Tensions between corporations and communities - Nickel mining in Indonesia

Background

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of nickel, with an estimated 1.6 million metric tons of nickel produced in 2022 (1). The global demand for nickel is expected to grow from 2.86 million metric tons in 2021 to 3.61 million metric tons worldwide in 2023 (2). Nickel is set to become one of the most important critical minerals in net zero transitions (3). “Nickel is the most important metal by mass in the lithium-ion battery cathodes used by EV manufacturers for hybrid and battery electric vehicles (EVs)” (4). This situation has ignited a race for the production and expansion of nickel, with Indonesia seeking to maintain its position as the world's leading nickel producer (5). Nickel mining brings economic prosperity to Indonesia but also ecological disaster and threats to land rights of farmers (6, 7). “Indonesia has a long way to go to produce nickel sustainably” (8).

Indonesia has signed the Paris agreement and adopted National Determined Contributions as well as a Long-Term Strategy for Low-Carbon and Climate Resilience (LTS) (9). The LTS distinguishes different scenarios for reaching net-zero transition, each projecting expected emissions for different sectors until 2050 (9, p.34). Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU) is expected to be the greatest contributor to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In all scenarios, the Energy sector remains the biggest polluter. Nickel is somewhat hiddenly classified under Industrial Process and Product Use, whose projected emissions are the same in every scenario and hardly change over time. Though several agencies report about the negative environmental and social impact of the nickel industry, nickel is also being justified as a critical element of ‘green energy’ and 'net-zero transition'. This creates two paradoxes or tension fields: how can nickel mining be classified as critical for 'green energy' or 'net zero transition' while simultaneously destroying the environment and livelihoods of indigenous people? how can European governments make Green Deals and at same time buy nickel from Indonesia for their energy transitions?

Description

The Public Administration and Policy group is looking for master thesis students who want to investigate the controversy over nickel mining in Indonesia as a critical element of green energy and net zero transition.. One of the tension fields to be explored is corporate vs community conflicts at local level: on clientelism of nickel mining and shrinking civic space

Possible topics for the thesis are:

• Processes of inclusion/exclusion and enrichment/impoverishment of local communities
• Politics of land tenure and new forms of 'green grabs'
• Legal backdooring (and the use of the Omnibus law)
• Contentious politics
• Clientelism and informal [collusive] business-government networks of nickel mining
• Shrinking civic space – studying changing role and political space of environmental and social NGOs to monitor and lobby

Requirements:

• The student should have completed a bachelor study and the first year of a social science master study at Wageningen University (like MID, MGST)
• The student should be able to speak Bahasa Indonesia, or work together with professional translators or Indonesian master students

Interested students can mail a CV and motivation letter to Dr Otto Hospes (as the prospective supervisor).