Jakarta –
A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sent letters to the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk. They asked the world’s richest man not to invest in Indonesia related to the nickel industry.
One of the organizations that sent a letter to Elon Musik was the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) following a meeting between President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Elon Musk last May in Texas, United States.
Reported by Reuters, Wednesday (27/7/2022), Indonesia is a country that has the world’s largest nickel reserves. Jokowi wants to develop a national electric car industry that requires nickel as raw material.
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The Indonesian government has also banned the export of raw nickel since 2020 to ensure there is sufficient nickel demand for the industry.
However, environmental organizations are concerned that this process will lead to large amounts of mineral waste into the oceans.
NGOs including Walhi mentioned in their letter that nickel mining causes deforestation and threats to waste in rivers, lakes and the sea.
They suggested canceling any potential investment in the nickel industry in Indonesia and stopping the sourcing of raw materials produced in Indonesia in every Tesla line of business.
Tesla has not yet commented on this matter, nor has the Indonesian government.
Elon Musk in 2020 urged the mining industry to produce more nickel in a more environmentally sensitive manner. He also ridiculed US nickel production, which he considered lousy.
Used to increase battery storage, nickel is expected to see a surge in demand over the next few years as governments, companies and consumers seek to reduce the harmful fumes emitted by fossil fuel vehicles.
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(zlf/ang)
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