Indonesia’s nickel boom fuels ruined rainforests and coral reefs

Swathes of rainforest and coastal communities are being destroyed by a nickel mining boom in Indonesia sparked by the race to transition away from fossil fuels.

Across the country, a major drive to exploit the country’s abundant natural resources is underway. These photographs capture the sheer scale of the production process.

Rows of chimneys, belching smoke and fumes, tower over the schools and houses of what were once rural communities in scenes recalling the work of L.S. Lowry, whose paintings captured life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century.

Indonesia is now the world’s largest nickel producer, with 15 per cent of the globe’s lateritic nickel resources – typically low-grade deposits found near the surface.

But demand is still soaring in tandem with the rise of the electric vehicles (EVs), which depend on it for their batteries.

The belching chimneys of PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry, a nickel processing complex in Konawe Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Billion dollar Chinese firms anchor the nickel market in Indonesia Credit: Garry Lotulung
The belching chimneys of PT Obsidian Stainless Steel, a nickel processing complex in Konawe Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
The nickel boom is powering the move to electric vehicles Credit: Garry Lotulung

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global demand for the metal will grow at least 65 per cent by 2030, and EVs and battery storage are set to take over from stainless steel as the largest end user of nickel by 2040.

See more here Telegraph.com

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Comments (2)

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    VOWG

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    The transition away from “fossil” fuels will never happen unless or until they no longer exist. Then nature will clean up whatever is left of mankind. The foolishness that the article espouses defies description. None of the things they are doing could be done with out “fossil” fuels, got that. I am sick of the lack of thought present on the planet these days.

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      John Galt

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      You know that they’ll be crying about the damage that has been done to the environment when the reality of the stupidity hits. Save the planet by destroying it, pure brilliance.

      Reply

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