WALHI Highlights False Energy Transition and the Threat of Deforestation in Indonesia
- 13 hours ago
- 1 min read
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) views Indonesia’s current energy transition agenda as potentially legalizing the climate crisis through systematic deforestation. During the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, WALHI emphasized that reliance on natural resource extraction, such as for bioenergy, biomass, geothermal, and electric vehicles, is driving large-scale deforestation. According to WALHI’s report, approximately 26.68 million hectares of forest are under pressure from extractive industry permits, potentially releasing over 9 billion tons of CO2e if cleared. This condition is seen as a form of greenwashing, obscuring the energy sector’s responsibility to directly reduce emissions.
WALHI also stressed the importance of recognizing and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities as key climate custodians. Currently, hundreds of thousands of hectares of community-managed lands remain unrecognized by law, despite proven success in reducing deforestation and preserving biodiversity. In addition, WALHI criticized Indonesia’s SNDC renewable energy targets as lacking ambition and still rooted in a growth-oriented economic paradigm. Without reforms to licensing policies, an end to legal deforestation, and stronger public involvement, WALHI argues that Indonesia’s climate policies will remain rhetorical and driven by false solution, rather than promoting a just, democratic energy transition aligned with the 1.5⁰C target.
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