Tropical forests in Indonesia ravaged by push for EV batteries
By
Bonner Cohen, Ph. D.
|
October 17th, 2025
The wanton destruction of tropical rainforests in Indonesia by predominantly Chinese mining companies eager to extract nickel for EV batteries is the price the world must pay in the transition to “clean energy.”
“Indonesia is the world’s biggest nickel producer, and has the largest reserves on earth, most of which are in Sulawesi and Halmahera islands,” Climate Home News noted last December.
These so-called “nickel provinces” are taking center stage in an ecological and human tragedy unfolding in the vast tropical archipelago.
Once known for making stainless steel, nickel is now essential in EV lithium-ion batteries, where it boosts energy density and increases EV driving range.
https://www.cfact.org/2025/10/17/tropical-forests-in-indonesia-ravaged-by-push-for-ev-batteries/
