https://news.mongabay.com/list/coal/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:30:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/coal/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indonesias-blackouts-reignite-debate-over-coal-dependent-energy-transition/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indonesias-blackouts-reignite-debate-over-coal-dependent-energy-transition/#respond 01 Jul 2026 09:45:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=322168 - Energy analysts say the outages exposed the risks of Indonesia’s centralized, coal-dependent electricity system and strengthened the case for distributed renewable energy such as rooftop solar.
- A recent study identified six coal plants on Java as priority candidates for early retirement, estimating their closure would eliminate 93.5 million metric tons of annual CO₂ emissions.
- Environmental groups say biomass co-firing allows aging coal plants to keep operating while creating new pressures on forests and rural communities supplying wood fuel.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/indonesias-blackouts-reignite-debate-over-coal-dependent-energy-transition/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322168 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/failed-promises-to-clean-air-in-south-africas-coal-belt-take-toll-on-public-health/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/failed-promises-to-clean-air-in-south-africas-coal-belt-take-toll-on-public-health/#respond 24 Jun 2026 06:53:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=321552 - Despite being declared a priority area for tackling air pollution nearly 20 years ago, residents and campaigners here say little has improved.
- Research by the South African Medical Research Council linked pollutants like PM 10 and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) to increased mortality risk, sinus problems, tuberculosis, asthma and other lung and respiratory issues among residents of the Highveld Priority Area, named for its high altitude.
- Activists are taking legal action to compel the government and industrial players to improve emission standards, enforce them fully and to do away with exemptions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/failed-promises-to-clean-air-in-south-africas-coal-belt-take-toll-on-public-health/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-321552 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/solar-power-hits-new-milestones-in-the-us-even-as-trump-boosts-coal-over-clean-energy/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/solar-power-hits-new-milestones-in-the-us-even-as-trump-boosts-coal-over-clean-energy/#respond 10 Jun 2026 18:57:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=320939 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/solar-power-hits-new-milestones-in-the-us-even-as-trump-boosts-coal-over-clean-energy/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320939 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-africas-move-away-from-coal-marred-by-legacy-of-abandoned-mines-report/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-africas-move-away-from-coal-marred-by-legacy-of-abandoned-mines-report/#respond 08 Jun 2026 07:46:43 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320479 - Environmental groups warn that abandoned coal mines are leaving behind contaminated water, radioactive waste, and polluted landscapes that could harm communities for decades.
- The report says weak enforcement allows mining companies to walk away from environmental damage, leaving taxpayers and mining communities to carry the cost.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/south-africas-move-away-from-coal-marred-by-legacy-of-abandoned-mines-report/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320479 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/world-burned-less-coal-in-2025-but-built-more-plants-over-energy-uncertainty/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/world-burned-less-coal-in-2025-but-built-more-plants-over-energy-uncertainty/#respond 21 May 2026 06:46:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=319798 - While its overall use decreased, the amount of coal-fired power capacity rose by 3.5%, primarily due to new projects in China and India.
- In the EU, nearly 70% of planned retirements of coal plants for 2025 failed to materialize, partly due to concerns over energy disruptions.
- The U.S. was a major outlier, with policy interventions leading to a 13% increase in coal electricity generation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/05/world-burned-less-coal-in-2025-but-built-more-plants-over-energy-uncertainty/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-319798 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/oil-surge-sharpens-calls-for-indonesia-to-shift-away-from-fossil-fuels/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/oil-surge-sharpens-calls-for-indonesia-to-shift-away-from-fossil-fuels/#respond 01 Apr 2026 03:23:28 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316691 - Analysts say the crisis underscores the need to accelerate renewable energy development, which could reduce exposure to volatile global markets and improve long-term economic stability.
- Despite this, the government is also boosting coal output and exploring expanded biofuel use — moves that critics warn could undermine climate goals and create new environmental risks.
- Civil society groups are calling for windfall taxes on fossil fuel companies to fund a just energy transition, arguing current policies risk deepening inequality and dependence on extractive industries.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/oil-surge-sharpens-calls-for-indonesia-to-shift-away-from-fossil-fuels/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-316691 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/us-indonesia-trade-deal-slammed-as-extractive-colonialism-over-mining-fossil-fuels/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/us-indonesia-trade-deal-slammed-as-extractive-colonialism-over-mining-fossil-fuels/#respond 27 Mar 2026 01:31:23 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316400 - The agreement prioritizes critical minerals and energy access, opening up Indonesia’s resource sectors to deeper U.S. investment while limiting state control.
- Expanded nickel mining and coal-powered processing risk worsening pollution, land conflicts and forest loss, especially in already affected regions like Sulawesi and the Malukus.
