Indonesia has become the center of environmental controversy due to a megaproject aimed at accelerating the energy transition. The country plans to move forward with the largest deforestation in the world.
Deforestation is one of the major issues the planet is currently facing, caused by natural factors and primarily human practices.
Therefore, despite involving the activation of clean energies, Indonesia’s idea raises strong questions. What are its characteristics and objectives?
Indonesia’s megaproject to accelerate the energy transition
The problem of deforestation.
The goal is to cultivate a huge amount of sugarcane to produce bioethanol and other crops.
There are two stated purposes: to improve food security and produce bioethanol, a renewable fuel that could reduce oil dependency.
The dangerous environmental consequences
However, this project has another very dangerous side in terms of socio-economic consequences. Indonesian authorities revealed that they will clear up to 20 million hectares of forests.
This is an area similar in size to Belgium, to cultivate sugarcane and rice.
This is happening in a context where the rate of global deforestation is very high. Forests are ecosystems that recover very slowly. Some species of flora and, indirectly, fauna are constantly at risk of losing their habitat.
Furthermore, this project would have a direct impact on indigenous communities, as many of them depend on these forests for activities such as hunting, fishing, and gathering food.
The mobilization of these communities has raised uncertainty about the fulfillment of fundamental human rights.
Moreover, biodiversity in general would also be at risk. Indonesia is home to many unique and endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger, orangutans, Asian elephants, and Javan rhinoceros.
The end of their natural habitats could mean the end for many of them.
The criticisms
Although bioethanol is a renewable option with the potential to reduce transport emissions, it is always recommended that its production be carried out sustainably.
According to the International Energy Agency, the increase in biofuels should not occur at the expense of food security or natural ecosystems.
Indonesia is currently the world’s largest producer of palm oil, and experts have also issued warnings. They fear that this project might be an excuse to expand current plantations, which have already caused a significant portion of deforestation in the country.
Indonesia seeks to accelerate the energy transition but at the cost of significant problems.
In response to these warnings, authorities have promised to reforest 6.5 million hectares of degraded land.
However, professionals warn about a specific fact: primary forests cannot be replaced by young plantations. They indicate that ancient ecosystems store more carbon, regulate the water cycle more optimally, and support an irreplaceable biodiversity.
