Indonesia’s Stimulus Plan Draws Fire From Environmentalists
From this piece in the New York Times:
Indonesia’s Parliament is on the verge of approving a sweeping coronavirus stimulus package that opponents charge would undermine worker protections and permit widespread destruction of the country’s rainforests..…Environmentalists oppose the measure because it would eliminate environmental reviews for many new projects and could lead to the destruction of primary rainforests that are essential in controlling carbon emissions and slowing climate change.
Third only in acreage to Brazil and The Congo, Indonesia’s rainforest covers almost 86% of the country’s 17,000+ islands, and they contain one of the greatest biodiversity hotspots on Earth. These forests store nearly 300 billion tons of carbon, but, because of the intense demand for palm oil, they are being rapidly destroyed. Needless to say, regulations that eliminate environmental review are a step in the wrong direction.
(Pictured: the endangered Sumatran tiger)
