Will a Forest in Borneo be Gutted for ‘Green’ Energy?

Picture: Indonesia-Tourism.com

In this video by Mongabay, Hans Nicholas Jong investigates the status of deforestation in North Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Indonesia is trying to kick its coal habit, which currently powers nearly half of the country. As part of this energy transition, the Southeast Asian nation is turning to biomass energy, generated mainly from wood chips produced by fast-growing tree plantations. These wood chips are burned alongside coal as a renewable alternative. While the government and biomass companies have downplayed suggestions rainforests will be cleared for new plantations, a tip from North Kalimantan led Mongabay to investigate these claims.

We traveled to one of the most remote corners of Indonesia, where three villages have signed over at least 5,000 hectares of their land to a biomass company. Much of this area, residents say, is covered in rainforest that would presumably be cleared for the project. Villagers expressed concerns over inadequate compensation and land grabbing, fearing that the deforestation would strip them of a vital resource for both their daily survival and their cultural and spiritual connection.