- Large fossil fuel import commitments could undermine Indonesia’s climate goals, highlighting contradictions in the global energy transition and raising concerns for Indigenous and local communities.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/us-indonesia-trade-deal-slammed-as-extractive-colonialism-over-mining-fossil-fuels/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-316400 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesias-steel-expansion-risks-a-surge-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesias-steel-expansion-risks-a-surge-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions/#respond 11 Feb 2026 04:31:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314073 - Indonesia’s high emissions stem largely from its reliance on coal-based blast furnace steelmaking, which uses coal both as a chemical input and as a source of the extremely high heat required to smelt iron ore.
- The climate footprint of Indonesia’s steel industry is closely tied to public health risks for communities living near major production hubs; steelmaking releases hazardous air pollutants that are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and reduced productivity.
- The Ministry of Industry has introduced policies intended to promote more sustainable practices across industrial sectors, including steel, but the recent report found that these policies lack binding sector-specific emissions targets, clear transition timelines and enforcement mechanisms.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/indonesias-steel-expansion-risks-a-surge-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314073 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/indonesia-backs-away-from-coal-exit-test-case-amid-financial-and-political-pushback/ https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/indonesia-backs-away-from-coal-exit-test-case-amid-financial-and-political-pushback/#respond 15 Jan 2026 13:44:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312999 - Analysts say the decision reflects deeper structural resistance to moving away from coal, driven by long-term power contracts, coal subsidies, and policies that make early retirement costly while keeping coal artificially cheap.
- The reversal risks undermining Indonesia’s credibility with global partners and investors, particularly under initiatives like the JETP, and exposes inconsistencies between political pledges on renewables and binding policy action.
- Critics argue early coal retirement would benefit Indonesia overall if full costs were counted, including health and environmental impacts, but political ties between coal interests and policymakers, along with uncertainty in global climate finance, continue to stall progress.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/indonesia-backs-away-from-coal-exit-test-case-amid-financial-and-political-pushback/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-312999 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/record-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2025-despite-renewables-buildout-report-says/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/record-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2025-despite-renewables-buildout-report-says/#respond 26 Dec 2025 15:22:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=312078 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/12/record-fossil-fuel-emissions-in-2025-despite-renewables-buildout-report-says/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-312078 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/saving-forests-wont-be-enough-if-fossil-fuels-beneath-them-are-still-extracted-experts-warn/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/saving-forests-wont-be-enough-if-fossil-fuels-beneath-them-are-still-extracted-experts-warn/#respond 26 Nov 2025 11:25:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=310184 - Because Brazil’s proposed Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) focuses only on stopping deforestation, researchers warn it risks missing far larger emissions from potential oil, gas and coal extraction under protected forests.
- India, China and Indonesia hold the largest fossil reserves beneath forests, with Indonesia facing acute trade-offs as most of its coal lies under forest areas where mining threatens biodiversity and Indigenous communities, including rhino habitats in Borneo.
- Experts say that compensating countries for leaving fossil fuels unextracted — through mechanisms like debt swaps or climate finance — could unlock massive climate benefits, but fossil fuel phaseout remains excluded from TFFF negotiations despite growing calls to include it.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/saving-forests-wont-be-enough-if-fossil-fuels-beneath-them-are-still-extracted-experts-warn/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-310184 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-indonesia-turns-cop30-into-carbon-market-showcase-critics-warn-of-hot-air/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-indonesia-turns-cop30-into-carbon-market-showcase-critics-warn-of-hot-air/#respond 14 Nov 2025 13:34:56 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309579 - Experts warn Indonesia’s credits risk being “hot air,” since its climate targets are rated “critically insufficient,” meaning many claimed reductions may not be real, additional or permanent — especially in forest-based projects.
- Forest and land-use credits, Indonesia’s biggest selling point, are among the riskiest, with high risks of overcrediting, leakage and nonpermanence; ongoing fires and deforestation further undermine credibility.
- Environmental groups say the carbon push distracts Indonesia from securing real climate finance, enabling wealthy nations to offset rather than cut emissions, while leaving Indonesia vulnerable to climate impacts and dependent on a fragile market.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/as-indonesia-turns-cop30-into-carbon-market-showcase-critics-warn-of-hot-air/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309579 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/coal-dependent-south-africa-struggles-to-make-just-energy-transition-real/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/coal-dependent-south-africa-struggles-to-make-just-energy-transition-real/#respond 11 Nov 2025 12:36:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309267 - A metalworkers’ union leader who sits on South Africa’s climate commission says the transition is racing forward, outpacing new jobs promised to mine workers.
