5 days ago
Government faces outcry over construction of massive 'engines of violence': 'These projects are fraudulently marketed'
A massive industrial development is underway in Indonesia — and it's threatening to displace Indigenous communities and destroy vital rainforests in the name of "green" energy.
According to Mongabay, Indonesia and state-owned Malaysian companies are teaming up to build Southeast Asia's largest hydroelectric project in North Kalimantan — a remote province on the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world.
The $20 billion plan includes clearing massive amounts of forests for five dams, expected to generate 9,000 megawatts of electricity to power a sprawling new industrial park.
Kalimantan Industrial Park Indonesia is positioned as a future global hub for electric vehicle battery and solar panel manufacturing. But critics warn the dams are already causing harm.
One village of around 28 families has already been relocated, and over 500 families face removal as deforestation and construction continue.
At a national forestry policy meeting last year, Indigenous leaders and environmental groups warned that locals were not properly informed or consulted, despite government claims that the project reflects the shared vision of all "stakeholders."
"Finding fish and animals has already become difficult," Yusmarang, a member of North Kalimantan's Punan Indigenous community, told Mongabay Indonesia. Yusmarang was among those forced to leave his homeland.
In 2007, the governments of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia (three of the countries in Borneo) signed the Heart of Borneo initiative and pledged to conserve nature on the island.
But plans for the new dams include flooding more than 600 acres of Kayan Mentarang National Park — the largest unbroken stretch of protected rainforest on the island and home to over 500 types of orchid and hundreds of rare animal species like clouded leopards, Borneo elephants, and sun bears.
While these hydro projects count toward international clean energy goals, environmental groups argue they come at a steep cost. Dams can trigger the "forcible displacement and deforestation of high-conservation-value forests," Mongabay Indonesia reported.
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Clearing these forests stops trees from being able to absorb polluting gases and releases stored carbon, which will encourage temperatures to creep up and increase the risk of extreme weather patterns.
In Borneo, these forests are also biodiversity hotspots. Their destruction erases crucial habitats and food sources for rare species, and it could even hinder future medical discoveries.
What's more, dams disrupt river ecosystems. As submerged vegetation rots, it produces methane — a potent planet-warming gas. Dams also fragment water flows and disrupt aquatic migration.
The project raises the question: Is the energy gain worth the environmental and human cost?
On the 28th International Day of Action Against Dams in March, communities impacted by dam projects, including those along the Mentarang River, called them "engines of violence, displacement and destruction," per the World Rainforest Movement.
"These projects are fraudulently marketed as green energy, as they ravage rivers, forests and Indigenous communities," the statement continued.
Moving forward, environmental and community leaders can look to Brazil and the Amazon rainforest as a recent example of successful deforestation reduction, with a reduction of over 80% of clearing activity achieved between 2000 and 2010.
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