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The document examines the impact of geothermal energy expansion in Indonesia, specifically projects funded by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. It details environmental degradation, including water depletion and pollution, and social harms such as health crises, economic losses for farmers, and the criminalization of dissent. The author advocates for a 'Feminist Just Transition' framework to ensure community consent and equity in the energy transition.

The report examines the expansion of geothermal energy in Indonesia, highlighting the role of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank in funding projects that mitigate corporate risk while shifting social and environmental burdens to local communities. It documents specific instances of water depletion, pollution, and human rights abuses, arguing for a 'Feminist Just Transition' to ensure climate justice.

The report examines the impact of geothermal energy development in Indonesia, highlighting a contradiction between its role as a climate solution and the resulting socio-environmental risks. It details how funding from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has accelerated projects that lead to water depletion, pollution, and the displacement of local livelihoods. The document documents specific cases of environmental degradation, such as mudflows and gas leaks, as well as the criminalization of dissent and the marginalization of women and Indigenous peoples. It concludes that the current financial model transfers risk to local communities and calls for a transition based on equity, justice, and the explicit consent of affected populations.

Civil society organizations have issued a legal notice (somasi) to President Prabowo, urging the immediate declaration of a national disaster status following devastating floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. As of December 8, 2025, the BNPB reported 974 deaths and 298 missing persons, with tens of thousands displaced. The coalition argues that the disasters were driven by excessive and illegal private sector exploitation, categorizing these actions as 'Ecocide Crimes'. They demand central government intervention for reconstruction and a comprehensive investigation into the structural causes and corporate beneficiaries behind the environmental destruction.

Trend Asia criticizes the new PP KEN for extending the use of fossil fuels until 2060, lowering renewable energy targets for 2030, and promoting high-risk or non-renewable 'new energy' sources like nuclear, hydrogen, and ammonia. The report highlights the environmental and social risks of bioenergy, specifically co-firing and Energy Plantation Forests (HTE), which it links to deforestation and land grabbing. It further argues that the policy lacks transparency, excludes community-scale renewable energy, and prioritizes industrial interests over human rights and ecological sustainability.

The document details the legal actions taken by a coalition of civil society organizations, including Trend Asia, WALHI, and Greenpeace Indonesia, against the Indonesian government's National Electricity General Plan (RUKN) and the Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL). It argues that these plans ignore the escalating climate crisis—exemplified by Cyclone Senyar—and instead lock the country into fossil fuel dependency through the extension of coal-fired power plants (PLTU) and the use of biomass co-firing, which the authors claim drives deforestation. The coalition alleges that these policies violate multiple national laws and international commitments, such as the Paris Agreement, by failing to provide a clear coal phase-out roadmap and ignoring cheaper renewable energy alternatives.

The document identifies critical areas for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems to mitigate climate risks such as flooding, landslides, and coastal storms in Indonesia. It evaluates three scenarios: unconstrained conservation, infrastructure-impact conservation, and restoration. The analysis reveals that a small percentage of land area provides disproportionately high benefits for millions of people and significant portions of the national road network. Most of these priority areas lie outside existing protected networks, suggesting a need for new regulatory approaches. The brief recommends integrating these findings into national development plans (RPJMN, RPJPN), spatial planning (RTRW), and the 2020-2040 Road Network General Plan, while calling for capacity building and the integration of NbS data into national mapping platforms.

The report analyzes the complexities of Indonesia's transition away from coal, highlighting a conflict between government/industry priorities—which focus on economic stability and coal derivatives—and the social and environmental priorities of civil society. It identifies significant barriers, including a quasi-monopoly on electricity by the state-owned PLN, deep political ties between coal oligarchs and policymakers, and a lack of coordination between national and regional governments. While initiatives like the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) show progress, the report argues that a truly just transition requires economic diversification, reskilling of the workforce, and the reclamation of abandoned mines.

The report argues that Indonesia's biomass co-firing policy, led by PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), threatens natural forests. To achieve 10% co-firing across 107 coal power plants, Trend Asia estimates a need for at least 2.33 million hectares of energy wood plantations. Based on historical data showing 38% of industrial timber plantations were established via deforestation, the report warns that this policy could increase annual deforestation rates from 630 thousand to 2.1 million hectares. It further highlights contradictions between the government's Enhanced NDC emission targets and its increasing deforestation quotas, while noting that biomass burning creates a 'carbon debt' rather than being carbon neutral.

The document examines the intersection of gender and social equity within Indonesia's energy transition, specifically through case studies in West Sumatra. It argues that without a gender-sensitive approach to decision-making, renewable energy projects risk entrenching existing inequalities and excluding women from the workforce and leadership roles.