- A mine operator says coal is a critical element in producing renewable energy infrastructure.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/coal-dependent-south-africa-struggles-to-make-just-energy-transition-real/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309267 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/rise-in-chinese-off-grid-coal-plants-in-indonesia-belies-pledge-to-end-fossil-fuel-support/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/rise-in-chinese-off-grid-coal-plants-in-indonesia-belies-pledge-to-end-fossil-fuel-support/#respond 10 Nov 2025 10:58:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=309175 - Chinese investment has been flowing into Indonesia’s metal mining and smelting sector in a bid to supply raw materials to electric vehicle battery makers amid a transition to the zero-emission vehicles.
- By the end of the decade, about 44% of processed nickel for use in batteries and also for stainless steel will come from Indonesia.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/rise-in-chinese-off-grid-coal-plants-in-indonesia-belies-pledge-to-end-fossil-fuel-support/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-309175 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/kenya-court-upholds-cancellation-of-1050-mw-coal-plant-license/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/kenya-court-upholds-cancellation-of-1050-mw-coal-plant-license/#respond 06 Nov 2025 15:18:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=308897 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/kenya-court-upholds-cancellation-of-1050-mw-coal-plant-license/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308897 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/karen-community-fighting-corn-and-coal-for-clean-air-in-northern-thailand/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/karen-community-fighting-corn-and-coal-for-clean-air-in-northern-thailand/#respond 06 Nov 2025 02:10:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=308913 - Government crackdowns and “zero-burn” policies have failed because impoverished farmers see no viable alternative to burning amid falling yields and mounting debt.
- Deforestation, soil erosion and flooding linked to maize farming have devastated ecosystems and rural livelihoods across Chiang Mai province.
- Even as some communities ban maize cultivation to fight haze, new coal projects threaten to undo their gains, revealing Thailand’s conflicting approach to environmental governance.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/karen-community-fighting-corn-and-coal-for-clean-air-in-northern-thailand/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308913 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/we-are-just-waiting-to-die-mining-activists-targeted-as-south-africa-delays-energy-transition/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/we-are-just-waiting-to-die-mining-activists-targeted-as-south-africa-delays-energy-transition/#respond 23 Oct 2025 09:59:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=308188 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/10/we-are-just-waiting-to-die-mining-activists-targeted-as-south-africa-delays-energy-transition/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-308188 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/with-red-tape-canceled-rebates-indonesia-risks-missing-chinese-renewables-investment/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/with-red-tape-canceled-rebates-indonesia-risks-missing-chinese-renewables-investment/#respond 06 Oct 2025 07:56:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=307037 - Indonesia is an attractive but underdeveloped renewables market, with just 560 MW of total solar capacity installed, compared to 198 GW added in China in the first five months of 2025.
- Strict quotas set by Indonesia’s state-owned utility PLN limit rooftop solar installations, dampening investor enthusiasm despite the country’s vast potential.
- Since 2022, Chinese firms have pledged about $70 billion in Indonesian renewables, EV and battery ventures, presenting Indonesia with a rare opportunity to build a robust clean energy supply chain.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/with-red-tape-canceled-rebates-indonesia-risks-missing-chinese-renewables-investment/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-307037 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/anguish-for-residents-as-thailands-most-polluting-coal-plant-gets-new-lease-of-life/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/anguish-for-residents-as-thailands-most-polluting-coal-plant-gets-new-lease-of-life/#respond 01 Oct 2025 04:15:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=306860 - Mae Moh is Thailand’s biggest CO2 polluter, and also emits high levels of other air pollutants, which nearby communities have for decades blamed for respiratory and other illnesses.
- Extending the plant’s lifespan undercuts Thailand’s clean-air pledges and Paris Agreement targets as fossil fuels still dominate the power mix, while renewable growth remains slow.
- Residents are skeptical the plant will be shut as planned by 2050, and are demanding stronger mitigation, cleanup and health care as coal jobs remain a major part of the local economy.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/anguish-for-residents-as-thailands-most-polluting-coal-plant-gets-new-lease-of-life/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-306860 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/philippine-tribes-revive-reforestation-to-defy-coal-mining-expansion/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/philippine-tribes-revive-reforestation-to-defy-coal-mining-expansion/#respond 30 Sep 2025 23:02:13 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=306802 - Since 2022, strip mining has destroyed forested slopes, polluted roads with coal dust, and caused frequent accidents from heavy truck traffic.
- Critics say accountability is elusive after San Miguel Corp., one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, sold the companies operating the mines to an undisclosed buyer, obscuring ownership.
