Indonesia’s Climate Security and Renewable Energy Nexus: A Landscape Assessment

The report examines how climate hazards—including sea-level rise, extreme heat, and flooding—threaten Indonesia's military infrastructure, food security, and territorial sovereignty. It highlights the strategic risks of continued coal dependence, such as public health crises and corruption, while positioning the renewable energy transition as a critical national security priority to enhance economic competitiveness and geopolitical stability.

• Climate hazards pose direct risks to Indonesia's military readiness by threatening critical defense infrastructure. Vulnerable assets include airfield operations, waterfront services, and fuel supply chains, particularly in geostrategically sensitive areas like the Natuna Islands.
• Climate change threatens Indonesia's food and economic security, specifically within the agriculture and fisheries sectors. A temperature increase of just 1°C could reduce irrigated rice yields by 14%, while warming oceans cause coral bleaching and fish migration, impacting the livelihoods of fishing communities.
• Sea-level rise threatens Indonesia's territorial sovereignty and maritime boundaries. A study indicates that 92 small outlying islands are at risk of disappearing, which would alter the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and potentially allow other nations to claim resources in Indonesian archipelagic sea lanes.
• Heavy reliance on coal creates significant national security liabilities through public health impacts and systemic corruption. Coal-fired power plants contributed to 10,500 deaths and $7.4 billion in health spending in 2022, while the sector's susceptibility to bribery undermines public trust in governance.
• The transition to renewable energy is presented as a strategic opportunity to enhance Indonesia's geopolitical position and economic competitiveness. This is particularly relevant given the rising energy demands of the AI boom and the growth of data centers in Southeast Asia.
• Indonesia's formal defense planning has lagged behind current climate realities. The most recent defense white paper from 2015 does not account for the climate-created disasters or energy security shifts of the 2020s, although the government is participating in the $20 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

APA

Rezzonico, A., Baxter, C., & Sikorsky, E. (2025). Indonesia’s Climate Security and Renewable Energy Nexus: A Landscape Assessment. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/08/08/indonesias-climate-security-and-renewable-energy-nexus-a-landscape-assessment/

Chicago

Rezzonico, Andrea, Caroline Baxter, and Erin Sikorsky. Indonesia’s Climate Security and Renewable Energy Nexus: A Landscape Assessment. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2025. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/08/08/indonesias-climate-security-and-renewable-energy-nexus-a-landscape-assessment/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rezzonico |first1=Andrea |last2=Baxter |first2=Caroline |last3=Sikorsky |first3=Erin |title=Indonesia’s Climate Security and Renewable Energy Nexus: A Landscape Assessment |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=8 August 2025 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/08/08/indonesias-climate-security-and-renewable-energy-nexus-a-landscape-assessment/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rezzonico2025indonesias, author = {Rezzonico, Andrea and Baxter, Caroline and Sikorsky, Erin}, title = {{Indonesia’s Climate Security and Renewable Energy Nexus: A Landscape Assessment}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/08/08/indonesias-climate-security-and-renewable-energy-nexus-a-landscape-assessment/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }