A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Indonesia’s Deforestation Intensifies Extreme Weather Impacts (Associated Press)

Indonesia’s vast biodiverse forests have long sustained livelihoods, food supplies, medicine, and cultural practices. Yet the past seven decades have put them under threat. Since 1950, over 74 million hectares, or nearly 286,000 square miles, of rainforest has been logged, burned, or degraded. The country’s key industries—palm oil, paper, rubber, and mining for oil and critical minerals—are largely to blame. This is occurring in a specific context: Indonesia is not only one of the largest global CO2 emitters globally, but it is also highly vulnerable to climate change—particularly climate change-induced extreme weather events.

When severe flooding hit West Sumatra in early March, Indonesia’s government attributed it solely to harsher-than-usual rainfall. But environmental advocates observe that deforestation and environmental degradation played a role in intensifying the event’s impact. A 2017 study found that frequent harvesting (a practice on palm oil plantations) and the removal of ground vegetation creates a compaction of soil that limits groundwater retention and causes downstream erosion and flooding. West Sumatra’s Governor, Mahyeldi Ansharullah, has noted that illegal logging, extreme rainfall, inadequate drainage systems, and improper housing development also compounded the disaster early last month.

Deforestation rates have slowed between 2021 and 2022 following a 2018 freeze of palm oil plantation permits. Yet the recent election of Prabowo Subianto, who has vowed to expand development, mining, and other infrastructure projects, may undo much of this progress. The nation’s recent passage of the Omnibus Law diminished the minimum amount of forest protected during development projects, further exacerbating activists’ concerns.

READ | Indonesia: Stop Chopping, Start Learning

South Asian Air Pollution’s Uniquely Devastating Impact (Al Jazeera)

World Health Organization guidelines limit air pollution (PM2.5) at 5 micrograms per cubic meter. Yet, according to a recent report from the Swiss Company IQAir, levels in Bangladesh lie at 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter—with the rest of South Asia, notably Pakistan and India, at levels not far behind. Indeed, 83 Indian cities have air quality that is over ten times the recommended WHO limit. The poor air quality levels there are among the highest in the world.

Poor air quality in the region can be attributed to various factors, most notably unsustainable industrial and agricultural practices. Many brick kilns in Bangladesh operate illegally, and there is significant crop and biomass burning throughout the region. Add in plastic waste incineration, and vehicle emissions, and these practices help create the region’s high PM2.5 levels. Additionally, wind patterns tend to blow pollutants from major cities to the region of the Himalayas in the north, trapping them and worsening overall regional pollution.

Numerous reports also link poor air quality to negative impacts on life expectancy. In India, for example, PM2.5 levels have reduced average life expectancy by 5.3 years (that reduction is 10 years in New Delhi). While attempts have been made at curbing the region’s air pollution, experts recommend more efficient air quality monitoring systems and investments in renewables to accomplish this task most effectively.

READ | First Responders of Last Resort: South Asian Militaries Should Strengthen Climate Security Preparedness and Cooperation

Engineering in the Climate Crisis is a Double-Edged Sword (New York Times)

As the scale and urgency of the climate crisis becomes increasingly apparent, many are placing their bets that climate innovations will limit both its impact and help mitigate CO2 emissions. Such projects include blocking the sun’s radiation with parasols in space, or adding iron to the ocean to carry CO2 to the sea floor, as well as many others.

Yet these so-called “climate interventions” have become somewhat controversial. One such project, run by a company called Carbfix in Iceland, aims to capture CO2 and pump it into bedrock. While Iceland’s “Mammoth” project is currently the largest in the world, Occidental Petroleum is building a similar plant ten times more powerful in Texas. Yet the Texas plant’s ambitions are not only to lock the CO2 underground and turn it into rock, but also use it to extract more oil.

Occidental and another oil company, Climeworks, also are rapidly expanding their direct air capture technologies, driven in part by their need to secure credits to reduce their carbon footprint. While the direct air capture market is an emerging industry, many have already criticized the practice. Some observers argue that attempting “climate interventions” is a waste of time and resources without knowing technology’s potential impacts. Others see it as an attempt by the oil and gas industry to increase its profits. And even with these emerging technologies, scientists emphasize that an urgent transition away from fossil fuels is still absolutely necessary to avoid the risks associated with global warming and the climate crisis.

READ | Amidst Climate Change and Shifting Energy Markets, New Challenges for Transatlantic Security