Indonesia's renewable energy plans may put forests at risk

JakartaPost-Dec 15, 2024

Environmentalists are warning that Indonesia’s ambitious plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 rely too heavily on biofuels and risk a new wave of deforestation in the world’s third-largest rainforest. Heavily dependent on coal, Indonesia needs to transition away from fossil fuels and seeks to generate 75 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from renewable resources over the next 15 years, compared with 13 gigawatts today, said presidential envoy Hashim Djojohadikusumo at the United Nations summit on climate change in Baku, Azerbaijan last month. A cornerstone of this push is the use of cleaner-burning biofuels, in which organic material is turned into liquid fuel. Biofuels will help Indonesia cut down on expensive fuel imports, reduce greenhouse gases and increase palm oil production, which in turn will spur economic growth. While mostly intended for the transportation sector, biofuels are also used at diesel-powered plants. But cultivating the palm trees and sugarcane needed to create biomass at scale for the biofuel industry requires transforming vast amounts of land into plantations, putting Indonesia’s tropical rainforests at risk. Forest Watch Indonesia estimates that deforestation could reach 4.56 million hectares in Indonesia in the next few years if the government aggressively mandates the use of biofuels across industries, including at power plants. “New land is required to establish energy plantations to meet bioenergy needs,” said Anggi Prayogo, a Forest Watch Indonesia researcher. Instead, “the government should push more investments to other renewables, like solar and wind, to reduce green house gases.” The country’s forests are critical to slowing climate change. The UN estimates Indonesia’s trees store nearly 300 billion tons of carbon. Read more at:

https://www.thejakartapost.com/culture/2024/12/15/indonesias-renewable-energy-plans-may-put-forests-at-risk.html.