions taken in response to environmental pollution from foreign ship exhaust emissions. Adaptation efforts recommended include the preparation of collaborative measures and strategies to ensure the carbon management has a net zero emission value on foreign ship traffic in ALKI. The result showed that adaptation effort can be used to ensure Indonesians Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) can prevent global temperature rise from the shipping sector through carbon management, decarbonization, and energy transition programs. © 2025 by MIP.