- Tribal leaders are reviving reforestation as a form of protest, vowing to block any mining expansion into their ancestral domain.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/philippine-tribes-revive-reforestation-to-defy-coal-mining-expansion/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-306802 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/ocean-acidification-threatens-planetary-health-interview-with-johan-rockstrom/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/ocean-acidification-threatens-planetary-health-interview-with-johan-rockstrom/#respond 24 Sep 2025 16:24:46 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=306516 - Marking the launch of the 2025 Planetary Health Check, Mongabay speaks with report co-author and renowned Earth system scientist Johan Rockström about how the transgression of planetary boundaries is eroding environmental justice — the right of every human being to life on a stable, healthy planet.
- Rockström, who led the international team of scientists who originated the 2009 planetary boundary framework, also speaks about the failure to achieve a U.N. plastics treaty in August and the challenge of accomplishing planetwide sustainability in a time of widespread armed conflict and political instability.
- He likewise emphasizes the need to bring the U.S. back to the negotiating table at COP30, the U.N. climate summit scheduled for November, in Belém, Brazil, and addresses the importance of inserting the planetary boundaries framework into those talks.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/ocean-acidification-threatens-planetary-health-interview-with-johan-rockstrom/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-306516 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/australia-targets-at-least-62-emissions-cut-in-the-next-decade/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/australia-targets-at-least-62-emissions-cut-in-the-next-decade/#respond 18 Sep 2025 19:06:26 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=306223 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/australia-targets-at-least-62-emissions-cut-in-the-next-decade/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-306223 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-prioritizes-gas-over-renewables-to-meet-power-demand-surge/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-prioritizes-gas-over-renewables-to-meet-power-demand-surge/#respond 09 Sep 2025 17:38:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305649 - But it is at least half again more expensive than coal, and domestic supplies are running low.
- Critics say gas is costly, existing plants are underused, and the policy risks locking Indonesia into fossil fuels while diverting funds from clean energy.
- Domestic gas supply is also declining as wells age, raising fears of shortages by the mid-2030s unless new reserves are tapped.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/indonesia-prioritizes-gas-over-renewables-to-meet-power-demand-surge/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305649 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/censured-sumatra-coal-plant-blamed-for-sickening-children-in-indonesias-bengkulu/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/censured-sumatra-coal-plant-blamed-for-sickening-children-in-indonesias-bengkulu/#respond 01 Sep 2025 15:20:48 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=305041 - Residents of Teluk Sepang in 2019 formed a grassroots organization to advocate for clean air while holding to account PowerChina’s Indonesian affiliate, PT Tenaga Listrik Bengkulu.
- Data from a local clinic in Teluk Sepang showed a large share of young people living in the shadow of the coal plant suffer from respiratory diseases.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/censured-sumatra-coal-plant-blamed-for-sickening-children-in-indonesias-bengkulu/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-305041 https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/dang-dinh-bach-he-fought-for-clean-air-now-he-breathes-through-bars/ https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/dang-dinh-bach-he-fought-for-clean-air-now-he-breathes-through-bars/#respond 12 Aug 2025 12:17:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&p=304146 Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/dang-dinh-bach-he-fought-for-clean-air-now-he-breathes-through-bars/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304146 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/borneo-killing-linked-to-coal-industry-stays-unsolved-as-indonesia-vp-visits-dayak-village/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/borneo-killing-linked-to-coal-industry-stays-unsolved-as-indonesia-vp-visits-dayak-village/#respond 12 Aug 2025 02:22:22 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304049 - Police have questioned staff from coal miner PT Mantimin Coal Mining in connection with the case, but at the time of writing, authorities had yet to name any suspects in connection with the November murder.
- In June, Indonesia Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited the community where the killing took place; an aide to the vice president said a report would be made to President Prabowo Subianto.
- Killing of environmental defenders in Indonesia is rare compared with countries like Brazil and the Philippines, but political scientists say democratic conditions in Indonesia have been eroded in the past decade.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/borneo-killing-linked-to-coal-industry-stays-unsolved-as-indonesia-vp-visits-dayak-village/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304049 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/batang-coal-plants-seawater-permit-imperils-marine-life-fishing-communities/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/batang-coal-plants-seawater-permit-imperils-marine-life-fishing-communities/#respond 26 Jul 2025 03:39:55 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=303177 - Since operations began, the plant has displaced fishing communities, polluted coastal waters with heated discharge and caused up to a 50% decline in shrimp catches, particularly affecting traditional fishers in Roban Barat.
- Community resistance was met with intimidation and arrests, while some residents accepted compensation from the operator, PT Bhimasena Power Indonesia, further dividing the local population.
