Environment & energy — Indonesia · Synthesis
A major emitter whose balance is dominated by deforestation, peatlands and coal — the world's leading exporter of thermal coal, but with a sharply declining deforestation trend and strong renewable potential.
Citoyen synthesis for the Environment and climate category in Indonesia. Grounded in the sector's quantitative data (Ministry of Environment and Forestry, IEA, OWID, Global Forest Watch). All values are the latest realized observation available — never a forecast. Assessments are kept distinct from sourced facts. Data last updated: June 2026.
1. State of play — where Indonesia stands on climate
A major emitter dominated by land use. Indonesian emissions are high, and their balance is dominated by deforestation, degradation of peatlands (very carbon-rich, prone to fires) and agriculture (palm oil) — far more than by energy, as in Brazil.
The world's leading thermal coal exporter. Indonesia is the world's leading exporter of thermal coal, and its electricity relies heavily on coal — a major fossil dependency and a transition challenge.
A sharply declining deforestation trend. After dramatic peaks (peatland fires, palm-oil expansion), deforestation has declined sharply in recent years (moratoria, restoration policies) — a recognized progress, to be consolidated.
Exceptional and threatened biodiversity. Indonesia is home to some of the world's richest biodiversity (tropical forests, reefs), threatened by deforestation, fires and agricultural expansion.
Strong renewable potential. Indonesia has strong potential (geothermal — among the world's largest, solar, hydro), still little exploited compared with coal — a transition lever.
Indonesia — GHG emissions
Indonesia — Forest cover
Indonesia — Renewable energy share
“Like Brazil, Indonesia's climate balance is dominated by deforestation and peatlands rather than energy.”
2. Outlook — where the transition is heading
Consolidating the deforestation decline. Maintaining the fall in deforestation and restoring peatlands are climate and biodiversity challenges of global importance.
Phasing out coal progressively. Reducing dependence on coal (electricity, exports) in favour of renewables is the central energy challenge — supported by international partnerships (JETP).
Palm oil and sustainability. Reconciling the power of palm oil (see Economy category) with sustainability and the fight against deforestation is a structural tension.
Exploiting renewable potential. Developing geothermal, solar and hydro is a major decarbonization lever.
The open questions. Three challenges will shape the decade: (1) consolidating the deforestation decline; (2) reducing dependence on coal; (3) exploiting the renewable potential (geothermal).
“The world's leading exporter of thermal coal, Indonesia has nonetheless sharply reduced recent deforestation.”
3. International comparison — Indonesia among the major emitters
Placed in its environment, Indonesia has an atypical climate balance: dominated by deforestation and coal, like Brazil for deforestation.
Three takeaways. (1) The weight of land use. Like Brazil, Indonesia's balance depends mostly on deforestation and peatlands, not just energy.
(2) Coal. The world's leading exporter of thermal coal, Indonesia has highly carbon-intensive electricity, unlike Brazil (hydro).
(3) Strong renewable potential. Indonesia's geothermal resources, among the world's most significant, are an under-exploited transition asset.
China — GHG emissions
United States — GHG emissions
India — GHG emissions
Brazil — GHG emissions
European Union — GHG emissions
Indonesia — GHG emissions
International comparison — emissions
| Country | GHG emissions | Dominant factor | Low-carbon electricity |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | ≈ 12,000+ Mt | coal, industry | rising |
| United States | ≈ 5,500-6,000 Mt | energy, transport | moderate |
| India | ≈ 3,000+ Mt | coal, energy | low |
| Brazil | ≈ 1,000+ Mt | deforestation, agriculture | very high (hydro) |
| European Union | ≈ 3,000-3,200 Mt | energy | high |
| Indonesia | high (variable) | deforestation, coal | low (coal) |
Sources: OWID, IEA, Global Forest Watch — territorial emissions, latest realized values (sensitive to deforestation). China and the United States are included for scale. "≈" denotes a rounding.
Data mobilized (data-journalism base)
| Data | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GHG emissions | high (variable with deforestation) | OWID / Ministry (Citoyen chart) |
| Dominant factor | deforestation, peatlands, coal | Global Forest Watch / IEA |
| Coal | world's No. 1 thermal exporter | IEA |
| Deforestation | sharply declining recently | Global Forest Watch |
| Renewable potential | strong (geothermal) | IEA (Citoyen chart) |
Sources (national analyses and references)
Ministry of Environment and Forestry (deforestation, emissions) · IEA (energy, coal) · Our World in Data · Global Forest Watch.
Methodological note — the synthesis keeps sourced facts distinct from assessments, stays neutral, dates each figure, and does not extrapolate beyond the sources. Territorial emissions including land use (deforestation), highly variable. China and the United States are included for scale. All values are the latest realized observation available (no forecast). Note generated by AI, human review required. Same safeguards as the rest of the observatory.