Project: Digging for Batteries: Extraction and the Energy Transition in Indonesia
As Indonesia emerges as the world’s largest nickel producer, the country seeks to transform its resource dominance into a leading role in global electric vehicle (EV) production. Dr. Libassi’s research examines the economic and environmental contradictions of this transition—how the government presents nickel extraction as an anti-colonial victory, while communities in nickel-producing regions experience environmental degradation, workplace exploitation, and economic disparity. His fieldwork in Jakarta and North Maluku will uncover the tensions between national ambitions and local realities.