Indonesian nickel mining fuels deforestation linked to European electric cars

A senior member of the Tolaki tribe recounts how her ancestral forest on Sulawesi is being cleared for nickel extraction, a metal essential for electric-vehicle batteries. An IUCN-backed study finds that mining operations are largely situated in untouched primary forest, leading to extensive deforestation. The mine, comparable in size to the island of Fehmarn, holds vast deposits of limonite ore.

Volkswagen, the European leader in electric-vehicle sales, sources a large share of its nickel from Indonesian mines, despite its corporate code that promises protection of natural habitats and deforestation-free sourcing. Satellite-based analysis by TheTreeMap attributes most of the observed forest loss since 2001 to mining expansion, new pits, processing facilities and access roads. Local residents warn that the environmental damage threatens their traditional way of life, and the impact may persist even as battery technologies evolve.