- Critics, including Greenpeace and KIARA, say the project reflects Indonesia’s coal-centered energy policy, undermining both environmental justice and climate goals, as the country continues to expand fossil fuel use despite international pressure to shift toward renewables.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/batang-coal-plants-seawater-permit-imperils-marine-life-fishing-communities/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-303177 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/indonesian-civil-society-urges-probe-after-payout-for-mine-recovery-that-never-happened/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/indonesian-civil-society-urges-probe-after-payout-for-mine-recovery-that-never-happened/#respond 10 Jul 2025 07:44:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=302173 - Muhammad Muhdar, an environmental lawyer at Mulawarman University in Samarinda, the provincial capital, told Mongabay that gaps in land rehabilitation of closed mining pits are so extensive that there’s potential for further unlawful activity to come to light.
- Data from the Mining Advocacy Network, a civil society organization known as Jatam, showed more than 1,700 former coal mine sites in East Kalimantan province, and that around 39 people had died in the excavations, most of them children.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/indonesian-civil-society-urges-probe-after-payout-for-mine-recovery-that-never-happened/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-302173 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/bitcoin-boom-comes-with-huge-intensifying-environmental-footprint/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/bitcoin-boom-comes-with-huge-intensifying-environmental-footprint/#respond 25 Jun 2025 16:36:18 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=301253 - Bitcoin mining demands huge amounts of computing power and is an energy hog. It monopolizes entire data centers that are currently multiplying globally. Most of the energy needed to mint bitcoin comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which produces significant carbon emissions, worsening climate destabilization.
- Bitcoin data centers need huge amounts of water for cooling. The semiconductors required for mining are made in a process using toxic PFAS (forever chemicals). Bitcoin equipment and processing chips at the end of life also add to global e-waste. Despite these harms, bitcoin is poised for explosive growth
- Prominent influencers, including U.S. President Donald Trump, cheerlead loudly for bitcoin. Trump has said that “America will become the world’s undisputed bitcoin mining powerhouse.” His son, Eric Trump, has debuted American Bitcoin, a bitcoin mining firm. Neither Trump has addressed bitcoin’s global environmental costs.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/bitcoin-boom-comes-with-huge-intensifying-environmental-footprint/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-301253 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesian-utility-pln-kneecaps-renewables-with-embrace-of-fossil-fuels/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesian-utility-pln-kneecaps-renewables-with-embrace-of-fossil-fuels/#respond 17 Jun 2025 03:57:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=300836 - PLN’s latest supply blueprint signals a fossil-fuel-heavy strategy, with strict rooftop solar caps, no mention of early coal plant retirements, and ambitious plans for gas expansion despite financing challenges.
- The utility aims to add 69.5 GW of new capacity over the next decade, more than 60% of which will come from renewables, but faces skepticism after consistently underdelivering on past clean energy promises.
- Analysts warn PLN’s plan risks stalling Indonesia’s energy transition, as fossil fuel demand rises and regulatory barriers slow renewables despite their falling costs and investor interest.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesian-utility-pln-kneecaps-renewables-with-embrace-of-fossil-fuels/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-300836 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesia-new-capital-yet-to-spark-electricity-for-low-income-neighbors-on-borneo/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesia-new-capital-yet-to-spark-electricity-for-low-income-neighbors-on-borneo/#respond 05 Jun 2025 02:41:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=300168 - Data published by Indonesia’s statistics agency showed 10% of Paser district had yet to receive a connection to the grid.
- Households without electricity told Mongabay Indonesia that the lack of basic infrastructure provided by the state restricted economy activity and cultivated security fears at night.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/indonesia-new-capital-yet-to-spark-electricity-for-low-income-neighbors-on-borneo/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-300168 https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/as-indonesia-phases-out-coal-what-happens-to-people-environments-left-behind/ https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/as-indonesia-phases-out-coal-what-happens-to-people-environments-left-behind/#respond 20 May 2025 15:54:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=299299 - This raises a critical question about what happens to the communities and environments left behind as the country plans to retire its coal-fired power plants to tackle climate change.
- In Cirebon, West Java province, fishers and farmers had to change professions when their land was used for a coal plant; now, some want to return to their former work, but their lands and sea are polluted and degraded from years of coal plant operations, and traditional livelihoods are no longer viable.
- ICEL program deputy director Grita Anindarini said Indonesia could benefit from drawing examples from other countries or jurisdictions whose transitions are designed to remedy harm, with land redistribution, economic diversification and Indigenous rights being central to their plans.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/as-indonesia-phases-out-coal-what-happens-to-people-environments-left-behind/feed/ 0 https://doi.org/10.66709/news-299299