The document examines how renewable energy transitions in West Sumatra, Indonesia, can either entrench or challenge existing social inequities. Through case studies of geothermal, micro-hydro, and biofuel projects, it highlights how patriarchal land management and closed decision-making processes exclude women and marginalized groups from benefits. It also analyzes the limitations of national LPG subsidies and grid electrification in reaching the rural poor, concluding that a gender-sensitive approach is essential to ensure just transitions.

The document examines Indonesia's energy subsidy regime, which in 2013 cost the government IDR 299.8 trillion (US$ 27.0 billion), representing 2.5% of GDP. It details the 2013 price increases for gasoline and diesel, the subsequent social compensation packages, and the challenges of LPG and electricity subsidy reforms. The report argues that these subsidies are regressive, encourage wasteful consumption, and crowd out critical infrastructure and social welfare spending. It provides recommendations for transitioning toward targeted assistance and renewable energy to ensure macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth.

The document examines agricultural investment in Indonesia, focusing on two primary business models: contract farming and land concessions. It notes that while agriculture remains a critical source of employment, its relative contribution to GDP has declined. The paper details various contract farming arrangements, such as the plasma-nucleus partnership, and land concession types, including cultivation rights (HGU). It finds that these models have produced mixed results, often hampered by poor governance, land disputes, and a lack of transparency. The author recommends enhancing farmer capacity, reforming land ownership regulations, and implementing a geographical information system to manage land use.

The report documents a severe decline in Sumatra's natural forests, which shrank from 25.3 million hectares in 1985 to 12.8 million hectares by 2008/9. This deforestation, driven largely by oil palm and pulpwood plantations, has resulted in massive CO2 emissions from biomass loss and peatland degradation, particularly in Riau Province. The loss of habitat has led to significant population declines in the Sumatran elephant, orangutan, rhinoceros, and tiger, while 17 of 38 eco-floristic sectors are now categorized as threatened. The authors argue that protecting remaining peatland forests and restoring degraded areas are critical for meeting Indonesia's emission reduction targets.

Global Witness reports that between 2018 and 2025, banks provided $31 billion in sustainability-linked loans to palm oil companies facing deforestation allegations. The report highlights a systemic failure in the SLL model, where companies like Wilmar, Musim Mas, and Olam Group access 'green' funding while allegedly continuing deforestation through direct concessions or third-party 'shadow networks.' It criticizes the reliance on voluntary standards and the lack of public disclosure regarding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), arguing that these loans often serve as greenwashing tools rather than drivers of environmental improvement.

The document critiques Indonesia's energy policies for prioritizing coal-fired power plants (PLTU) despite escalating climate disasters and socio-economic losses. It highlights the filing of two lawsuits at the Jakarta Administrative Court (PTUN Jakarta) by environmental organizations and affected citizens to challenge the RUKN 2025-2060 and RUPTL 2025-2034, arguing that these plans extend the life of fossil fuel infrastructure and ignore the health and economic impacts on local communities.

This report by Trend Asia, CELIOS, and CREA identifies the 20 most toxic coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) in Indonesia, termed the "Toxic Twenty." It analyzes the severe public health, economic, and environmental costs associated with these facilities, arguing that current government retirement roadmaps are insufficient and often delayed by a reliance on unproven technologies like co-firing and CCS/CCUS. The report provides detailed case studies for several plants, documenting widespread respiratory illnesses, loss of traditional livelihoods in fisheries and agriculture, and significant negative impacts on regional GDP.

The report identifies the 'Toxic Twenty' coal-fired power plants in Indonesia, estimating that between 2026 and 2050, they will cause 156,000 premature deaths and USD 109 billion in health-related economic losses. It argues that these plants create a net economic drain, reducing regional GDP and destroying livelihoods in agriculture and fisheries, while criticizing the government's reliance on 'false solutions' like biomass co-firing to extend the life of fossil fuel infrastructure.

The report highlights the failure of biomass power plants (PLTBm) in the Mentawai Islands, which operated for less than a year and forced the cutting of indigenous forests due to unsuitable bamboo varieties. It argues that the push for bioenergy is suspicious given the region's higher potential for solar and hydro power. Furthermore, it documents a stark disparity in land control, where large corporate forest concessions (PBPH) threaten natural forests and indigenous territories, while local communities struggle for legal recognition of their ancestral lands.

This fact sheet by Trend Asia examines the failure of biomass power plants (PLTBm) in the Mentawai Islands and the resulting environmental and social impacts. It highlights how a project funded by a US grant led to the deforestation of customary forests when intended bamboo fuel proved unsuitable, while arguing that the region's energy needs should be met through more abundant renewable sources like solar and hydro rather than extractive bioenergy.